The regatta started in 2018 when the advisory council for Catholic Charities Terre Haute was looking for a new way to engage with the local community, specifically through a fundraising event. One of the council members was familiar with the Cincinnati Freestore Foodbank Duck Regatta and suggested they reach out to find out how the event is done.

Realizing they could take advantage of the town’s natural resource, the Wabash River, the council members decided to move forward. The duck regatta is now held every fourth of July alongside the town’s Independence Day celebrations, which include a concert, fireworks, and now, the duck regatta.

“The first couple of years I was so surprised because I thought ‘Well, maybe because people are coming to the concert we might get a few people spill over and come and watch the race,’ but no, we had a lot of people that actually came to watch the race that I think then fed into staying for the concert. So I think itʼs been a little bit of give and take for both,” Jennifer Tames, assistant agency director for Catholic Charities of Terre Haute, told EWTN News in an interview.

Tames explained that “duck season” began on May 21 — the day when people can start “adopting” rubber ducks for the race. The ducks are available for $5 and can be found at 20 different locations in the area. Then one lucky duck is chosen at the end of the race and whoever that duck belongs to wins $10,000.

While the race used to be held in the Wabash River, it is now done in a man-made, large waterslide due to safety concerns from the unpredictability in water levels. Despite this change, the community continues to show strong support for the event.

“The community has really gotten behind the event and they enjoy it. The kids love coming to watch the race itself even though weʼre no longer on the river,” Tames said.

She shared that roughly $45,000 is raised from the regatta each year and all proceeds go directly to the work Catholic Charities does in the area.

Catholic Charities Terre Haute has four “service lines”: nourishing the body, providing safe shelter, offering quality youth programs, and providing the spirit of Christmas — all supporting children, adults, families, and seniors.

Through the Terre Haute Catholic Charities Foodbank, the equivalent of 3.8 million meals are provided throughout the year to seven counties in West Central Indiana.

The Ryves Youth Center runs year round and provides tutoring, mentoring, counseling, and recreational activities such as field trips and a summer camp. Additionally, there is a full-time preschool program that runs year-round and all children who participate in any of the programs at the youth center are provided with meals.

The Bethany House Emergency Shelter houses single women, married couples, and families. The staff works as case managers to help understand what led the individual or the family to homelessness and help them to set goals to be able to work to become self-sufficient again.

Lastly, the Christmas Store in Terre Haute provides hygiene products, clothing, toys and household items to those needing help with their Christmas. Thanks to retail partners, local community groups, and individual donations the shelves of the Christmas Store remain filled with new gifts year round.

“I donʼt think anybody gets into nonprofit work for the wealth,” Tames said. “We all get in it because we believe in what we do and we believe in the change that we can make in our community and the change that we can make in a single life.”

She added, “Even though in my role Iʼm not necessarily working with each of our neighbors every day, I can go home and know that the work that I do in raising funds for Catholic Charities, in raising awareness about Catholic Charities and the programs that we operate, is making a meaningful difference in somebody elseʼs life. You don’t get that everywhere.”

Tames shared that when it comes to the duck regatta, their hope “would be to increase the number of ducks…so that we can put more of those funds into the resources that we provide every year.”

The Irish-born priest is revered for his revolutionary approach to caring for homeless children in the 20th century, leading him to be declared “Venerable” by Pope Leo XIV in March, 2026.

Following the advancement of Flanagan’s canonization cause, Thomas Lynch, who serves as the historian and director of community programs for Boys Town, told EWTN News that the priest’s life serves as an example of “how children can be treated and how to treat your fellow man too.”

“Venerable Father Flanagan was born and raised in Ireland in a very devout Catholic family, and he had a great devotion to helping people from the examples of his mother and father,” Lynch said.

He was born in County Galway in 1886, and moved to America in 1904. His journey through seminary was put on hold due to poor health, but he was eventually ordained in 1912.

While the priest is known for rescuing homeless children and housing them at Father Flanaganʼs Boys Home, his work went beyond aiding children at the village now known as Boys Town.

Flanagan had “special ideas and concepts in child care…that were so radical,” but it came “from his concepts of being a Catholic priest of love and dignity for the individual,” Lynch said. “It changed the way children were treated around the world.”

Flanagan was “a great champion for civil rights,” Lynch said. “He traveled across America advocating equality regardless of a personʼs race or religion. He felt that [was] one of the greatest stains in America — any type of religious or racial discrimination.”

“Many people donʼt realize he went out of his way to help Japanese Americans during World War II. During the internment, he helped around 200 to 300 of them leave the camps and begin new lives, and he brought a number of them to live in the village of Boys Town.”

Creating Boys Town ‘with love’

“When Father Flanagan created Boys Town in 1917, unfortunately, in America, there were no child care programs existing that were standard across the country,” Lynch said. “There were reform schools,” but they were “terrible places.”

In the schools, “children would commit suicide because the guards would be so violent,” he said. Many of the children were also in orphanages, but “when you became a teenager, you were expelled.”

To combat the issue, Flanagan “came forward and said: ‘Theyʼre going to live with me. Theyʼre going to have love, education, a spiritual life, and be taught a trade. Itʼll be done. No corporal punishment. No verbal abuse. Theyʼll live as a family.’”

To start Boys Town, Flanagan used “the borrowed $90 he had,” Lynch said. “He had no money and no one really believed in him except for a few people in the city of Omaha.”

“But he always said: 'God would provide.’”

At Boys Town, “he created one of the first intentionally integrated communities in America…and he did it all with love,” he said. “He referenced love almost every day, in every sermon, and in every prayer.”

Flanagan’s success caught the attention of people across the globe, leading his life and legacy to be immortalized in the 1938 movie “Boys Town,” starring Spencer Tracy, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of the priest.

Flanagan’s work was also esteemed by multiple presidents and leaders.

“President Franklin Roosevelt said America needed 49 more Father Flanaganʼs, one for every state and territory, because his ideas were so far forward and proving successful,” Lynch said.

In 1947, Flanagan was even invited by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who was leading the allied occupation of Japan, to review the child welfare conditions in Japan and Korea.

After the trip, Flanagan culminated a report, “Children of Defeat,” which included findings on the devastating conditions of children left homeless and abandoned by World War II across Asia. He presented it to President Harry Truman at the White House on July 11, 1947.

Flanagan was also invited to do a similar assessment in Austria and Germany the following year, but while in Germany Flanagan suffered a heart attack and died on May 15, 1948.

Following his death, Flanagan’s successors continued many of the same principles and practices of his celebrated work.

Flanagan’s principles still present today

Flanagan often said, “‘I do not have all the answers on child care,’ but he learned from every child that came to him, and he did extensive research with children and families,” Lynch said.

Boys Town now operates nine sites including its home campus in Nebraska and locations in Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Nevada, and New England.

"Itʼs the largest residential care facility in America” with “300 boys and girls living with us,” Lynch said.

The “programs we serve touch the lives of around 2 million children and families every year across the United States, through our medical programs, our counseling programs, [and] our psychiatric programs.”

“We do strategic planning, and we review our programs about every five years and determine whatʼs the next area we should move into based on whatʼs going on in society,” he said.

Boys Town offers in-home family services, “where we actually go into a home and work with a family that are having issues,” he said. It provides “foster care programming,” which “trains foster parents across America in the basic theories and concepts of Father Flanagan.”

To help students, Boys Town operates its Well-Managed Schools. Lynch said: “We teach schools and students the concepts of Father Flanagan — of respecting each other and how to get along in the classroom.”

Boys Town’s National Research Hospital offers aid and specialized care. It is  conducting “advanced work on autism and Parkinsonʼs disease,” and “working with special MRI machines,” Lynch said.

The organizaiton also started a residential treatment center to help families struggling with a troubled child who is experiencing behavior problems.

It’s for “boys and girls that canʼt live at home because…maybe theyʼre violent or have severe mental issues,” Lynch said.

Cause for canonization

“The cause for father began many years ago, some of our alumni felt that Father Flanagan should be a saint in the Catholic Church.”

“When he created Boys Town, he created it on his Catholic theology, his training in his life,” Lynch said. “It is an example to the world of what Catholic teaching and theology can do to help the lives of not just children, but society.”

“He took the Catholic tenets of love, inclusion, and acceptance, and he brought that to the care of children in America, when really no one had even thought of it before,” Lynch said.

In “2012, a Mass was held at Boys Town on Saint Patrickʼs Day, and thatʼs when the Archdiocese of Omaha officially opened Father Flanaganʼs cause.”

Pope Leo XIV declared the “heroic virtue” of Flanagan alongside four other holy men and women on March 23, 2026.

Mehan is associate dean and professor of government studies at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C. campus. He holds a doctorate in literature from the University of Dallas and recently authored The American Book of Fables, a book for all ages that reflects Mehan’s desire to contribute to national renewal.

The fables are set in the American landscape, framed by the Declaration of Independence, and accompanied by historical documents illustrating the country’s history, complexity, and geographical regions.

In interviews with EWTN News, the author and scholar said the book grew out of his broader efforts to promote culture renewal through educational reform.

“In a sense, it is an unsurprisingly Catholic endeavour of ‘fides et ratio,’” he said. “I wanted something like in church, where there is a papal flag and an American flag, representing faith, morals, love of country, and love of neighbor.”

“I’ve always thought that way. I’ve also thought a lot about a combination of those things, with beautiful images and beautiful moral sentiments, and how those come together. So when the semiquinquicentennial was coming up, I thought it would be a great gift to the country.”.

Mehan won the America 250 Innovation Prize from the Heritage Foundation for the work.

The educator and father of eight said he shares the concerns of many teachers and parents dismayed by the current culture and how education has failed to cultivate virtue, civic pride and responsibility.

He and his wife founded a school cooperative in Reston, Virginia that now has 38 participating families. He has also designed curricula for schools across the country.

The role of educators is essential, Mehan said, while noting that doctorates are now the equivalent of 19th-century master’s degrees in terms of academic formation.

“Catholic academics don’t know their own traditions very well,” he argued. “They know Greek philosophers, and the moderns who reject the Greco-Roman, Judeo-Christian, and Catholic vision of Western civilization and human nature, and may know the Summa Theologica and St. Augustine. But what they don’t know is the poetical and rhetorical tradition which moves people toward a common vision, which is an indispensable part of good letters and a healthy citizenry.”

“And they don’t know the Romans,” he added. Drawing on the classical tradition, Mehan noted that Roman thinkers such as Cicero and Seneca prepared the “good soil,” the intellectual antecedents that inspired America’s founders.

“Cicero, for instance, was taught in all seminaries until the 1900s,” while Seneca was praised by St. Jerome, he said. And ideas found in Cicero were the underpinnings of the theory of natural rights that informed later Catholic philosophers.

Seneca’s De Clementia, for example, contributed to concepts of constitutional democracy and rights that shaped the American experiment in government. These classical authors, he argues, still have relevance and deserve renewed attention in universities and seminaries.

Asked about the future of Catholic education and how it can play a role in a national renewal, despite the closing of Catholic parishes and schools, Mehan said: “Catholic education is displaying a nascent energy.”

“It’s very dynamic and full of people who have reoriented education towards what the Christian humanists of the Catholic tradition understood as their goal, which is to help students have a clean conscience and thus have the most joyful life possible in this life and the next,” he said.

For Mehan, moral formation must take precedence over the mere transmission of information. He argues that Catholic education drifted from this mission in the 20th century as it increasingly followed secular models of education.

Subjects such as calculus, computer coding, and the sciences are valuable, he said, but they should not be the primary focus of Catholic schools.

“If you aim at them, ironically, you won’t get them. If you aim high, you’ll get the high and the low. If you aim for the low, you’ll get nothing. That is why education has collapsed except where the moral life is, ideally, centered around Christ.”

Catholics holding doctorates who complain that tenured positions at colleges and universities are scarce should look to K-12 schools to make national renewal a reality, Mehan said.

The renewal of Catholic education, and how it can contribute to national renewal, depends on placing Christ at the center and embracing the universal call to holiness emphasized by the Second Vatican Council, he argued.

Movements such as Opus Dei and the Neo-catechumenal Way serve as “an enormous engine,” Mehan said, to plant holiness in students and encourage teachers themselves to be saints. It will change “how people teach, how they design curricula, and how they bring forward the richness of the Catholic faith and tradition.”

“Actually, I’m very hopeful,” he said.

To Catholics who may think of themselves as strangers in the United States, Mehan said, “No, brother, you built this too.”

“Your people, your religious tradition, are at home here,” he said. “And you are meant for republican self-government. Augustine’s City of God laid the groundwork, St. Thomas Aquinas built the scaffolding, and St. Thomas More made it shine. American Catholics built this country with sweat, blood, and their arms.”

“This is your patrimony too,” he said.

The procession, which lasted two hours and 15 minutes, went by portions of the Freedom Trail, a 2 ½-mile-long red line of paint and bricks begun in 1951 that helps visitors find many of the most famous sites in the city, including many associated with the American Revolution.

Boston Archbishop Richard Henning pointed out to the crowd before the procession began that they would be walking by some of the most historic places in the country. But then he added: “We will make history.”

“Because this will be the first time that we journey along the Freedom Trail as the people of God, led by our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ,” Henning said.

A National Eucharistic Pilgrimage official estimated the crowd at 2,500 to 3,000. Archbishop Henning said later that whenever he turned around from the front he could never see the end of it in the back.

Jason Shanks, president of National Eucharistic Congress, which oversees the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, said the crowd in Boston was the largest since this year’s version up the East Coast began May 24 in St. Augustine, Florida.

“It was a beautiful moment to see the people of God sort of show up for Jesus, and you could really hear their voices,” Shanks said during a press conference Saturday afternoon at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End of Boston.

Hymns and prayers through a portable loudspeaker were led by Polish, Latino, Vietnamese, and Cape Verdean groups, among others, along with English speakers.

Participants experienced the sights and sounds of the city. When Archbishop Henning spoke at the beginning, near the visitors center on Boston Common, he occasionally competed with a jackhammer on nearby Tremont Street.

The beginning point was about a two-minute walk from where another group of organizers was setting up a Hare Krishna festival, and about a three-minute walk away from where St. John Paul II celebrated Mass on Oct. 1, 1979 before an estimated 1 million people in the pouring rain.

Saturday’s procession included a portion of the route on Commercial Street that the canonized pope took in an open vehicle through the North End more than 46 years ago.

The procession also proceeded from the top of Old South Meeting House, the former Congregational church (now museum) where the Boston Tea Party began in December 1773, and on a house in Charlestown, near where the Battle of Bunker Hill took place in June 1775.

The walk began on Boston Common at about 10 a.m. amid sunny skies and with the temperature at 72 degrees, with a slight breeze. It turned warmer as the morning went on. Unseasonal fog covered large portions of Boston Harbor near the North End, but procession route remained clear, with high visibility.

Participants said the first three decades of the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary on waterside sidewalks along Commercial Street, near where the molasses flood of January 1919 killed 21 people after a poorly constructed tank collapsed during a thaw.

As the rosary blared out over an artificial turf field along the harbor, players on a women’s softball team occasionally looked away from a team huddle to watch. A short distance to the north, sunbathers on the outfield grass of a Little League field also took notice.

The people

EWTN News spoke with several participants, including some who noted that the United States is about to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4.

Nancy Goggin, a parishioner of Immaculate Conception and St. James in Stoughton, which is southwest of Boston, was asked why she came.

“Because I love our Lord. And I just think it’s really such a beautiful thing to celebrate our 250th anniversary of the country in this way,” Goggin said. “To process with Jesus through the Thirteen Colonies is so important.”

English Puritans who wanted to purify the Church of England from all Catholic influences founded Boston in 1630 and laid out Boston Common, where the Eucharistic pilgrimage began, in 1634. Goggin was asked what the Puritans would make of a Catholic procession of the Blessed Sacrament.

Goggin, who was passing out rosaries as a member of the World Apostolate of Fatima, said she is a descendant of an English Separatist Puritan who sailed to the then-new Plymouth Colony in the early 1620s, not long after the Pilgrims arrived.

“They came here for religious freedom, and they came here to worship God,” she said. “And so I think it’s really fitting.”

Asked what she hoped will come from the Eucharistic procession, she corrected the question.

“It’s not ‘come from it.’ It’s happening,” she said. “There’s a resurgence in the Catholic Church that is so beautiful. So many people are entering.”

Tho Dinh, 57, who lives in Quincy, attended with a contingent from St. Ambrose, a Vietnamese parish in Dorchester, which is the largest section of Boston.

He told EWTN News he left Vietnam as one of the Boat People after Communist North Vietnam took over South Vietnam, spending three years in a refugee camp in Malaysia and then six months in the Philippines learning English and American culture before coming to Boston in September 1991.

“We have to worship God and thank God for all the blessings we have,” Dinh said, explaining why he came for the procession.

He said a Eucharistic procession far from church has different meaning from ordinary parish worship.

“It’s community, so it’s more connection. It’s unity of the Church, so it’s good,” he said.

“We hope for peace in the world. And we pray for peace, and people unified with each other,” Dinh said. “We hope for a better future for young children. And people coming back to the Church.”

Valentina Zamora, 15, a member of St. Anthony’s in Everett, whose parents are from El Salvador, said she hoped the faith would become “stronger than it already is” because of the procession.

She also told EWTN News the outdoor setting, which included the grass and trees and hills of Boston Common, was a good place for it.

“Because this is what God created, so it would be nice to hear more about God in his creation,” she said.

Marice Moline, 57, of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Winthrop, said the procession offers people a chance to see Jesus in the Eucharist who might not otherwise see him.

“It’s an opportunity for public display of Christ,” Moline said.

“To remind people that there’s hope. To remind people that there’s something greater in the world than themselves right now,” she added.

Filomena Brandao, 69, of Randolph, who told EWTN News she came to the United States from Cape Verde alone at age 22, said she came to the Eucharistic procession in Boston partly out of patriotism.

“Because we’re celebrating independence — 250 years. All the history, all the stories. As an immigrant, I wanted to experience it much more,” said Brandao, who now has a husband, four children, and six grandchildren.

“We have a lot to thank God for,” she said.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, alleges that state Attorney General Dana Nessel, state Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel, and other government officials engaged in a “pattern of religious targeting” against the charity in order to pressure it to “abandon its beliefs.”

The suit says government officials met with the charity in March 2026 and “raised concerns” about the organization’s core values, including the requirement that staff sign a pledge related to matters on abortion and adoption, among other issues.

After that meeting, a state-contracted insurance distributor “adopted a brand-new policy specifically targeting Catholic Charities’ religious beliefs and practices.” Part of the new policy included a disclosure requirement regarding “service limitations” related in part to abortion and gay marriage, the suit says.

The state health department subsequently discontinued its designation of the charity’s Cristo Rey Community Center as a women’s specialty service provider, the suit says, with the government stipulating that the charity must make “policy and procedural changes” in order to have that designation reinstated.

The suit says the government has “completely ignored” the charity’s efforts to obtain clarification about the alleged policy violations. The state-contracted insurance facilitator, meanwhile, has stopped referring clients to the charity for women’s services, according to the filing.

The decisions by the state government violates religious discrimination protections in the U.S. Constitution, the lawsuit says, while women in the region have been “left without access to the faith-based, relationship-centered treatment that Catholic Charities’ ministry uniquely provides.”

The suit, which was filed by attorneys with the legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, asks the court to reverse the state government’s decisions and further prevent it from withholding federal grant funding from the charity.

The state attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the suit. But this is not the first time the state government has tangled with a Catholic charity.

In 2019 St. Vincent Catholic Charities filed a suit against the state over its requirement that adoption agencies must match children with same-sex couples in order to receive state funding.

The charity ultimately won a settlement with the government in 2022 allowing it to continue its adoption services without violating its Catholic identity.

“Itʼs absolutely in people’s minds to be thinking how to pastor and shepherd the flock,” Anna Knier, coordinator for the office of the peace and justice commission for the diocese, told Mark Irons on “EWTN News In Depth” on June 26.

"Itʼs coming fast and quickly, and itʼs kind of [like] weʼre building the plane as we fly a little bit in terms of all sorts of considerations, including infrastructure,” Knier said.

The hub, dubbed “Data Center Alley,” is located in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., just west of the city. There are more than 300 data centers in Northern Virginia and more than 100 in development.

Data centers have become a focal point of the broader AI debate. They often receive government tax subsidies while employing few people compared to other facilities that often get similar incentives, like factories.

Data centers also consume an enormous amount of energy. According to a report by the Electric Power Research Institute, about 4-5% of national energy is consumed by data centers, but that will increase to between 9-17% by 2030.

Virginia is the only state in which more than 20% of energy is consumed by data centers, but that could increase to 39-57% by 2030.

In Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, the Holy Father warned about a “tendency to overlook the environmental impact” of AI, mostly caused by the energy and water consumption of data centers.

Leo discussed broader concerns about AI development as well, such as preserving the dignity of work, building up human solidarity, and not concentrating power in the hands of a few, but instead ensuring all people benefit from the innovation.

"We need to be with those who are on the margins,” Knier said.

In response to the decision, Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami called on Congress to protect TPS holders, arguing that ending the humanitarian program would have serious consequences for migrants, their families, and communities across the country.

In an interview with Veronica Dudo of “EWTN News Nightly” on June 26, Wenski said the court’s ruling was “not unexpected,” adding that the justices ultimately returned the issue to lawmakers.

“The decision was not unexpected, because a conservative court doesn’t want to rule from the bench, as it were. And so what has been done is kick the ball back into the Congress, which is the body of the government that is supposed to be making the laws,” he said.

Push for Senate vote

The Miami archbishop said the U.S. Senate should send the president legislation passed in the House that would extend TPS protections for Haitians for three additional years. In April, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the legislation, H.R. 1689, that would extend TPS for Haitians until 2029. Senate consideration is next.

“We’re asking the senators of the United States to approve that proposition, so that it could be passed into law,” he said, and he also urged its passage in a column for the Archdiocese of Miami.

TPS allows nationals from countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions to remain and work legally in the United States temporarily. Haiti was first designated for TPS following the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Wenski warned that ending those protections could have severe humanitarian consequences.

“Haiti could be described very correctly as a house on fire,” he said. “It would be hard to see how you could send back 350,000 people, many of whom have been here since the earthquake of 2010, and have built lives here in this country … and it’s unconscionable to think that that could be done without creating a tremendous humanitarian disaster.”

The archbishop also highlighted the economic role many Haitian immigrants play, particularly in healthcare.

“The Haitians are working; they’re not on the public dole. They’re not public charges. They’re working, and many of them are working in the healthcare sector,” he said.

Within the Archdiocese of Miami, he said, many TPS holders serve in Catholic nursing homes and other healthcare ministries.

“To have their work permits revoked and taken away from them would have not only a terrible effect on them, but it would have an economic impact on the entire community,” he said.

The archdiocese is also preparing to assist migrants facing legal uncertainty.

“The Archdiocese of Miami has Catholic Legal Services … we’re trying to accompany them and to see if there are any other pathways or solutions,” he said.

Even so, Wenski emphasized that lasting immigration reform must come from Congress.

“The ball is in the court of the Senate.”

The group updated the policy to mark the anniversary of the Dobbs decision that returned abortion legislation to the states — the decision that enabled more states to enact laws that protect unborn children.

“This moment demands a new era of abortion advocacy, one that understands viability and gestational limits are common and equally harmful forms of abortion bans,” read a joint statement from the National Abortion Federation and Physicians for Reproductive Health. “When laws regulating abortion care include arbitrary legal limits, politicians and police are invited into exam rooms, advancing control over pregnant people — forcing them to stay pregnant and finding ways to punish them when they don’t.”

The policy opposes laws that are common in pro-life states, like viability-based and gestation-based laws.

The group’s policy “supports abortion care and access throughout pregnancy and opposes legislation and policies that interfere with that care, including viability limits and gestation-based bans.”

Live Action spokesman Noah Brandt condemned the policy for dehumanizing unborn babies.

“The National Abortion Federation is a radical organization dedicated solely to dehumanizing every child in the womb, pushing for abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, and advocating for the destruction of children nationwide,” Brandt told EWTN News.

“By formally rejecting any legal limits on abortion at any stage of pregnancy for any reason, the NAF only further exposes their intent, justifying the violent killing of viable babies which can include excruciating dismemberment or a lethal injection into the baby’s heart,” he indicated.

“Opposing any limit to abortion denies basic biology and the humanity of preborn children from the moment of conception,” Brandt added. “As pro-life Americans, we must focus on life-affirming policies that protect both mother and child by rejecting abortion at any stage and offering true help through sacrifice, service, and prayer,” he emphasized.

“The National Abortion Federation’s agenda for abortion with no limits has become the de facto position of the Democratic Party,” Kelsey Pritchard, communications director for SBA Pro-Life America told EWTN News. “The U.S. is 1 of 8 countries in the world that allows all-trimester abortion and we’re on that list with Communist China and Vietnam. Fifteen states allow abortion at any point, including in the seventh, eighth and ninth months of pregnancy.”

Pritchard noted that “several abortion businesses openly advertise third-trimester abortions,” including ones in Colorado, Maryland, and Illinois. “This isn’t just hypothetical: second and third trimester abortions are happening in the blue states,” Pritchard said. “Babies who can feel pain and survive outside of the womb are being killed.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Christina Francis, head of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, observed: “There is never a need to intentionally end the life of our preborn patient at any point in pregnancy.”

“Claims that induced abortion is ‘necessary’ later in pregnancy (at a point when a baby can survive outside of the mother) are not only ignorant of medical facts, but theyʼre also dangerous,” Francis said. “Abortions later in pregnancy are dangerous for women, increasing their risk of immediate complications, adverse mental health outcomes, preterm birth in future pregnancies, and even death.”

“If a mother is facing a serious pregnancy complication, she can be delivered, and both patients can receive the care they need and deserve,” Francis said.

Pritchard called for action, noting that “only 10% of voters support abortion up until birth.”

“This week, we celebrated the overturn of Roe v. Wade, which ended a dark period in our nation’s history, saving innocent lives by allowing the people and their elected representatives to protect precious preborn children,” Brandt said.

“In America’s 250th year, the pro-life movement and the GOP must take bold new steps to make progress toward a national minimum standard to protect unborn children in every state,” Pritchard said.

This type of law, she said, would “be the ‘floor’ that establishes a limit for the whole country – including in blue states – and allows pro-life states to continue to aggressively protect life even further.”

The five-day gathering is hosted by the GIVEN Institute – a nonprofit organization dedicated to activating the gifts of Catholic young adult women for the Church and the world through faith formation and leadership.

The forum, taking place June 24-28, features keynotes, leadership training, mentorship, adoration, prayer, and Mass.

“We hope women will take away an understanding, on a much deeper level, that they are a gift. They are a beloved daughter of God,” executive director of GIVEN, Jennifer Cole-Schaefer, told EWTN News.

Women have “been given gifts that are specific to them, and God has a plan to use those gifts,” she said. “Itʼs all about receiving this idea that we are a gift, realizing what our gifts are, and responding in a way that only we can respond with our particular gifts.”

The forum welcomes Catholic women, ages 21-35, who have been accepted into the institute’s leadership program, as well as mentors, volunteers, exhibitors, and sponsors.

Acceptance into the program includes participation in GIVEN’s forum, followed by a year of accompaniment with a trained mentor. Participants cultivate a personalized “action plan” designed to serve the Church and their community.

The “formation starts well before we get to the forum, but the forum is a really pivotal in-person experience,” Cole-Schaefer said.

“Itʼs after the forum that the real work begins – when women start to actualize their action plans, and they donʼt do that alone. They do that through mentoring,” she said.

“So we have a whole army of women with some life experience whoʼve stepped forward and been trained as mentors to walk with our young women as they discern all the steps,” Cole-Schaefer said.

Cole-Schaefer said she hopes that after the forum, women walk “away inspired and ready to change the world in whatever way God is calling them to.”

2026 forum

This yearʼs forum welcomes a variety of presentations and keynotes, including talks from Sr. Bethany Madonna, SV, a Sister of Life, and Dr. Mary Healy, a professor of scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and the editor of the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture.

The event is also featuring numerous panels on finding one’s vocation and mission. Panelists include GIVEN alumni who attest to the formation they received through the forum.

President and COO of EWTN News, Montse Alvarado, will speak on June 27 about how young women respond with their gifts. GIVEN will also bestow Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, SV with its Fiat Award, which honors women whose lives embody the response of Our Lady through faithful leadership, service, and love.

Sr. Mary Madeline Todd, OP presented the keynote address on June 26. The Dominican Sister of the Congregation of St. Cecilia told attendees that God reveals “you are the gift” and “you are the love.”

Todd told her listeners that contemporary culture tells women they were made for “comfort,” “convenience,” or “control,” but, she emphasized, “you and I were made for communion.”

“Every gift weʼve been given is to call others into the relationship with the Lord they were made for. Itʼs to realize our relationship with the Lord, to grow in it, to let that love that fills us up” so we can then “pour it out onto the world,” she said.

“My sisters, whatever gift he gives you, receive it. Whatever struggle you face, do not get discouraged. Heʼs working in it,” she said.

“Your story is a way heʼs bringing beauty into the world. But know that no matter what comes and goes with your gifts, the gift is him. His friendship, his presence, his love, is the gift heʼll never take away,” Todd said.

During a June 26 presentation in the Oval Office, members of the Commission, led by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, delivered their final report to President Donald Trump.

The report includes detailed recommendations for religious leaders and institutions, educators, teachers, coaches and administrators, parents, the military, religious healthcare workers and institutions, and the private sector. It also includes calls for action on efforts to combat antisemitism.

Established by executive order in May 2025, the commission was “formed to finally advise the president as to legislation, or executive orders, or other moves he could make to foster religious liberty,” Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, a member of the commission, told Veronica Dudo on “EWTN News Nightly.”

“Our purpose was to listen to lots of witnesses, and we did. I think itʼs well over 100 people we listened to in education, health care, the military,” he said.

“We looked at antisemitism” and “we listened to scholars talk about the Founding Fathers,” he said. “The whole purpose was to determine to what degree religious liberty is being threatened in our country, and then what recommendations we can make to the president.”

“I respect President Trump very much. Heʼs the president in my lifetime whoʼs done the most for the defense of religious liberty,” Barron said.

I respect President Trump very much. Heʼs the president in my lifetime whoʼs done the most for the defense of religious liberty."

Robert Barron

Bishop of Winona-Rochester

“Itʼs the first mention in the First Amendment and itʼs basic to our democracy,” he said. “I think this commission focused on that a lot. We kept coming back to that basic insight: This is the first liberty.”

“When religious liberty is threatened, all the other liberties are threatened. And so we wanted to revive a sense of the Founding Fathers and the stress that they placed on it,” he said.

The completed report is based on findings from the seven hearings that the commission held over the past year, receiving input from witnesses of diverse ages, religions, and backgrounds.

“I was struck by the courage of a lot of these people because their religious liberty really was threatened,” Barron said. “Iʼm glad they came forward and…we were an opportunity for them to express their concerns to the government.”

“Among the recommendations we make, we want education to happen so that the Justice Department can really be clear on…what religious liberty means, what your rights are, what the separation of church and state does and doesnʼt mean. So part of that is educational,” Barron said.

Key recommendations ‘for all Americans’

Among the many suggestions, the commission highlighted “12 key recommendations to strengthen religious liberty for all Americans," according to the report.

The commission recommended that the Department of Justice (DOJ) issue guidance clarifying the understanding of the Establishment Clause and separation of church and state, because “the phrase ‘wall of separation between church and state’ does not appear in the First Amendment or anywhere else in the Constitution," the report noted.

Instead, the wording originates from President Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, where he described the First Amendment as building a “wall of separation between Church & State.”

Because the language is not in the Constitution, “donʼt be cowed” by the claims of “separation of church and state, a wall of separation, therefore, retreat into silence, retreat into privacy with your religion,” Barron said. “I say, no, donʼt buy that.”

“Go back to the First Amendment of our Constitution,” he said. “We donʼt want an established religion. No one in our commission wants that. None of the Founding Fathers wanted that.”

“But at the same time…The government shall make no move restricting the free exercise of religion,” he said.

Many of the panel’s recommendations focused on creating clarity so people know their rights, and have ways to receive help if they feel their rights have been violated.

The commission urged that if any public official alleges a person under their supervision has improperly engaged in religious expression, they must provide a written explanation of the alleged violation to the person accused within 30 days, and explain the charge based on a constitutional provision or provision of law.

It recommended the DOJ, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issue “Know Your Rights” posters for students, parents, public school teachers and administrators, religious leaders, religious institutions, healthcare workers, and military service members.

The commission also suggests the DOJ, HHS, and EEOC create religious liberty violation hotlines and online portals for students, parents, teachers, and healthcare workers to get support.

“A number of people could call if they feel their religious liberties are being threatened,” Barron said.

“We want people to bring litigation if they can in some of these cases to press the issue. I think we want people to know that they...have friends who will support them in their struggle for this right,” he said.

The commission requests judges be nominated and confirmed who have a history of showing “courage to decide religious liberty cases on the merits where warranted, rather than engage in improper judicial avoidance,” according to the report.

The commission also called for the repeal of the Johnson Amendment, which is a 1954 provision in the U.S. tax code that prohibits nonprofits, including religious institutions, charities, and universities, from endorsing or opposing political candidates.

After speaking about antisemitism at many hearings, the commission recommended the issue be combatted through enforcement of civil rights laws, litigation of credible allegations discrimination and violence, and civic education.

The commission asked that efforts continue to restore the retirement or re-enlistment eligibility for service members who lost employment, health insurance, pensions, and other benefits because of their religious beliefs about the COVID-19 vaccine.

The commission also recommended ways of tracking and streamlining religious liberty matters. It suggested that the DOJ create a religious liberty task force to track and prioritize litigation protecting religious liberty, and the Department of War streamline and improve the religious accommodation process.

Lastly, the commission recommended that “the courage of religious liberty heroes” be honored through the creation of a Presidential Medal of Religious Liberty and First Freedom Hero Awards.

The award would “recognize Americans who stand up for religious freedom and play an indispensable role in protecting citizens’ Constitutional rights,” the report said.

Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, who chairs the committee, asked Trump to refrain from deporting the migrants and for Congress to take action that would allow them to remain.

“Revoking the legal status of hundreds of thousands of people residing in our country creates a moral crisis when returning to their country of origin is not a safe or reasonable option,” Cahill said in a statement.

“If we are truly to affirm the God-given dignity of every human person, we as a nation cannot turn a blind eye to such an injustice and the impossible choices it will create for families and communities,” he said.

The Supreme Court on June 25 ruled in favor of the Department of Homeland Security ending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of Haitian and Syrian migrants, finding the law provides the executive branch with broad discretion in making those determinations.

Without TPS status, more than 300,000 Haitians and more than 6,000 Syrians have lost legal protections that prevent them from being deported.

“Even if the administration determines TPS is no longer warranted, deferred enforced departure remains a tool available to the president, and we urge him to exercise right judgement in this way,” Cahill said.

“Forcibly sending families to dire conditions is a legacy all leaders should seek to avoid,” the bishop said. “To that end, my brother bishops and I also continue to call upon Congress to act — to meet this moment with the moral fortitude that is so desperately needed.”

The state attorney general’s report is the second-to-last of a total of seven investigations into clergy and Church abuse in Michigan. Prior to the Saginaw investigation, Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office released a report in December 2025 regarding the Diocese of Grand Rapids.

On June 25, the state published its investigation into the Saginaw Diocese, revealing what it said were allegations against “37 priests and one deacon.” The allegations date as far back as the 1950s.

Thirty of the alleged abusers are “known or presumed to be dead,” while of the eight living priests, “none is in active ministry,” according to the report.

The majority of incidents involve alleged abuse of underage minors, though four priests were the subject of allegations involving adults, according to the report.

The attorney general’s investigation was launched in part to examine whether criminal charges could be filed against any of the accused. In its press release announcing the report, the attorney general’s office indicated that it had not filed any criminal charges against priests from the Saginaw Diocese.

Nessel said in a press release the investigation was “only possible because of the bravery of so many, from young children to the elderly, coming forward over decades to share their suffering.”

”Accountability comes in many forms, and by publishing these accounts we hope to foster acknowledgment for these survivors and safer communities today,” she said.

In a June 25 letter, Saginaw Bishop Robert Gruss acknowledged the release of the report and affirmed that the diocese had “fully cooperated” with the government in its investigation.

“As Bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw, I want to express my deepest sorrows to those who have been victims of abuse by members of the clergy,” the prelate said. “Please accept my sincere apology for the pain and suffering you have experienced by those who were entrusted with your care.”

The bishop noted that the “vast majority” of abuse allegations in the diocese were “very old,” with most occurring decades ago, in the 1970s and 1980s.

“Itʼs clear that the Catholic Church in the United States has made significant progress over the last 20-plus years in putting safeguards in place to protect children, young people, and vulnerable adults,” he said.

“Clearly, we are a different Church today because of those who have and continue to courageously share their stories, so that the sins and crimes which damaged the Body of Christ could be addressed,” he wrote.

Following the Saginaw report, the state government is expected to release one more investigation regarding allegations in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Nessel in the press release said the Detroit investigation would be released “later this year.”

One ruling allows the Department of Homeland Security to end “temporary protected status” for Haitians and Syrians, who can now be deported. The other allows the government to turn away asylum seekers at the southern border by limiting the number of claims they will process each day.

Both cases were decided 6-3. All of the justices who sided with the majority were appointed by Republican presidents and each dissenting justice was appointed by Democratic presidents.

Anna Gallagher, the executive director of Catholic Legal Immigration Network, said in a statement to EWTN News that both decisions are “devastating for our clients, and for those of us who accompany vulnerable immigrants through the legal system.”

“As Catholics, we believe in a God who weeps for our suffering, who is concerned for the fall of the sparrow, for the least of these,” she said.

“And so we, too, weep for our clients whose asylum rights are restricted or who fear return to immediate life-threatening conditions because of this court decision.”

“We walk with them as legal advocates, seeing the injustice of our laws play out firsthand. We know that today is a dark day for many people we have come to know and care for — including legal residents of this country, beloved members of our community.”

Protections for Haitians, Syrians gone

The Supreme Court decision in Mullin v. Doe and Trump v. Miot, which were consolidated into one case, ensures that the government’s decision to terminate temporary protected status for Haitians and Syrians will be in effect. The ruling strips them of legal protections for work authorization and prevention from deportation.

Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the opinion, said that the law itself generally gives the government broad discretion in determining whether to approve, extend, or terminate protected status for a given country. The ruling found that all non-constitutional claims are not subject to judicial review.

Haitians protected under the protected status argued that the policy terminations discriminated against people based on race. In its ruling the Supreme Court stated that both the protected designations and the terminations come from a racially diverse collection of countries.

“They claim that TPS has not been terminated for any predominantly white nation, and they therefore infer that the reason for the termination of the TPS designation for Haiti was having a predominantly nonwhite population,” the opinion stated.

The plaintiffs’ “definition of a predominantly non-white nation is broad, apparently encompassing major European countries,” the ruling said.

“It may be that only the termination of a TPS designation for a Nordic or Germanic country would be sufficient in their judgment to show that the Secretary’s unbroken record of TPS terminations was race-neutral,” the decision added.

Justice Elena Kagan, in her dissenting opinion, said she believes the court erred in ruling that all non-constitutional claims are barred from judicial review, arguing that the court should be able to determine whether the secretary followed the proper procedures in deciding to terminate protected status.

She also argued that Trump’s comments show that race played a role in the decision to end the Haitian protected status designation.

“The majority briefly replies that [his] remarks are not ‘overtly racial,’ … but it is hard to know what that means,” Kagan wrote. “Haitians are Black. …The references — of filth, disease, and primitiveness — are shot through with racial stereotypes and tropes.”

Andrew Arthur, a resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies and a former immigration judge, told “EWTN News Nightly” on June 25 that the ruling essentially solidifies that “no one has the ability to sue when the government decides it’s going to terminate TPS status.”

He said the protected status is meant to provide temporary legal status for someone escaping a danger in their country. He said some protected designations “have been in place … for more than a quarter of a century,” even for “events that occurred decades ago” and are no longer impacting the country.

The U.S. bishops had urged the government to extend protected status, including for Haitians, who are a majority Catholic community.

“We are deeply concerned about the plight of our Haitian brothers and sisters living in the United States,” Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chair of the bishops’ committee on migration, and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the committee on international justice and peace, said in a joint statement in February.

“There is simply no realistic opportunity for the safe and orderly return of people to Haiti at this time,” they said.

Asylum seekers at the border

The decision in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado dealt with the “metering” policy that started under former President Barack Obama and is being enforced by Trump, which the court ruled is a lawful policy.

Under the policy, the government can limit the number of asylum claims it chooses to process in a day and can turn people away from entry into the country when they approach the southern border.

The case centered on an asylum seeker’s right to apply for asylum when he or she “arrives in the United States.” The ruling, also authored by Alito, states that the right only applies when the person has already entered the country and it does not give legal protections for someone who is seeking entry into the country but has not yet been allowed in.

“We begin by considering what the phrase ‘arrives in the United States’ means when used in everyday speech,” the ruling states. “That meaning is clear. A person arrives in a geographic location only when he enters it.”

The ruling states that if Congress wanted to extend that right to anyone who approaches the border or seeks entry into the country, it would have written the law to clearly state that.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the dissent, arguing that the ruling allows the executive branch to “circumvent … mandatory procedures by having U. S. immigration officers stand at the border and physically block noncitizens from setting a foot onto U. S. soil.”

“Words … must be read in context and with attention to how they fit into the statute as a whole,” Sotomayor wrote.

“The majority ignores the statutory context and history, not to mention the longstanding position of the Executive Branch, all of which show that any noncitizen arriving at our doorstep and seeking admission must be inspected and allowed to apply for asylum, regardless of whether her foot has crossed the threshold,” she said.

Arthur told “EWTN News Nightly” that the decision essentially “narrows the ability of people who havenʼt actually entered the country … to apply for asylum.”

“You’re not subject to United States law … until you’ve actually crossed into this country,” he said.

The U.S. bishops petitioned the Supreme Court to rule against the policy and require the government to process all asylum claims.

“The turnback policy is not just a flawed piece of statutory interpretation but an historical aberration — one that, during the period it was enforced, left vulnerable asylum seekers stranded in encampments on the border while lawfully trying to seek asylum at a port of entry,” the bishops wrote.

The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the most significant immigration case before it, Trump v. Barbara, which will decide the extent of birthright citizenship in the United States.

This story was updated at 1:50 p.m. ET on June 25, 2026 with further analysis and expert comment.

“We write not as adversaries, but as fellow Christians who love the Church, which is built on Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and who, like you, long for the salvation of souls,” the professors wrote in an open letter to the SSPX, noting that if the group moves forward with the illicit consecrations, “it would cement and deepen the already existing separation between the Society and the See of Peter.”

“Whatever legitimate questions or grievances may exist, they are no excuse to create a schism,” the letter’s signatories assert. The letter is signed by 26  faculty and staff, with university professors of theology constituting the majority of the signatories. 

“The treasures of Catholic Tradition do not belong outside communion with Peter; they belong at the heart of the Church,” the letter continues. “A new episcopal ordination outside the ecclesial hierarchy without the Apostolic mandate would create a new wound in the Body of Christ and place the gifts that God has entrusted to the Society, which belong to the Church and are ordered towards unity with her (Lumen Gentium 8), outside of her maternal embrace.”

“Please don’t do this,” the letter said. “Please don’t create this wound! Please, re-enter into dialogue with the Holy See and into full communion with the Church.”

The letter comes after the SSPX announced it plans to consecrate four new bishops at its seminary in Écône, Switzerland, prompting Pope Leo XIV and the Vatican to warn that doing do without a papal mandate would constitute “a schismatic act” and carry the penalty of excommunication.

“We have invited them, and I am still considering making another appeal, to say: ‘Do not do this. Let us try to live communion in the Church.’ But it is their choice. They must understand what it means for them and for the Church,” the pope said, responding to journalists’ questions outside Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo on June 16.

Courage International priest says Pride Month events ‘inappropriate’ at Catholic colleges

Courage International Associate Director Father Colin Blatchford has spoken out against Catholic colleges holding Pride Month events.

In an interview with the Cardinal Newman Society, Blatchford said “it causes scandal” when a Catholic college encourages students to participate in events celebrating Pride Month in June.

Courage International is a Catholic apostolate that ministers to individuals experiencing same-sex attraction and gender confusion.

“When a Catholic college picks and chooses the theological or philosophical teachings of the Church that it will abide, it undermines that process,” Blatchford said. “Indeed, it hollows it out and provides merely an empty emotional shell where there should be a full abiding relationship with God.”

“The anthropological underpinnings of ‘Pride Month’ include a dualistic view of the person and radical autonomy,” he said. “Each of the last four popes has spoken about the necessity of recognizing the dignity of the human person and that no one thing here on this earth can sufficiently define who we are, beyond ‘beloved child of God.’”

Blatchford encouraged Catholic colleges to remember three things when encountering individuals with same-sex attraction: “First, communicate that they are loved. Second, let them know that even if it does not seem so now, God has a unique plan for their life. And finally, ask if they would be willing to share their story.”

“We don’t have to agree on everything or approve of every action, but we walk together towards God. We are a group of imperfect people striving to grow closer to God, by means of His grace,” he said.

Immaculate Conception Parish in Earlington — the oldest Catholic church in Hopkins County, established in 1886 — has offered the TLM for nearly a decade, and will have its final Mass in the extraordinary form at 12:30 p.m. CT on June 28.

It is the only parish offering the TLM in the diocese, which covers the 32 westernmost counties in Kentucky. The closest options available will be east in the Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky; north in the Diocese of Evansville, Indiana; and south in the Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee.

Penny Giardinella, administrative assistant for the small parish, told EWTN News the church is “pretty full” during the TLM, as it is during all Sunday Masses. She said a large portion of TLM worshipers travel from outside parish lines to attend.

On May 18, the bishop sent a letter to the parish priest, Father David Kennedy, instructing him to halt all celebrations of the TLM after June 30. Although he initially secured a dispensation for the parish to continue its weekly celebration amid the 2021 Vatican restrictions, Medley did not seek an extension into the latter half of 2026.

The issue, Medley said in his letter, is that he lacked standing to seek an extension because the parish did not submit a report to the bishop, which the Holy See required for an extension to be granted. The bishop said this requirement was based on his 2023 correspondence with the Holy See.

The report, he wrote, needed to provide the TLM attendance and explain what steps were taken to lead the faithful toward the Novus Ordo Mass — the ordinary form of the liturgy adopted in 1969 by the Catholic Church in reforms following the Second Vatican Council.

“As I am unable to demonstrate that this condition has been met, I have no standing to request an extension of the Holy See,” Medley wrote.

Medley said the parish can instead celebrate the novus ordo Mass in accordance with the 1969 reforms in the Latin language and ad orientem, with the priest facing toward the tabernacle and away from the people.

“I know in some dioceses, the faithful who have shown a preference for the Mass celebrated in Latin have accepted the Novus Ordo Mass celebrated in the Latin language,” Medley said.

The bishop added that he postponed halting the Mass upon the death of Francis to see whether Pope Leo XIV would alter the restrictions. Because Leo has not — and because the January Consistory of the College of Cardinals explicitly opted not to review Traditionis Custodes — the bishop said he “felt obligated to act in accord with the direction of the Holy See.”

“For the faithful who may object to this directive, you may certainly refer them to me, but please make clear that I am acting in accord with my promise to the pope, the Bishop of Rome,” Medley said. “I am grateful for your ministry to this small and unique community. And I assure you of my prayers for them and for you and I kindly ask that you all pray for me.”

Rachel Hall, director of communications for the diocese, told EWTN News that “the parish will transition to the scheduled details in the correspondence” after June 30.

“As the parish navigates this transition with their faithful pastor Father Kennedy, the diocese asks for prayers to the Holy Spirit in guidance, with unity and peace,” she said.

Leo has not taken any official steps to amend Francis’s TLM restrictions, but has offered a conciliatory tone toward those attached to the older form of the liturgy.

In March, Leo described liturgical divisions as a “painful wound” in a communication with French bishops, and encouraged solutions that allow “the generous inclusion” of Catholics who choose to worship at the TLM “in respect for the directions desired by the Second Vatican Council in matters of liturgy.”

Last year, Leo approved Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke’s celebration of the TLM at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

In May, DeWine quietly commuted the sentence of Gregory Lott, who killed a man in East Cleveland in 1986 by setting him on fire during a burglary.

DeWine did not publicly announce the commutation, which he issued several weeks before openly calling for an end to the death penalty in the state.

A former supporter of the death penalty, DeWine said during a June 16 press conference that the “moral justification I had for voting for the death penalty simply no longer exists.”

DeWine did not directly say during that press event if he would commute any death sentences, though reporters questioned him on the subject. The order to commute Lott’s sentence had been filed in the state court system several days earlier.

The order cited a parole board recommendation that Lott’s sentence be commuted, as well as findings that Lott is “intellectually disabled to a degree that would prohibit the imposition of the death penalty under current law.”

The family members of Lott’s victim, meanwhile, said they were “opposed to the implementation of the death penalty,” according to the order.

A ‘pro-life decision’

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of the anti-death penalty group Catholic Mobilizing Network, said in a June 25 statement that “no matter the harm one has caused or suffered, every person deserves the possibility of redemption.”

Responding to DeWine’s decision by exclaiming “Praise God!” Murphy said the commutation “underscores the governor’s concern for those who are marginalized in our society.”

She urged DeWine to “take further steps before leaving office toward commuting the death sentences of the more than 100 individuals who are currently on Ohio’s death row.”

Lott’s efforts to avoid the death penalty took a winding path through both the state courts and the state executive system.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2002 ruled in Atkins v. Virginia that executing condemned criminals who are intellectually disabled is unconstitutional.

Lott’s attorneys appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court under that ruling, though the state court denied that claim, establishing what in judicial circles came to be known as “Lott’s Test” for determining the threshold of intellectual disability.

Yet he was spared from being executed after Ohio’s 2014 execution of Dennis McGuire, whom witnesses said visibly suffered while dying from the lethal injection that ultimately killed him. Then-Gov. John Kasich issued a moratorium on executions there that lasted for more than three years.

Stephen Ferrell, one of Lott’s public defenders during his legal battles, told the Marshall Project that Lott “would have been executed a month [after McGuire]” without the moratorium in place.

“To me, that epitomizes the arbitrariness of this system,” the lawyer said.

“Weʼre already deploying search and rescue teams from Fairfax County [Virginia] and Los Angeles,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters June 25.

“There will be some others weʼll add,” Rubio said. “Thatʼs their most immediate need right now, is search-and-rescue efforts: They have [many] collapsed buildings. And so theyʼll need a lot of help in terms of digging through that.”

The earthquakes took place on June 24, with the first 7.2-magnitude earthquake recorded at 6:04 p.m. local time, and the second 7.5-magnitude earthquake occurring just 39 seconds later, according to the United States Geological Survey.

“Weʼve already stood up our disaster response teams at the Department of State and our humanitarian efforts,” Rubio said. “Itʼs something we did very well in Jamaica, after that storm, and itʼs something weʼre really prepared to do now.”

The update came after Rubio issued a statement earlier in the morning pledging to carry out U.S. President Donald Trump’s directive for “all agencies of [the U.S.] government” to “get ready to move quickly.”

“The United States extends our deepest condolences to the people of Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes,” Rubio said. “Our hearts are with all those who have lost loved ones, those injured, and the courageous rescue workers working tirelessly in the aftermath.”

Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace called on the international community to “mobilize in support of the Venezuelan people, and to send the necessary humanitarian assistance to alleviate their suffering.”

Pope Leo XIV has sent an initial 100,000 euro donation to Venezuela in the aftermath of the earthquakes through the Apostolic Almonerʼs Office. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) said it is “working through Caritas Venezuela and the local Church to quickly deliver emergency shelter, food, safe water, medical care and other critical relief to those affected.”

Aid to the Church in Need reported significant damages to numerous churches, parish houses, and Church institutions, but noted no casualties among priests, deacons, seminarians, or religious sisters.

Archbishop Raúl Biord Castillo of Caracas told the aid group after touring affected parishes to assess the situation that “many of them have serious structural damage,” with the Cathedral of Caracas among the most affected.

Bishop Pablo Modesto González Pérez of the Diocese of La Guaira described the impact of the earthquakes on the local seminary, telling Aid to the Church in Need: “We are without electricity and we have all been affected. In the seminary, many walls collapsed.”

The bishop expressed gratitude that no priests were seriously harmed and noted the mobilization of the local Church in response to the disaster: “Many parishes have received people to spend the night in their facilities. We have already activated a solidarity network through the parish Caritas.”

“From tomorrow, inspections will be carried out to determine which temples can be reopened,” he said. “May God help us and grant us the necessary consolation to accompany our people in these difficult times.”

This story was updated at 2:40 p.m. ET on June 25, 2026 to include comments from Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, Catholic Relief Services, and information about Pope Leo XIV’s donation through the Apostolic Almonerʼs Office.

The Diocese of Las Cruces “is currently the subject of an application by the United States government to exercise eminent domain over diocesan land situated on Mount Cristo Rey,” Baldacchino wrote in a letter.

Mount Cristo Rey is a prominent mountain in Sunland Park, New Mexico, overlooking the Texas and Mexico borders. The mountain is home to a 29-foot-tall statue of Christ and a shrine.

“At this site, Christ the King, with open arms, rises above two countries,” Baldacchino said. “Since the sites’ founding nearly a century ago, many have come together in devotion and journeyed to the top of this mountain seeking Him and offering prayers of thanksgiving and hope.”

As the dispute remains ongoing, Baldacchino and Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso are inviting the faithful “to join in prayer and pilgrimage” by climbing the mountain and celebrating Mass on June 28.

“Our government is within its rights to secure its border, however, our Diocese is defending itself against the means by which the government now seeks to do so,” Baldacchino said.

The government is trying to seize the diocesan property “to construct, install, operate, and maintain…structures designed to help secure the United States/Mexico border within the state of New Mexico,” according to a civil action filed by the federal government in U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico.

The Diocese of Las Cruces had asked a district court to block the deposit of the funds while it fights the governmentʼs attempts, but on June 15, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Gonzales ruled the government could deposit the $183,071 to “allow for the safekeeping of funds pending resolution” of the dispute.

This is not a matter of politics, but a matter of preserving and defending a sanctuary and devotion which has brought many people in our community to God."

Peter Baldacchino

Bishop of Las Cruces, New Mexico

“This is not a matter of politics, but a matter of preserving and defending a sanctuary and devotion which has brought many people in our community to God,” he said. “The spiritual value of this site cannot be compromised by politics or financial gain.”

“I look forward to being with you all on June 28, 2026, as we pray for the Dioceses of Las Cruces and El Paso, and for our government and its leaders,” Baldacchino wrote.

The proposed university is borne out of the broader Sahel Peace Initiative, an interfaith advocacy organization working toward peacebuilding in the region. The Sahel is the region sitting directly below the Sahara desert, representing the northernmost part of Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to a concept proposal provided to EWTN News, the initiative is led by the Catholic bishops conferences in Burkina Faso and Niger.

Christians are the minority in both countries, representing slightly more than one-fourth of Burkina Faso and about 1% of Niger. Traditional African religions also represent a minority, while Islam is the most practiced religion.

“While we will envision solutions like buildings and programs, the goal is to foster a robust population engaged in problem solving and developing a sustainable peace in the Sahel,” the proposal states.

Although led by Catholics, the bishops also partner with Muslim clerics and leaders of traditional African faith communities. The proposal notes the university will be grounded in Catholic social teaching, and open to everyone, and expressed a commitment to work with interfaith partners, especially the Muslim community.

“The [university] will serve as a regional hub for peacebuilding, governance research, trauma healing, and community resilience, equipping leaders and communities to address the Sahel’s most urgent challenges,” it adds.

The bishops hope to headquarter the university in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. It will be African- and Catholic-led, but the bishops are looking for international support, including from the United States.

“While the physical requirements include buildings and materials, these are merely tools for the emerging leaders to cultivate a new group of younger and empowered people of all faiths working collaboratively towards the shared goal of lasting peace,” it states.

Burkina Faso bishops seek solidarity

Bishops from Burkina Faso have met with Pope Leo XIV in Rome and have offered information to the U.S. State Department in a recent trip to the United States, hoping to spread awareness about problems in the Sahel and to garner more support for their peace efforts.

Two of the bishops — Archbishop Laurent Dabire, archbishop of Bobo-Dioulasso, and Bishop Alexandre Bazie, auxiliary bishop of Koudougou and head of the Burkina Faso-Niger bishops’ delegation — spoke with EWTN News about the situation on the ground and efforts to gain support for the university.

The bishops spoke in French through a translator, Father Barthelemy Bazemo.

Dabire said he told Leo the bishops have been trying to raise awareness about problems in the region for a long time. He said people globally are aware of the conflicts in Ukraine, Iran, and Gaza, but often Africa and the Sahel are overlooked.

President Donald Trump coordinated with the Nigerian government to strike terrorists in Nigeria — a country in the Sahel, east of Burkina Faso — amid rampant violence, killings, and terrorism that has disproportionately targeted Christians, but also victimized many Muslims and followers of traditional African religions.

Bazie said the U.S. has coordinated with Burkina Faso on separate issues, such as health initiatives, but the terrorism problem has not drawn as much attention from the administration when compared to Nigeria.

He said the violence in Burkina Faso is not one-sided against Christians, but that terrorists target both churches and mosques, and both Christian and Muslim clerics. He warned the people of Burkina Faso, however, cannot afford to wait until the situation reaches the level of Nigeria.

According to a 2025 report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) about the Sahel countries, Burkina Faso has “one of the world’s highest rates of civilian attacks and fatalities from insurgent violence.”

It cites actions from violent insurgent groups, including a February 2024 attack by the Islamic State – Sahel Province that killed 12 worshipers at a Catholic Church in Essakane. There was another attack that month on a mosque that killed dozens of people, along with numerous attacks on villages by bandits and insurgents. These attacks have targeted both Christians and Muslims.

In addition to murders, attacks have included kidnappings of priests, religious sisters, imams, and other Christian and Muslim civilians.

“As a result of brutal killings — thousands [have been] killed — there [are] many [in the] community being impacted [and] it takes education,” Bazie said. “It takes several years of training to get people into the [right] mindset, even if we have different solutions.”

Bazie noted that the Church has been working to improve the region through construction of schools and hospitals and other forms of economic development, but that additional support from outside partners can help the region further.

“With limited resources, [we’re] trying to do [our] best,” he said. “But now coming here is to ask for support in what’s already being done.”

DeSantis should “grant a stay of the execution of Dusty Ray Spencer and … commute his sentence to life without parole,” the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a letter to DeSantis dated June 18.

Spencer is set to be executed at 6 p.m. on June 25. DeSantis signed his death warrant on May 26.

The convicted murderer was found guilty of killing his wife Karen after stabbing her to death in 1992 in the backyard of her Orange County home. Spencer carried out the killing with a brick and a knife; Karen’s 17-year-old son witnessed the murder and attempted to stop his stepfather from the killing.

Spencer had carried out the murder after being released from jail on bail. His attorneys had argued that the murder was a crime of passion, though prosecutors said he had threatened to kill Karen prior to getting out of jail and ultimately followed through with the threat.

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Spencer will be 74 if and when the state executes him. Data from the Death Penalty Information Center indicates that he would be among the 10 oldest criminals executed in the U.S. since 1976.

‘God is the author of life’

In their letter, written by Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops Executive Director Michael Sheedy, the Florida bishops acknowledged that Karen Spencer’s death was “tragic and horrific.” The letter expressed “sorrow for the terrible suffering her loved ones have had to live with ever since.”

“Mr. Spencer’s crime was truly heinous and merits a severe punishment by the state,” the letter said. “…Nevertheless, we ask that you spare the life of Mr. Spencer, who was sexually abused as a child by his father and had a paranoid personality disorder.”

Like bishops in many U.S. states, the Florida bishops regularly petition the state government to commute death sentences there. Florida is among the most active states in the country for carrying out death sentences.

The state most recently executed Andrew Lukehart, a 53-year-old who was convicted of killing his girlfriend’s baby in 1997. The Florida bishops had petitioned the state government to halt that execution as well, though it was ultimately carried out on June 2.

In their plea to DeSantis regarding Spencer, the bishops said a sentence of life in prison was “not [meant] to minimize the heinousness of Mr. Spencer’s crime.”

“It is rather to recognize with awe that God is the author of life, and to reserve to him the taking of human life except where it is otherwise impossible to maintain the common good,” they said.

The letter urged the governor to “uphold justice and..exercise mercy.” It further offered prayers for Karen Spencer “and for the consolation of her loved ones.”

If it proceeds with the execution, Florida will carry out the killing at Florida State Prison in Raiford, located between Jacksonville and Gainesville.

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In a statement released on the anniversary of the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, praised the ruling as a historic turning point while urging Catholics to remain engaged in the pro-life cause.

“On this Anniversary of the Dobbs decision, we praise God for the historic overturning of Roe v. Wade,” Bishop Thomas said. “And we beg the intercession of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in building a culture of life.”

Dobbs overturned Roe and eliminated federal constitutional protection for abortion, shifting authority back to the states. Since then, any laws restricting or expanding abortion have been carried out by the individual states.

Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, recalled learning of the decision while standing outside the Supreme Court.

“As the opinion was put into my hand, I started reading it, and it said, ‘The Constitution does not confer the right to abortion. Roe and Casey are overruled,” Hawkins spoke during an interview with EWTN News Nightly. “This decision that came down four years ago today gave states and gave legislators across the country … the ability to regulate or end abortion.”

Hawkins described the post-Dobbs landscape as a new phase in the pro-life movement’s efforts, with legislative battles now taking place in state capitals across the nation.

“The decision of abortion is now returned to the people and their representatives,” she said. “We have 51 playing fields in our country where we’re attempting every single day to pass laws to either outright end abortion or to severely restrict abortion.”

Abortion pills emerge as a flashpoint

Several pro-life leaders criticized leaving abortion policies entirely in the hands of the states, arguing that abortion regulations should also come from the federal level.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America,  told reporters in a June 23 press call with Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of FAMiLY Leader, an Iowa‑based evangelical political advocacy organization “that whole stateʼs-only experiment is a failure. It has been tried and failed.”

Dannenfelser said permissive abortion pill policies in states such as California and New York are undermining pro-life laws elsewhere, allowing abortion drugs to be shipped across state lines into states that have enacted abortion restrictions.

“Now, 15,000 children a month are dying in pro-life states. That is the definition of failure,” she said.

“We used to say thereʼs going to be abortion destination places,” Vander Plaats said. “In Iowa, we were concerned about a state like Illinois being an abortion destination. Now the abortion destination is in your mailbox.”

Both the bishops and pro-life advocates raised growing use of chemical abortion drugs as a concern.

“Now with easier access to abortion pills, the abortion rate is tragically climbing. The victory of the Dobbs decision risks being undone by the massive influx of abortion pills,” Bishop Thomas said in the statement.

Pro-life leaders said changes made by federal regulators have enabled abortion pills to be prescribed through telehealth appointments and distributed through pharmacies and the mail, despite restrictions enacted by pro-life states.

Hawkins likewise criticized the federal government’s handling of abortion pills and called for further action from the Trump administration.

“While we’re excited and we’re still celebrating the win of Roe being reversed, something that many people told us was impossible, we have not won the war,” she said.

“We’re going to be celebrating the victory of the Dobbs decision. And weʼre going to be praying for our future success to see abortion completely abolished in our land,” Hawkins said.

Catholics urged to pray and take action

Looking ahead, the USCCB is encouraging Catholics to participate in a national prayer and advocacy effort that will run from mid-August through October’s Respect Life Month. Bishop Thomas urged the faithful to pray for women facing unplanned pregnancies, share information about abortion pills, and advocate for policies that protect both mothers and unborn children.

In the decision, authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, the court found that Damon Landor — a Rastafarian whose dreadlocks were shaved in violation of his religious practice — does not have legal standing to seek monetary damages from the Louisiana Department of Corrections officials responsible for the incident.

Every justice appointed by Republican presidents sided with the majority, and every justice appointed by Democratic presidents dissented from the majority in the decision in Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections.

Landor contended that when he was taken to prison, he provided the guards with a copy of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Ware v. Louisiana Department of Corrections, which found that in most circumstances, shaving the head of a Rastafarian violates the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

Landor alleges the guards threw his copy of the decision in the garbage, took him to another room, handcuffed him, held him down, and shaved his head.

In its decision the Supreme Court determined that the law does not permit lawsuits against the individual guards for such violations.

According to the ruling, the authority of the religious liberty law derives from the U.S. Constitution’s spending clause. It states the federal spending power allows Congress to put conditions on the money allocated to entities, such as prisons, but that it cannot regulate the conduct of private individuals under this authority without their express consent, meaning the officials themselves are not liable for any damages.

“Adopting Mr. Landor’s proposed cause of action would allow Congress to evade the consent requirement inherent in its Spending Clause authority and regulate directly the conduct of countless nonconsenting individuals in spheres traditionally reserved to the States,” the ruling states.

“Such a result would be inconsistent with principles of state sovereignty and a federal government of limited and enumerated regulatory powers,” it adds.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in her dissent, disagreed with the majority’s interpretation of the spending clause, asserting that the ruling diminishes constitutional powers and “transforms a federal statute into an invitation to be accepted or declined, deemed binding only if each particular defendant has explicitly agreed to be penalized.”

“Prisoners like Landor who suffer violations of their religious freedom in state prisons — no matter how blatant — will often be left remediless,” Jackson wrote. “And encroachments on prisoners’ statutory rights are likely to happen with fair frequency, as state-empowered prison officials will have little incentive to abide by federal law, even if it is handed to them on a piece of paper.”

In another 6-3 decision, which was split along the same lines, the Supreme Court also ruled practitioners of the Chinese spiritual movement Falun Gong had no standing to sue Cisco Systems, Inc. in spite of allegations the company’s technology was used by the Chinese government to persecute them for their religious beliefs.

The decision in Cisco Systems, Inc. v. Doe found that the practitioners did not have standing to sue under the Alien Tort Statute. Because there was no standing, the court did not determine whether the company aided the persecution in any way, which it denies doing.

Catholic Charities USA President Kerry Alys Robinson said in a June 23 statement the bill (HR 6644) “has the potential to improve the lives of so many of our fellow citizens.”

Though he had been expected to sign the bill, Trump postponed the signing to leverage lawmakers to address restrictions on voter identification and mail-in ballots, although the housing measure automatically becomes law if the president takes no action for 10 days while Congress remains in session.

The House cleared the measure and agreed to the version that the U.S. Senate had amended on June 22. The legislation, among other things, would adjust federal multifamily loan limits.

Rep. French Hill, R-Arkansas, sponsored the bill, titled “The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.”

“We applaud Congressʼs effort to address manufactured housing laws, veterans’ access to housing, and rental assistance for the elderly and disabled through the advancement of this bill,” Robinson said.

The Catholic Charities leader praised provisions in the bill related to zoning reforms, increased private investment in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, a higher public welfare investment cap for banks, changes to homeless assistance programs, and the reauthorization of the Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery program.

She also lauded the bill’s proposed reforms to the HOME Investment Partnerships and Community Development Block Grant programs, which she said have been key resources for addressing the housing needs of low-income individuals and families.

“All of God’s children deserve a safe, decent, affordable place to call home and this legislation is an important next step in providing that assurance,” Robinson said.

“We look forward to continued collaboration with Congress to ensure that housing policy in our nation reflects both sound research and our shared moral commitment to protect the most vulnerable.”

This story was updated at 12:30 p.m. ET on June 24, 2026, with news of President Donald Trump’s delay in signing the housing bill.

EWTN’s top awards reflected the network’s comprehensive coverage of major events in the life of the Catholic Church around the world, including reporting on the death of Pope Francis, the election of Pope Leo XIV, and the lives of persecuted Christians.

The awards were announced at the conclusion of the 2026 Catholic Media Conference, held June 16–19 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The awards recognize outstanding work produced in 2025 across EWTN’s  multimedia platforms; from social media and video production to book and newspaper publishing, photography, advertising, and English and Spanish language journalism — showcasing the network’s continued innovation, creativity, and commitment to excellence in service of the Church.

“These honors reflect the extraordinary dedication of our teams across television, radio, digital, print, and news media, who work every day to create opportunities for people around the world to encounter Jesus Christ and His Church,” said Michael Warsaw, chairman of the board and CEO of EWTN.

“As the media landscape continues to evolve, EWTN remains committed to meeting audiences wherever they are, through both traditional and emerging platforms, ensuring that the truth of the Gospel and the Real Presence of Christ are accessible to the faithful and to those who may be encountering Him for the first time,” Warsaw added.

EWTN’s papal photographer, Daniel Ibáñez, was named Photographer of the Year. In awarding the distinction, CMA’s judges noted that in the work of Ibáñez “each photo is thoughtfully framed and immediately connects with the audience.”

Meanwhile, EWTN Digital’s Debbie Cowden was named Social Media Professional of the Year for her “strong, innovative, and enterprising content.”

The EWTN News special report in English and in Spanish, “Before Francis, Who Was Bergoglio?,” won first place in the category of Best Video — Hot Topic — Pope Francis. Judges called the report “one of the strongest entries in this year’s awards” and “a must watch.”

EWTN News’ live coverage of the election of Pope Leo XIV, “Living the Moment After the Habemus Papam, from St. Peter’s Square,” received the top award in the category of Best Use of Live Video in Social Media.

The network’s coverage of the 2025 National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC), which featured Pope Leo XIV’s historic first digital encounter with young U.S. Catholics, earned two first-place awards, for Best Multimedia Package — News and Best Social Media Campaign — General Interest.

From EWTN Publishing, “Leo XIV: Portrait of the First American Pope” by Dr. Matthew Bunson, vice president and editorial director of EWTN News, received second place recognition.

At the prestigious Gabriel Awards, which includes competition with both secular and religious media, EWTN Studios’ romantic-comedy streaming series “James the Less” won first place for Best Video for Digital Media for its second season. The show previously won best video for its first season in 2024.

EWTN News also secured first place in Single News Story for the documentary  “Christians Fight To Survive: ISIS in Iraq,” which has garnered over a million views on YouTube alone.

The National Catholic Register earned 17 total awards, including 10 first-place honors, and once again received the top distinction as Best Catholic Newspaper, the sixth such recognition in the last decade.

The publication also won first place for its reporting on the Jubilee Year and on emerging Catholic population hubs across the United States.

The network achieved an exceptional sweep in Best Video — Feature (Radio, TV and Film Company), taking first, second, third and honorable mention for its videos “From Mohammed to Jesus: The Nikki Kingsley Story,” “John Paul II: Twenty Years Later,” “Eucharistic Pilgrimage in Navajo Nation,” and “Mother Angelica Witness to Providence Award: Doug Keck.”

Similarly, EWTN News captured first, second, and third place in two categories, Best Video — Personality Profile and Best Video — Pro-life Activities (Radio, TV and Film Company). The winning personality profile videos included “Judge Frank Caprio on His Fight Against Terminal Cancer & His Catholic Faith,” “Before Francis, Who Was Bergoglio?,” and “North Pole in New Jersey? This Man Has Been Santa for 60 Years.”

The best-in-class pro-life videos were for EWTN’s “Canada: Preserving the Life of a Nation,” “Flash Mob Against Euthanasia,” and “National Celebrate Life Rally.”

The EWTN News Spanish-language service, ACI Prensa, also took home numerous recognitions with 10 awards, including four first place wins.

“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by our peers for excellence in Catholic journalism and storytelling,” said Montse Alvarado, president and COO of EWTN News.

“The past year marked a defining moment not only for EWTN News but for the global Church, as we helped audiences navigate the historic passing of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope.”

“Those extraordinary events challenged us to innovate, deepen our coverage, and create new ways of reaching people with meaningful, faith-filled content at a moment when the world was watching,” she said.

Now in its 45th year, EWTN is the largest Catholic media organization in the world. The network’s 11 global TV channels and numerous regional channels are broadcast in multiple languages 24 hours a day, seven days a week in more than 160 countries and territories. EWTN platforms also include radio services transmitted through SIRIUS/XM, iHeart Radio, and over 600 domestic and international AM and FM radio affiliates; a worldwide shortwave radio service; one of the most visited Catholic websites in the U.S.; EWTN Publishing, its book publishing division; and EWTN News, its global, multilingual news service.

Hawley posted a letter on X, which he said he received from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred after the senator accused the league of discrimination and the Department of Justice (DOJ) opened an investigation into the matter.

The incident stemmed from the Giants’ June 12 “Pride Night,” in which most players wore caps that infused a gay pride rainbow into the team logo. Three players inscribed Bible verses on the caps, with one referencing Genesis 9:12-16, in which God tells Noah the rainbow is “the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you and every living creature with you for all ages to come” and promises to never flood the entire Earth again.

After the game, the Giants apologized for the players causing “pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community” and the MLB issued warnings, which Manfred said was simply enforcing its content-neutral prohibition on writing messages on uniforms.

In the letter Hawley posted, Manfred said players cannot be forced to wear the pride-inspired uniform, but blamed the Giants for not properly communicating to players that it is optional.

He said “the Giants’ communication with players was inadequate and not clear” but the MLB warnings to the players were delivered before the league became aware of that.

“Some players apparently did not understand that they had the option to wear their normal uniform and elected to add messages to their hats bearing the pride logo as a result,” the commissioner added.

He said the players “were neither fined nor disciplined, nor will they ever be.” He said the MLB “believes in the right of our players and fans to express their religious beliefs and at the same time supports the communities in this country that are fans of our clubs, including the LGBTQ community.”

“We believe that a policy permitting our clubs to celebrate or honor segments of its fanbase, yet does not require players or other on-field personnel to directly participate in the celebration in ways that makes them uncomfortable, strikes the right balance,” he wrote.

Neither the MLB nor the Giants responded to requests for comment from EWTN News about the letter.

Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ, sent a letter to Manfred last week to inform him that the DOJ will use all available means to hold employers accountable for any discrimination against Christians and that the incident was referred to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

In spite of the MLB’s position that the policy banning written messages is content-neutral, the DOJ letter contends that the league has a “double standard” when it comes to enforcement, noting that players were allowed to wear “Black Lives Matter” messages in spite of the general prohibition.

This incident came less than a month after the Washington Nationals fired Sean Hudson, its former director of community relations, for saying the team tries to avoid the inclusion of pitcher Trevor Williams in promotional materials because of his Catholic faith.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, urged the Justice Department to reexamine the MLB’s antitrust exemption because of the incident and to investigate potential patterns of discriminatory actions.

The “Chaplaincy of Our Lady of Victory,” announced June 19, will be officially established on July 1. According to the diocesan announcement, the chaplaincy is being formed “to serve the needs of those who attend Mass and receive other sacraments in the Extraordinary Form.”

The chaplaincy will be led by two priests from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) appointed from Front Royal, Virginia, about 70 miles west of Washington, D.C.: Father Jonathan Romanoski and Father John Audino.

“As a Chaplaincy, rather than a parish, this agreement allows for Fr. Romanoski and Fr. Audino to live the fraternity that is part of the FSSP charism and to serve primarily in Front Royal while periodically assisting elsewhere in the diocese,” the diocesan statement read.

According to the diocese, the chaplaincy formalizes an arrangement that had already been in place, as an FSSP priest has been assisting Arlington clergy. It does not add more locations for the TLM.

Access to baptism, confirmation, and matrimony in the traditional form remain available only to those “who have a particular pastoral connection to the community and who participate regularly in this form of the liturgy with the consent of the local pastor and the local ordinary,” in line with the current rules, according to the diocese.

“The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is grateful to His Excellency, Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Arlington, for establishing the Chaplaincy of Our Lady of Victory to serve the needs of those who attend the traditional form of the Latin Liturgy beginning on July 1, 2026,” Father Daniel Powers, the provincial secretary of FSSP’s North American Province, said in a statement to EWTN News.

“We are looking forward to working in the Diocese of Arlington and serving the faithful there,” he said.

Noah Peters, a board member and the president emeritus of The Arlington Latin Mass Society (ALMS), expressed “sincere appreciation” to the bishop on behalf of the society for entrusting a chaplaincy to the two priests.

“ALMS believes that this is an enormously positive step that will help ensure access to the traditional sacraments: baptisms, matrimony, confirmation, and the rites for the sick,” he told EWTN News. “We pray for Bishop Burbidge, the FSSP priests, and all the faithful, and we pray that this chaplaincy will be the seed from which broader access to the treasures of Traditional Catholicism grows.”

Arlington, like many dioceses globally, faced Latin Mass restrictions over the past few years, in line with the rules set in Pope Francis’s 2021 motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, which limited access to the older form of the Mass. However, the pontiff granted FSSP, which will lead the chaplaincy in the diocese, an exemption from those rules.

FSSP was founded in 1988 by priests who broke away from the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), when then-Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who led SSPX, defied the Holy See by appointing bishops without papal approval and faced excommunication. FSSP was founded to maintain those liturgical traditions while remaining loyal to the papacy.

In Arlington — where the TLM remains popular, especially among young adults — Burbidge secured dispensations approved by the Holy See for three parishes and five non-parish church locations when Traditionis Custodes went into effect. These were temporary dispensations, but have been extended and remain in place.

This is still a reduction in locations for the diocese, which had 21 locations that offered the TLM prior to the motu proprio. Some Arlington locations also saw an influx of worshipers from the neighboring Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., which limited access to three locations — one in the city itself and two in Maryland.

In March, Pope Leo XIV described divisions surrounding liturgical unity as “a painful wound” in the church.

In his communication with French bishops, Leo encouraged concrete solutions, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that allow for “the generous inclusion” of Catholics attached to the TLM “in respect for the directions desired by the Second Vatican Council in matters of liturgy.”

Leo has not issued far-reaching documents related to the TLM, nor has he changed any of the rules established under Francis. He did, however, approve Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke’s celebration of the TLM last year at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

In April, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation, H.R. 1689, that would extend TPS for Haitians for three more years, which is “a critical lifeline for those desperate to avoid returning to the chaos on the island nation,” Wenski said in a column for the Archdiocese of Miami. Senate consideration is next.

TPS is an immigration status granted to eligible foreign nationals from designated countries that are unsafe to return to due to ongoing conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions.

In 2025, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem terminated the TPS designation for migrants from Syria, Haiti, and other countries.

To combat the termination, the bill, which needs Senate approval to take effect, would provide “a reprieve to the more than 350,000 Haitians who today live and work legally in the United States under the protection of TPS,” Wenski said.

“Every single day, I see the human consequences of often unintended public policy decisions that result in chronic uncertainty, fear, and the disruption of families and entire communities. It’s up to the Senate now to vote ‘yes’ on extending TPS protections for Haitians,” he said.

Wenski said Haiti “remains a country on the brink,” noting the “widespread gang violence and kidnapping, a rampant cholera epidemic, and spreading food insecurity.”

“The lack of functioning state institutions has resulted in a general breakdown of security, with attacks on women and children becoming commonplace,” he said.

“It would be an act of abject cruelty for the United States to send families back to such dangerous and unsafe conditions” and it would “exacerbate Haiti’s ongoing humanitarian crisis,” Wenski said.

Haitians in the U.S. “are hard workers filling jobs that, were it not for them, would go unfilled,” Wenski said. “The sudden expulsion of Haitian TPS holders would have devastating consequences for our nation’s economy.”

Wenski said he understands that “‘temporary’ should mean temporary,” but “without any other workable alternative, TPS is what’s available.”

It is “an imperfect tool,” and “cannot substitute for the hard work of immigration reform that Congress has to undertake sooner or later,” he said.

Senate passage of the bill would “give Haitians a reprieve” and “lawmakers time to explore more durable, more workable solutions.”

Ohio bishops ‘deeply grieved’ by situation of Haitian neighbors

The Ohio bishops similarly spoke out on the matter, calling the situation “a moral and social failure unfolding before our eyes.”

The Catholic Conference of Ohio released a statement on June 22 urging action as the bishops are “deeply grieved by the situation of our Haitian neighbors in Ohio.”

Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S., “we recall the great declarations in our founding documents to establish a free country where people can flourish,” the bishops wrote. “Therefore, as proud and faithful citizens of the United States, we need to take responsibility to support the common good of our country and to love our neighbors as ourselves.”

The bishops “have witnessed the upstanding lives Haitian families have built in Ohio.”

“They work hard, support their families, worship God regularly, and seek to live in peace. Now, they await the U.S. Supreme Courtʼs decision, likely on technical grounds, on whether TPS will continue,” they said.

The Supreme Court is reviewing the governmentʼs effort to end TPS as lower courts previously blocked the termination after determining the administration’s process for ending the protections was unlawful.

The court heard oral arguments in April and is expected to make a decision in the coming months on whether the Trump administration can end the TPS program for Haitian and Syrian nationals.

The bishops "find no moral justification for terminating their [TPS] without an alternative way to adjust their immigration status,” they said.

While the bishops affirmed “the nation’s right and responsibility to regulate immigration and protect its borders,” they said the U.S. “has continued to fail in its attempts to achieve comprehensive reform of our immigration policy.”

“We should have the political and social will to establish and maintain an orderly immigration process while providing a place in the U.S. for those fleeing violence or severe economic hardship,” they said.

The bishops called on Catholics in Ohio and all people of goodwill “to pray for America at 250 years and to reflect on our responsibility as citizens and followers of Jesus Christ.”

“Religious freedom allows the Church, and all religious communities, to live out their faith in public and to serve the good of all,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website says. Religious Freedom Week in the U.S. begins each year on June 22, the feast of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher.

This year, Catholics are invited to pray, reflect, and act on the following intentions: political and anti-religious violence, immigration enforcement, Africa, gender ideology, religious discrimination, parental choice in education, federal grants, and Nicaragua.

Each day, the U.S. bishops ask Catholics to pray for the day’s intention in a specific way, offer a brief reflection on how Catholics should think about the issue, and provide suggestions on concrete actions Catholics can take to improve religious freedom in that particular area.

So far, the dioceses of Arlington, Kalamazoo, Savannah, Toledo, and the Archdiocese of Miami have posted information about the week on their websites.

In a statement on the week’s patrons, the USCCB praised More and Fisher for exemplifying “faithful citizenship,” and expressed hope that “their example continue to illuminate the path for us, as we seek to faithfully serve our Church and country.’

“It is good to love one’s country, but ultimate loyalty is due only to Christ and his kingdom,” the USCCB said. “They never rose up to incite rebellion or foment revolution. They were no traitors. But when the law of the king came into conflict with the law of Christ, they submitted to Christ. These men gave their lives for the freedom of the Church and for freedom of conscience. They bear witness to the truth that no government can make a claim on a person’s soul.”

Canepa, a licensed counselor in Beaverton, Oregon, faced nearly $90,000 in fines and other sanctions after telling a longtime client that he could not personally affirm or “bless” her same-sex relationship due to his Catholic faith.

According to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a Christian legal group representing Canepa, the client had pressed the issue for 20 minutes in one session, despite Canepa having seen her 44 times over two and a half years without raising or being questioned about his religious views.

According to the Oregon board, Canepa violated state law as well as the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics. The board ordered him to attend six hours of continuing education and pay for his own hearing, which cost $89,636.

ADF appealed the board’s decision on Canepa’s behalf on May 1, arguing that the punishment violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and free exercise of religion, particularly in light of recent U.S. Supreme Court precedents such as Chiles v. Salazar.

Shortly after ADF filed its opening brief, the board voluntarily withdrew its disciplinary actions against Canepa without providing a detailed public explanation.

However, in the Withdrawal of Notice of Proposed Disciplinary Action signed on June 5, the Oregon board cited the Supreme Court’s decision in Chiles v. Salazar as a reason for withdrawing the disciplinary action.

In Chiles, the U.S. Supreme Court in an 8-1 decision on March 31 ruled that the state cannot silence counselors’ personal or professional viewpoints during talk therapy sessions with clients.

Colorado’s law targeting certain viewpoints on sexual orientation and gender identity constituted unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination, the court said in its decision.

“The government can’t target counselors for their views and force people to say things that go against their core convictions,” said Jonathan Scruggs, ADF senior counsel and vice president of litigation strategy, in a June 22 statement to EWTN News. “The Supreme Court recently took Colorado to task for censoring counselors and mandating orthodoxy in the counselor’s office, and Oregon should take notice.”

“ADF will continue to ensure that free speech is protected in Oregon — and every state where it’s threatened — and halt states’ attempts to weaponize their licensure systems,” Scruggs said.

Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, who chairs the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace, commended both President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the progress and expressed hope for a long-term deal in a June 17 statement.

Both countries’ leaders, Zaidan said, have taken a “vitally important step,” which is aimed at “ending hostilities” and “advancing deeper dialogue for lasting peace in the region.” He added that “preventing further proliferation of nuclear weapons is critically important for avoiding a dangerous escalation of conflict in the Middle East.”

Zaidan asked all parties involved to engage in good faith and pray for Pope Leo XIV’s intention that “this agreement may help strengthen mutual trust, security and stability in the Middle East, promoting paths of dialogue and cooperation among peoples.”

The bishop, who was born in Lebanon and serves as eparch of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, encouraged the U.S., Iran, and Israel to prioritize peace efforts in Lebanon, which is meant to be covered by the U.S.-Iran deal but is still facing Israeli strikes in spite of the MOU.

“I call on the United States, Iran, and Israel to now also prioritize an end to the fighting in Lebanon,” Zaidan said.

“The disarming of Hezbollah is necessary for peace and development in Lebanon,” he said. “Over one million people have been internally displaced, including 400,000 children, and thousands have fled to neighboring Syria, potentially adding to the region’s instability. If the fighting and humanitarian catastrophe continue in Lebanon, I fear that peace across the wider Middle East will remain unreachable.”

The bishop urged prayers for a resolution to the conflicts.

“Let us pray that the Holy Spirit, creator and vivifier, may breathe wisdom, compassion, and perseverance into the minds and hearts of the negotiators, so that peace in the region may finally become a reality,” Zaidan prayed.

The agreement between the U.S. and Iran puts a hold on military combat and reopens the Strait of Hormuz, an important waterway for international trade. Both the U.S. and Iran agreed not to prevent the passage of any ships. There is gradual sanction relief for Iran, which has already resulted in Iranian oil sales, and a $300 billion fund for development in Iran supported by private investment.

Iran must agree it will never develop a nuclear weapon, which is aligned with its position since 2003 when former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued a fatwa declaring the development of nuclear weapons as inconsistent with Islamic law. Questions about whether Iran will be allowed to enrich uranium — or to which level nuclear enrichment will be permitted — will be decided in the 60-day window.

But in a small corner of the internet, and on music providers like Spotify, another form of chant has taken hold. The text is often a hodgepodge of Latin-sounding words; a mechanical simulation not sung by human voices but generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

How should Catholics navigate the new phenomenon of AI-generated chant, or, in the term hymnist Alan Hommerding coined, “Chant GPT”?

What is Gregorian chant?

Chant isn’t something that is consumed, like social media or food. Instead, it is a way to worship and pray, according to Catholic theologians and musicians.

“Chant is not meant to be performed for artistic consumption but meant to attune our hearts to the Lord over the course of time,” Father Phillip Alcon Ganir, a Jesuit priest who teaches sacred music classes at Boston College, told EWTN News.

Composer and liturgist Father Ricky Manalo, a Paulist priest, agreed, adding: “Gregorian chant is not merely an aesthetic; it is part of the Church’s living tradition of sung prayer, as much as Gospel music is a living tradition for many African American Catholics, or pentatonic melodies are a living tradition for many East Asian Catholics.”

“Its beauty is tied not only to its sound but to its liturgical, scriptural, and cultural roots,” he said.

Named for St. Gregory the Great, Gregorian chant is a “musical synthesis” of Roman and Gallican chant, according to Father Basil Nixen, a monk of the Abbey of San Benedetto in Monte, Norcia, Italy, where the monks chant daily together. These chanted psalms continue to be prayed as part of the Divine Office, or Liturgy of the Hours — a daily practice for Catholic priests, religious, and laypeople.

“Many might assume that Gregorian chant is really a product of the medieval or dark ages from Western Christianity,” noted Giorgio Navarini, founder and director of the Catholic chant group Floriani Sacred Music. “However, Gregorian chant derives its existence from the Hebrew Temple. Sung psalmody, lamentations, and hymns were a significant part of the Hebraic liturgical life in both the synagogue and Temple.”

In the Middle Ages came the “unprecedented notation” of the chant, which helped Gregorian chant spread, Nixen explained.

“The sacred melodies of the chant were written by men and women inspired by the Holy Spirit, and every time we sing them, we allow the Holy Spirit to possess our hearts too so as to enter more fully into communion with God in prayer,” Nixen said.

“Through the Divine Office the voice of Christ praying to his Father mingles with our own, allowing us to unite our voice with his and to participate in his priestly intercession for the salvation of the world,” Nixen said.

How do we pray through Gregorian chant?

Because Gregorian chant is more than just an aesthetic, questions about Gregorian chant are, at their root, questions about the connection between prayer and song.

“Christian worship involves the whole human being — body and soul,” Nixen said. “Chanting is fundamental for Christian worship precisely for this purpose, because it allows us to pray not only with our minds but also with our bodies, our heart, our sentiments.”

“Worship is the natural expression of the highest love, the love which most engages and engrosses us, which is why we owe it to God alone, whom we must love with all our hearts, all our minds, and all our strength — i.e., with body, heart, mind, and soul,” Nixen said. “And we do this most perfectly when we sing.”

Music, Navarini said, is “an art form that directly reflects the inner workings of the soul, unlike other art forms, which gives it a unique power of being united to prayer.”

“Chant has the power to raise the soul to the divine,” Navarini said. “It is unlike any music in this world and truly provides a doorway and glimpse into the life to come.”

Can machines pray?

Human chant is meant to be just that — human, in every imperfection, hoarse voice, or flat note.

“Even with AI aside, one of the dangers of chant recordings is that singers often aim to present pristine, errorless, and sublime sounds — which are good and holy in and of themselves,” Ganir said. “But such perfection is not often reflective of a life that worships regularly with chant.”

The monks who chant daily in monasteries often sing with “tired” voices, Ganir observed.

“Sung prayer early in the morning or in the evening is often a different, usually 'tired,’ sound than prayers chanted during the day,” Ganir said.

This isn’t a bad thing; in fact, it’s part of the deeper meaning behind chant.

“Prayer is meant to span and intersect through all of life,” Ganir continued. “And music, especially our chant tradition, can be such a worthy and life-giving companion.”

“AI-generated sacred-sounding music may have a place as a tool for study, preparation, or even private reflection, but it should not replace the living voice of the Church, the trained pastoral musician, the human composer, or the sung participation of the assembly,” Manalo said.

“AI can generate chant-like sounds or contemporary songs, but it cannot replace the faith, breath, body, and communal participation during a liturgy,” Manalo continued.

“Sacred music requires theological depth, pastoral sensitivity, scriptural grounding, ritual awareness, and a sense of the actual community that will sing or hear it,” Manalo said.

“Every true prayer is an authentic and personal encounter of trust between a creature with its Creator, a recognition of our dependence on the one who is infinitely good,” Father Ezra Sullivan, a Dominican priest and director of the Spirituality Institute at the Angelicum, told EWTN News.

“There is an old saying: ‘You cannot give what you do not have,’” Sullivan continued. “Because an algorithm does not have a knowledge and love of God, no person to have a relationship with him, it cannot make prayers or music that authentically express the raising up of the soul to the hands of our loving Father — even if it makes imitations that are somewhat pleasing, the soul would be missing.”

“One of the reasons why we like to know the biography of composers or authors is because when we read their works or listen to their music, we can commune with them across the ages and join our souls with theirs in coming closer to God,” Sullivan continued. “Artificial intelligence might be able to fool us into thinking that it facilitates these horizontal and vertical relationships, and thatʼs precisely how it can be dangerous in the spiritual realm.”

In Pope Leoʼs recent encyclical letter, Magnifica Humanitas, the Holy Father wrote: “No computational system, however sophisticated, can create a heart that gives itself, or a conscience that discerns good from evil.”

“Gregorian chant is what the soul sings to God; it is what a bride sings to her Divine Bridegroom,” Nixen said. “If an AI-generated thing can love and get married, then it can sing chant. If it can get baptized, then it can sing chant. But if it cannot love, get married, get baptized, or be united to God, then it cannot chant.”

After his mother’s serious illness, Jake, almost entirely by himself, built her a sauna and exercise room in the family’s basement in order to help her recover.

Joe, the CEO of a marketing company, serves on the board of an ecumenical project that unites Catholics and Protestants called Prayer At The Heart, with the aim of igniting “a great spiritual awakening out of a national movement of unified, humble, desperate prayer, unity and evangelism.”

The pair spoke with EWTN News about how their Catholic faith inspires them to be men who make it their mission to love as Jesus loves, and about how they hope to inspire others to do the same.

‘There’s a good chance Mom won’t be coming home’

In 2020, Joe’s wife and Jake’s mom, Becky, almost died after multiple medical issues led doctors to estimate she had only a 10% chance of survival. Joe said she was diagnosed with lupus, Lyme disease, a burst gall bladder, sepsis, and pancreatitis.

“We weren’t allowed to see her in the hospital because it was during Covid,” said Joe, the father of five boys and one daughter, who had to tell his kids “there’s a good chance Mom won’t be coming home.”

After weeks in the hospital, Becky began to recover, Joe said, and “by the grace of God, she pulled through.”

“Out of that hardship, I have found a woman who is incredibly holy,” Joe said of his wife, who, though mostly recovered, still suffers ongoing symptoms from lupus. “She is an incredible mom and an incredible wife. I couldn’t ask for anyone better. She is a blessing to all of us.”

Joe said that time “brought our family tremendously closer together.”

A plan to ‘mobilize Christians’

As Becky recovered from her health crisis, Joe watched the race riots that erupted all over the country that summer, leading him to conclude that “there are evil forces” at work leading to such division between Americans.

“That’s not what Christ wants,” he said, and he wondered whether such division was “manufactured and intentional.” He read Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals, which he called “diabolically brilliant.”

On July 4, 2020, between his work, family, and other responsibilities, Joe “happened to be free to sit down and think.” He felt inspired to write out a plan that would address how to “mobilize Christians” in a “Catholic, Christian, biblical manner.”

Becky helped him fine tune the plan, which Joe then sent to various Christian leaders. Tom Phillips, vice president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, called him back and put him in touch with Doug Small, a Pentecostal leader with a similar vision who also lives in Ohio.

Together, the men came up with Prayer at the Heart, an evangelistic endeavor with the goal of “one million Christians praying for one million friends to know Christ.”

Of the ecumenical nature of their ministry, he said there is “great unity among” the team. “We can all unite around Christ.” 

“Each congregation-denomination-ministry would brand the effort calling their constituents to prayer, evangelism-mission in their own way,” reads the website, on which Christians can sign up to pray for unbelievers.

“The early apostles didn’t just stay in their church and pray,” Joe said. “They went out and evangelized. It’s time for Christians to get out of their homes and churches and bring Jesus to people.”

The ministry’s strategy also involves other practical initiatives, such as the organization of local gatherings and outdoor prayer meetings, as well as a prayer request line available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In addition, the ministry is organizing neighborhood prayer walks, weekly groups of Christians praying for coworkers, and a new missionary and mentorship program to train young adults in prayer and evangelism.

“There’s no person or political party that’s going to save us. The only thing that’s going to save us is the love of Jesus Christ and the love of others,” Joe said.

A message to fathers: ‘Love your wife’

This Father’s Day, Joe has encouraging words for fathers: “Love your wife and kids the way Christ loved the Church.”

“Sacrifice, be willing to lay your life down. Strive to love like Christ, knowing you will sometimes fall short,” he said. “Go to church every Sunday. Your kids wonʼt know faith is important if you don’t show it. Pray every day with your kids.”

“Every night we say the Seven Sorrows of Mary, the St. Michael prayer, and the Angel of God prayer,” he said. “Then we say what we’re thankful for, and this is what we’d like God to help us with.”

The Soltis’ also say a rosary once a week as a family, as well as in the car on long trips.

“If your family is going through a difficult time, strongly follow the lead of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and consecrate your family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” Joe said.

“One of the promises of that consecration is peace within your family. Ours didn’t have peace for a while but it does now, thank the Lord.”

‘If I start, God will help me and guide me through it’

Jake told EWTN News that “my dad and mom have always shown what love is. It’s a choice, You choose to love others, to love your enemy. Love is a choice and not an emotional feeling.”

When he decided to build the sauna and exercise room for his mother in the family’s basement, he said he had “no idea what I was getting into.”

Before beginning the basement renovation, Jake said he only “knew how to build a sub par table.” During the work, he said he “was just inspired. I just wanted to help my mom.”

Joe said his son “put a lot of pressure on himself because his mom’s health was at stake.” Becky had a grand mal seizure in 2025, which Joe called “scary.”

“I have based the majority of my life on the saying ‘I will figure it out,’” Jake said. "I know that if I start something, and use the gifts I was given from God, I will be able to figure it out. I’m not wasting my ability, and I trust that if I start, God will help me and guide me through it.”

His father said Jake “looked at two Google images” before starting the project. “He has the knack and ability to do this stuff. He would come home from school and work for thousands of hours.”

“The only thing I did was I loaded the stuff in the back of the Chevy Tahoe at the hardware store. Every now and then I helped him out,” Joe laughed.

“As an 8th grader, he took an unfinished basement, and now we have a fitness center, sauna, theater room, and theyʼre beautiful! They look professional. He did it all himself, for his mother,” Joe said proudly.

Blair, a father of four, and Angelette, a widowed father of five, explained that the podcast is aimed at fathers and focuses on how masculinity and the sacramental life can be integrated. Describing themselves as a “mic’d up men’s group,” they try to foster a community to help men realize they’re not alone and encourage one another in their walk with the Lord.

Ahead of Father’s Day, EWTN News spoke to the two men about how masculinity is perceived in today’s culture, what authentic masculinity looks like, and why fatherhood is such an important vocation in the life of the Church.

(Editorʼs note: This interview was edited for clarity and length.)

EWTN News: “Toxic masculinity” is a term used a lot in todayʼs culture. How would you each define authentic Catholic masculinity?

Angelette: Jesus Christ. Thatʼs authentic masculinity. Jesus Christ fully reveals man to himself in his most high calling … the more that we model, imitate, and walk in the footsteps of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we will radiate a loving walk with our brothers and sisters in Christ in showing what real masculinity looks like.

He tells the story of the prodigal son, which is the greatest short story ever told of what happens when, in the face of a father who is humiliated by his son, his son abandoned him, took the money, squandered the inheritance, and just left this complete stain on the family name, and how does he respond to it? Or when you see the compassion and the mercy that he shows the woman who is literally caught in the very act of adultery. Or you see when he embraces Peter after heʼs denied him three times and he gives him three chances to redeem himself and to show that mercy and that kindness and that humility and that gentleness.

The heart of a man is a heart that has been set on fire by the Lord Jesus and he loves with gentleness and humility, not weakness in a sense of [being passive], but meekness in the sense of responding to the will of the Father.

Blair: At the end of the day, when we die, the Lord doesnʼt ask us, “All right, well let me see your bank account, let me see the titles.” Itʼs “How well did you love?” And you cannot love if you donʼt receive love, which is to Jasonʼs point, he said it very succinctly, is Jesus Christ — he is the way, the truth, and life. So, modeling our lives after him and in that offering not only our wife, our children, our community, stability, offering our strength, warmth, validation because weʼve received that validation and love from the Father.

Angelette: Toxic masculinity is men who are fighting the wrong fight. Men who have embraced the wrong identity, men who have abused the gifts and talents that theyʼve been given for themselves and not for others and for the kingdom.

Why is fatherhood such an important vocation in the life of the Church?

Angelette: John Paul II, who wrote a play — he wrote five plays — and his last one was called “Radiation of Fatherhood.” And I feel like part of the gift of fatherhood is to radiate the fatherhood of God into the world and to our children.

That is this beautiful gift that weʼve been given to participate in this way that God wants to reveal himself through us. Heʼs allowing us to participate — and not act like him, but to love like him, to love with a love like his.

So as men, as husbands, as fathers, thereʼs this ability that through this masculine heart, this male heart, through this fatherhood, that we can love and reveal the love of God, the love of the father into the world.

Satan hates that. I mean, the thing that destroys families is when fathers have abandoned their post and they leave. Look at the statistics of what happens when a father is not embracing his responsibility as the first herald of the faith, to lead their family in faith, and how hard it is for the faith to be passed on to the next generation.

For Fatherʼs Day, what message would you like to share with fathers?

Blair: Fathers, know that you’re unconditionally loved by God the Father and that the prodigal son points to that. And whether youʼre the younger son or the older son, he has this great inheritance for his boys, his sons.

Not only should we enter into a relationship with Jesus for our own sake but for our wives, for our children, and ultimately the Church. The Church needs her sons fully engaged. Gone are the days you can just be on the sidelines.

Angelette: You hear all the time that God loves you and unless youʼre drawing near to the Father, that just sounds like words. So, just avail yourself to really draw into prayer, to the sacraments, to connect with other men in Christ to not walk this road alone.

If you want your heart on fire, draw near to the Sacred Heart and let his fire, let the heart of Christ, ignite your heart to the love that weʼre called to so we can truly love our families, truly love our children, and love our wives, and be the man that we know in our heart we want to be and that weʼre being called to be.

The exhibit also includes vestments, candlesticks, metal flowers, and numerous liturgical objects used in Jerusalem hundreds of years ago.

Catholic kings sent these items to Franciscan friars in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Mass over the course of many years. Similar metalwork was common in Europe but was often melted down for wars or lost due to natural disasters. In Jerusalem, however, the items were preserved despite many wars and being ruled by Ottomans, the British, and eventually the state of Israel.

“We are so honored to present these works of art to our audiences — and delighted, too, that so many people have come to see the exhibition so far,“ George T.M. Shackelford, Kimbell curator and deputy director, told EWTN News. ”People from all over are making the trip to the Kimbell and telling their friends about the experience. That rewards all the work the many members of our team have put into it.”

One reason for the survival of these sacred objects is that few people knew about them. Europeans forgot about them for centuries and local attempts to control the Church of the Holy Sepulchre resulted in damage and destruction of some of the objects. The Ottomans eventually codified the arrangement and damaged items were repaired by artisans. 

The Franciscan friars also reclaimed many items and purchased some from the Orthodox. Some items were irreparably damaged but sent to Venice, Italy, where they were melted down, remade, and sent back to Jerusalem.

Similar efforts were needed to repair metal flowers used to decorate altars. During Jerusalem’s dry summers, there is little rain from May to September and it is difficult to grow flowers. Adorning altars with metal flowers saves money and scarce water.

The history of the Venetian artists who melted down broken silver objects and made two torchères for the monks can be seen in the exhibit alongside one of the torchères, or lamps, that was damaged and then remade in 1762. 

Stephen Marshall, who works as a concierge at a nearby hotel, has been to the exhibit twice with his family.

“I was impressed learning how all these adornments got switched around after they were made and how mercury was used to embellish gold onto silver,” he said. "The processes and gifts from kings and queens in the exhibit, that one torchère that was leaning I can see the constant effort of maintenance. These items were given so much effort beyond the actual cost of the material used.”

Monarchs in previous eras rarely visited the Holy Land, so they sent these objects to the Franciscans. Anything created by the French had French symbolism like the fleur-de-lis. The Portuguese used emblems depicting five shields. One Portuguese prince donated a silver bowl for foot washing for the liturgy of the Last Supper.

King John V paid to have a sanctuary lamp made in the 1740s; however, it didn’t arrive in Jerusalem until the 1750s when Joseph I was king of Portugal. An earthquake hit Lisbon in 1755, and most similar metalwork was destroyed.

Gazing at the Spanish sanctuary lamp, Elizabeth Felderhoff of Krum, Texas, told EWTN News: ”It is a blessing to have the opportunity to have all of these pieces so easily available to the public to appreciate.” She said she felt that artists who create good, quality work help others dwell on God during worship.

A humeral veil on display in the exhibit was originally used for secular purposes by a now-unknown Muslim. Somehow it became property of a Christian and was transformed into the veil used by priests during Eucharistic adoration to keep the priest from having to touch the monstrance.

One of the chasubles displayed in the exhibit has images of instruments of Christ’s crucifixion. This chasuble would have been especially used during Lent.

Another visitor, Joann Cox, said: ”The dream of going to the Holy Land is a bit remote. This is just an incredible opportunity to see the aspect of our Catholic Christian faith, the symbolism and history of every piece on display, and we are grateful that itʼs here.”

Her sentiments were echoed by another attendee, Cintia Vera, who, reflecting on the exhibit, said: "Itʼs beautiful. Iʼm Catholic and thankful the Kimbell was able to host this exhibit.”

Andrew Eubank, marketing and communications manager at the Kimbell, said: “The exhibition has had visitors from international locations including Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Korea, South America, and Europe.”

Along with the Holy Sepulchre exhibit, visitors can see sacred and secular art of the same and earlier time periods in Kimbellʼs permanent exhibit, which is free for viewing.

The European Mission Campus (EMC), based in Vienna, Austria, draws inspiration from St. John Paul II’s “vision of lay vocation, mission, and holiness,” said Father Mark Thelen, a Michigan native who leads the effort in Europe.

In an interview, Thelen said he brought Eichmuller, 33, and two other EMC students to the United States in December 2025 to expose them to American models of evangelization and lay ministry. They visited Renewal Ministries, Legatus, Encounter Ministries, and Christ the King Parish in Michigan as well as Damascus Summer Camp in Ohio.

“They were inspired to see so much involvement and leadership by lay missionaries. In Europe, there are a lot more clergy involved, which isn’t bad, but they are not accustomed to lay leadership,” Thelen said.

EMC, which is managed by Abby Randolph, also based in Michigan, is part of Regnum Christi, a clerical religious institute dedicated to emulating the early Church and forming mission-driven individuals and being a “living fraternity” to renew the Church through spiritual and human support to missionaries.

“Europe needs missionaries,” Thelen told a 2025 retreat. “We will not change Europe without community, and we will not experience relationships that are worthwhile without true community,” he said.

EMC was founded in 2024 but saw its first class of students in September 2025. Five students are expected to join later this year. Instruction is given online and in person by Legion of Christ clergy and consecrated laity, shared with the Legion’s Johannes Paul II Center in Vienna.

EMC students receive three years of formation for missionary service, which Thelen described as a “pastoral MBA” to equip them for full-time lay ministry. EMC students are university graduates, mostly under the age of 30.

Anna Romero, 24, from Spain, told EWTN News that at the age of 8, she joined her family on a Neocatechumenal Way mission to Papua New Guinea. At 18, she experienced a “personal call from Christ to conversion.”

“I realized that I wanted to do more with my life,” she recalled. “Life is more than about studying and working.”

After graduating from university, Romero discerned a call. “I decided to give my life to sharing the Gospel and what God has done for me,” she said.

Last year, she entered EMC’s first class, which has a curriculum ranging from Scripture to faith-based time management. One key component is “Renewal of the Mind,” which draws on the teachings of St. John Paul II.

Romero said EMC formation emphasizes “hearing God’s voice,” discerning his plan, and living out the Christian vocation as “king, priest, and prophet,” even outside ordained or religious life.

EMC participants seek support through “mission partnership development,” which builds teams of cooperators committed to prayer and financial backing. Fundraising and group dynamics are part of EMC formation. In European countries, the Church often receives government funding. Therefore, lay missionaries must generally raise their own support.

Romero and the others were impressed by how much American Catholics give to their parishes and missionaries. She said of the trip: “I learned so many useful things. There is a sense of confidence and clarity about evangelization in the U.S.,” she said. She saw “a more lively faith” there than in Spain, where “if there aren’t professed religious, Opus Dei, or Neocatechumenal Way, there isn’t much parish life.”

“I would love to start a program in Spain to train young people for missions ... I want to awaken a mission spirit among young people and all the baptized,” she said.

EMC student Nina Sole-Martino, 23, first received missionary formation as a camper and staffer at Damascus Summer Camp in Centerburg, Ohio.

“I am open to the Lord’s plans for me, and EMC will help to discern my path,” she said. She said she wants to “reconfigure my thinking and others’ to the mind of God. This means, for example, “changing how we speak to others and even how we speak to ourselves.”

Quoting Proverbs 18:21, she said: “Life and death are in the power of the tongue.”

Romero said religious vocation is a gift to the Church, but the Church also needs the laity.

“Laypeople in the world are called to collaborate with the Church,” she said. “Laypeople are also a light to the world, as families and single people. Some laypeople, but not all laity, are called to be full-time missionaries. We also need saints who are doctors, teachers, and workers. Priests and the religious want and need their support.”

The Save Nigeria Rally included speakers such as Alveda King, the niece of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., along with representatives from all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

“We are here to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the persecuted Christians of Nigeria,” Save Nigeria Group USA President Stephen Osemwegie said during his rally speech, in which he thanked the U.S. President Donald Trump for his efforts to redesignate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” and to carry out strategic strikes on terrorist groups there.

“This is the Juneteenth holiday weekend,” Osemwegie said. “As our American brothers and sisters celebrate the historic victory over the evils of slavery and chattel oppression, we see an unbreakable spiritual connection between the American civil rights struggle and our fight against religious persecution and terrorism today.”

“The shackles may look different, but the demonic spirit of oppression is exactly the same,” he said.

Osemwegie told EWTN News that ending radical terrorism and persecution in Nigeria is “in the vital national security interest of the United States.”

As a country of 240 million people with 70% under the age of 45 years old, Osemwegie emphasized the critical need for the U.S. to prevent Nigeria from falling “into the hands of radical Islamic terror.”

“Nigeria sits at the epicenter today of global jihad,” he said. “If Boko Haram and ISIS reconstitute like they did in Syria, Nigeria could be another Syria, another Afghanistan. And that means that their core goal  … [would be] to reconstitute and come after the United States.”

“They are really planning to regroup using the awesome resources in Africa and Nigeria, which has lithium, rare earths, gold, you name it, and two million barrels per day oil production,” he said. “You cannot allow such a country to become a terror hub. It will threaten the global community.”

Osemwegie further emphasized that escalating terrorism could spark a migration crisis. “We are 240 million [citizens], we could overrun many neighboring countries and Europe. We want America and the world to help us stay there by fighting the terrorism.”

“What Nigeria needs is not U.S. troops fighting on the ground,” Osemwegie said. “We need support — the platform, the drones, the advisors who will be behind our very gallant Nigerian troops that are giving their lives every day. As a matter of fact, weʼve lost senior officers, generals, soldiers fighting without the right equipment.”

According to Osemwegie, Nigeria needs the United States to intervene in cutting off funding to terrorist groups in the country such as Boko Haram and ISIS, which he said receive the bulk of their funding from the Middle East and other “nefarious parts of the world.”

The activist further called attention to the “humanitarian crisis that Nigeria faces,” with those who have been forced to flee their homes after facing persecution from armed militant groups, particularly the Fulani militant groups that have carried out most of the Christian persecution in the country.

“An estimated 11 million people have been driven from their homes since 2009,” he said. “These people now live in makeshift camps. They want for everything, but the world is not aware that they need food, shelter, and most importantly, they need to be safely returned to their communities.”

‘Nigeria, we hear you, we love you’

“I encourage President Trump, and I am continually praying for him, to care about the people of Nigeria," Alveda King said during her rally speech.

Reflecting on the message of her late uncle, King called for people of all faiths to consider each other as brothers and sisters.

“We have to learn to live together. Same thing for Israel and the Palestinians and the Jews. Theyʼre brothers. Theyʼre not neighbors and cousins. They are actually brothers,” she said, alluding to ongoing conflicts in Israel and the broader Middle East.

At different points in her remarks, King sang verses of the gospel songs “This Little Light of Mine” and “How Great Thou Art.”

She emphasized the need for Christians to support humanitarian causes. “When little children are hungry, I don’t say ‘Are you a Muslim or a Jew?’ ‘Are you from Nigeria or America?’ A little child is hungry, so we’re going to feed that child.”

In an interview with EWTN News, King encouraged the Nigerian people to maintain hope.

“Be encouraged,” she said. “Of one blood, God made all people to live together on the face of the earth. My uncle, Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr, said: ‘We must learn to live together as brothers … and not to perish together as fools’”

“Nigeria, we hear you, we love you, be encouraged and have faith in God,” she said.

Survivor of Boko Haram kidnapping calls for ‘open doors’

Rebecca Samuel Dali, who was kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 and survived sexual assault as a young child, told EWTN News at the rally that she came to express her gratitude for Trumpʼs efforts to end persecution in Nigeria, and to ask that he “open doors” to those fleeing persecution.

Dali was taken by Boko Haram July 30, 2014. She said the group released her after three hours when its leader realized his family had benefitted from the services provided by her organization, the Center for Compassion, Empowerment, and Peace Initiative.

“If America was locked, I could not have been here now,” she said. “So to open doors for people to come and stay in this peaceful country, this is why I’m here.”

Dali is also a minister of the Church of the Brethren and a 2017 recipient of the Humanitarian Award from the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation.

The FIFA World Cup is one of the most-watched sporting events with roughly 5 billion people tuning in to the tournament that brings together soccer’s best athletes from around the world.

Despite only being a little over a week into the soccer tournament, the name of Jesus has already been made known many times from several of the athletes and teams as they compete on this global stage.

Here are five powerful moments of faith we’ve seen at the World Cup so far:

1. Croatian team shares the importance of their Catholic faith

Ahead of Croatia’s first match against England, two members of the team took part in a press conference where they discussed the role their Catholic faith plays in their lives.

EWTN News correspondent Mark Irons was in attendance and asked Kristijan Jakić and Igor Matanović what Catholicism means to the team and if prayer and faith is important to them in their own lives.

“I think faith is very important in my life. When you pray to God, it’s like a feeling that someone is listening to you, and that gives me a lot of strength,” Matanović said.

Jakić added: “We are a country in which we are Catholics and in which faith means the path in our lives. I think faith represents the entire national team. Faith simply means everything in our lives.”

2. Players from Curaçao and Germany join in prayer after competing against one another

The national team from the country of Curaçao — which is a Caribbean island with a population of 150,000 — made history by qualifying for the World Cup for the first time. By qualifying, the island nation set a Guinness World Record as the smallest country by population to ever reach the global menʼs tournament.

Despite losing to Germany in their first match 7-1, the players and coaches were visibly emotional realizing the achievement the team had accomplished. In a moment of gratitude, several of the athletes joined on the pitch for a moment of prayer. They were then joined by German players Jonathan Tah and Felix Nmecha — both outspoken Christians.

In a postgame interview, Nmecha said: “During the game, we are opponents, but after the game we are all Christians and we are brothers… In our faith, we all believe that Jesus is glorified through the game and that’s why we came together and simply prayed together.”

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3. Lionel Messi thanks God after making history

Argentina went up against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City, Kansas, where over 69,000 fans watched history unfold at the feet of the famous Argentinian player Lionel Messi.

During the 3-0 victory against Algeria, Messi recorded the first FIFA World Cup hat trick — when a single player scores three goals during one game — of his career. Additionally, Messi made history by tying former German soccer player Miroslav Klose’s record for most men’s World Cup goals scored at 16.

After the game, Messi, a devout Catholic, said: “I can’t ask for more than what I received. As I’ve said many times, thank God that he has given me so much and everything that comes now is a blessing.”

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4. Team USA shares a moment of prayer after historic win against Paraguay

On June 12, the men from the United States started their World Cup journey on a positive note with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay. After the game, defender Mark McKenzie led the team in a moment of prayer on the field.

Leading into the tournament, several of the U.S. players were vocal about their faith. Star winger Christian Pulisic is known for leading several of his teammates in a Bible study he calls “Bible Time” and has discussed the important role reading Scripture plays in his daily life.

Goalkeeper Matt Freese recently spoke to Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast and discussed how his faith and career are intertwined.

“Godʼs given me so many opportunities within this game and within my career. I still have a role to play in that. I still have to do my part and take that opportunity and do something with it,” Freese said.

He also shared that he’s a listener of Father Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” podcast.

“Right now I’m listening to ‘Bible in a Year’ by Father Mike Schmitz. It’s been fantastic and it kind of makes me able to — even when I’m on the road or even if itʼs a busy stretch — make sure I’m spending some time every day, hopefully every day, [with Scripture],” he said.

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5. Felix Nmecha honors Jesus in post-goal celebration

German midfielder Felix Nmecha honored Jesus by making a powerful gesture after scoring the first goal in Germany’s 7-1 victory against Curaçao on June 14.

After scoring the goal, Nmecha knelt down on one knee and made the gesture of taking off a crown from his head, placed it on the ground, and then pointed up to the sky. This “crown down” gesture, as it has been called, symbolizes that every gift, every victory, and every moment of glory belongs to Christ.

In a postgame interview, Nmecha said: “It was an incredible blessing to score my first goal for Germany and for it to be so fast. All the glory I give to God, because he is the one who has given me this talent and the opportunity to be here living this dream.”

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Golka follows in the footsteps of Archbishop Samuel Aquila, who led the archdiocese since 2012 and was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI.

Golka told EWTN News in a sit-down interview that he was “not expecting to come to Denver.”

“I had been in [Colorado] Springs for four and a half years as a bishop and I know many other bishops more qualified than I am, who have served longer than I have. So, I thought I was safe, if you will,” he said. “So when I saw that the nuncio had tried to call me, I said a prayer and called him back and he said, ‘Are you alone? Can we talk?’ And I joked and I said, ‘Your Eminence, we can talk all you want as long as youʼre not going to move me.’ And he laughed and he just right away said, ‘Youʼve been appointed.’

Golka shared that he had two reactions to the news. First, he was sad to be leaving the Diocese of Colorado Springs after falling in love with the parishes, the people, and the pastors. Second, he immediately said “yes” because he believes that “if the Holy Spirit is asking through the Church and the Holy Father, you have to say yes.”

“I also joked that in my last five assignments I would have never chosen any of them myself. So itʼs clear to me God chose them and if God wants it, itʼs going to be great if I let God do it,” he added.

The new appointment comes at a time where the world is still getting to know Pope Leo XIV, which includes analyzing and monitoring the new pope’s appointments. When asked why he believes the Holy Father chose him for Denver, Golka shared that he asked the papal nuncio this very question during their call, which took place on Feb. 7.

“I asked the papal nuncio why I was chosen for Denver and he said, ‘I donʼt really know,’” Golka recalled. “He said that the Holy Father discerns and prays, so we believe the Spirit is leading this choice, so thatʼs first of all it.”

Golka added that he sees Pope Leo as a “very thoughtful, well-considered person,” so if he had to guess why he was chosen, Golka would credit it to the fact that he loves Jesus “immensely.”

“I try to talk about him [Jesus] as much as I can and be a witness to that. I love being a pastor … So, I think the Holy Father wants people who love Our Lord openly, outwardly, and who are pastors who care for the people,” he said.

Born and raised in Grand Island, Nebraska, Golka was the fourth of 10 children. His father, Robert, was a civil engineer and his mother, Patricia, was a Catholic school teacher.

Golka shared that his parents were “experts at passing on the faith.” While they never sat their children down for a lesson on the faith or opened the catechism to teach them from it, the children had the faith instilled in them from young ages because “they just lived it [the faith].”

In second grade, Golka was preparing to receive his first Communion and in one of his workbook activities it asked the children to draw a picture of someone they enjoyed listening to. Golka drew a picture of his parish priest.

“I knew it was in me at a young age,” he said.

When Golka was in eighth grade one of his older brothers entered the seminary. Despite his brother discerning out of the priesthood, Golka thought to himself, “Boy, if he can do it, I can do it.”

“I went up and stayed with him for a week when I was in eighth grade and I thought to myself, ‘This is where Godʼs calling me.’”

Growing up in a large family, Golka dreamt of getting married and having a lot of children. He shared that he “grieved the loss of children I wouldn’t have and the loss of a family.”

However, “God assured me that many people would treat me as father and call me Father for the rest of my life, and heʼs come through on that promise,” he said.

In the weeks leading up to Golka’s installation as archbishop of Denver, both of his parents passed away — his mother in January and his father in March.

“Both of their deaths were not surprising, but both were unexpected and both were incredibly beautiful deaths but painful as heck,” he shared.

He explained that his mother passed away in her sleep right before he was appointed archbishop. Golka’s father was in attendance at the press conference held after the announcement was made and he recalled his father “being the star of the show that day.”

On March 3 — less than a month after the press conference — Golka visited his father in the hospital.

“I went into his hospital room — he was very awake that day, his last day of being lucid — and I walked in the room and … he looked at me and he smiled and I said, ‘What dad, you couldnʼt wait till March 25?’ And he laughed and he said, ‘No, Iʼm going to die tomorrow or the next day, but I can do more for you from heaven that I can from here. So you can trust that,’” Golka recalled.

His father passed away on March 5.

On the day of Golka’s installation, he recalled being extremely tired, lightheaded, and he was worried he was going to pass out.

“I was just so tired, exhausted, and as soon as Archbishop Aquila and [apostolic nuncio] Cardinal [Christophe] Pierre put me in the cathedra and Archbishop Aquila gave me the crozier, immediately my mom was standing right here [on his right side] and my dad right here [on his left side] — like theyʼre tangible,” he shared. “And so it was almost like God told me, ‘Now relax and enjoy this. Weʼll take care of you.’ And my dad said, ‘Weʼre going to stand in front of God and intercede for our family for all of eternity. So, donʼt worry.’ So, at my installation, what a gift to have had that, because without them there that day, I would have passed out.”

He added that he has felt his parents' presence with him several times already in his new role as archbishop.

As for his top priorities for Denver, Golka said he wants to start by getting to know his priests and their parishes and invest time in supporting them, he wants to continue to work hard to defend life in the state of Colorado, and lastly he wants to “listen more intently” to God’s plans for the archdiocese.

“God has a plan for this archdiocese and he knows why he brought me here and why he brought all of us here. I donʼt know why he made me an archbishop; Iʼm just a guy from Nebraska … But, he has a plan so we need to listen to him intently and trust that he isnʼt hiding the plan from us. He wants to show it to us. So our job then is to learn how to listen and discern.”

Previously released models identified 58 parishes for potential stoppage of weekend Masses. An additional 32 parishes could see a suspension in weekend Masses.

The models released June 18 cover several planning areas across parts of metro Detroit and nearby counties including Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb.

The latest update follows the completion of 400 listening sessions at parishes across the archdiocese amid its two-year restructuring process. While the listening sessions are complete, parishioners are invited to share feedback through an online form available until July 31.

Archbishop Edward Weisenburger announced the restructuring and renewal initiative for the archdiocese on Nov. 16, 2025, saying: “I believe with all my heart that God is inviting us to reimagine parish life, priestly ministry, and our mission with new creativity and deep faith, to build something that will last — something vibrant, sustainable, and full of hope.”

Weisenburger said at the time that a reduction in the number of parishes and worship sites was expected and that implementation of the plan would take place in 2027, “with a goal of fostering long-term health and missionary vitality throughout the archdiocese.”

A similar suspension of weekend Masses at more than 80 parishes across northeastern Iowa will also take place this summer as a part of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa’s reorganization plan that began in September 2024.

Like the Archdiocese of Detroit, the Archdiocese of Dubuque cited a declining Catholic population, lower participation in the sacraments, and a continuously shrinking number of priests as reason for its restructuring.

Hosted by Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, the annual conferences are large Catholic youth evangelization events for high school students in North America. Since their founding in 1976, the conferences have drawn hundreds of thousands of young people for worship, Eucharistic adoration, confession, catechesis, and fellowship.

This year more than 43,000 teenagers are expected to participate in conferences held in Steubenville and at regional sites across North America. There is no known record of any previous papal message to the Steubenville conferences.

In his message, the pope reflected on the witness of St. Francis of Assisi and wrote on two themes that defined the saint’s life: authentic peace and perfect joy.

Recalling St. Francis’ traditional greeting, “peace and all good,” the pope emphasized that true peace is a gift from God and flows from a relationship with Christ. He encouraged participants to seek moments of silence and prayer during the conferences to discover the peace that Christ promised disciples and to become instruments of that peace in their families, communities, and society.

The Holy Father also addressed the meaning of “perfect joy,” drawing on St. Francis’ teaching that lasting happiness is not found in material success, popularity, entertainment, or social media. Instead, he explained, true joy comes from knowing God’s love and remaining faithful even amid suffering, rejection, and hardship.

The pope recalled St. Francis’ explanation for what perfect joy is. He said: “One winter evening, as he was walking back to Assisi with Brother Leo, one of the first members of the Franciscan order, St. Francis began to give a long list of apparently ‘good’ things that do not lead to perfect joy. At a certain point, Brother Leo finally exclaimed, ‘Father Francis, I pray that you will teach me about perfect joy!’”

Then, the pope said, St. Francis recounted “a tragic situation that implied suffering cold, hunger, and rejection — the opposite of what you would expect — and added that if such difficulties are embraced with patience, without complaining, and with love for God, ‘This is perfect joy.’”

“Is it really possible to have joy in such difficult circumstances, we might ask? It is only possible if our life is founded upon our relationship with God as a loving Father,” the pope said.

“Only the love of God can provide us with true and perfect joy,” the pope said, reminding young people that they are precious in God’s eyes and loved unconditionally by him. He urged conference participants to deepen their relationship with Christ through prayer, the sacraments, and trust in God’s providence.

The message concluded with an invitation to discern God’s call. Whether to marriage, priesthood, religious life, or missionary service, the pope encouraged young people not to be afraid to respond generously if they sense the Lord calling them to a particular vocation.

This story was updated at 8 a.m. ET on June 21 to include the pope’s video message.

The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who have cared for terminal cancer patients at no charge for 125 years, sued the state after the New York Department of Health sent them three warnings about not following the transgender policies.

One letter warns about “refusing to assign a room to a resident other than in accordance with the resident’s gender identity,” “prohibiting a resident from using a restroom available to other persons of the same gender identity,” and “willfully and repeatedly failing to use a resident’s preferred name or pronouns after being clearly informed of the preferred name or pronouns.”

On June 18, the DOJ notified the U.S. District Court of its intent to intervene on behalf of the sisters, asserting that New York’s law violates their constitutional right to equal protection as a religious group.

“States should take notice that they cannot require Americans to abandon their religious beliefs in the name of woke gender ideology,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ Civil Rights Division said in a statement.

“For more than a century, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne have provided free palliative care to indigent cancer patients in their last days,” she said. “New York’s law would force these religious women to choose between their faith and their license if they wish to continue serving the dying.”

The sisters argue that the state is violating their First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion. They also argue their First Amendment rights are being violated because the state is trying to force them to communicate a point of view with which they disagree.

The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne operate Rosary Hill Home, a 42-bed nursing home in Thornwood, New York.

Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ), sent a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on June 18 that said the DOJ will use all available means to hold employers accountable for discrimination and referred the matter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The Giants held a “Pride Night” on June 12 in which most players wore caps that infused the colors of the Progress Pride Flag onto the team’s logo, which was advertised as a “celebration of Pride and the LGBTQIA+ community” during a game against the Chicago Cubs.

Starting pitcher Landen Roupp and two relief pitchers wore the caps but wrote Bible verses next to the rainbow-colored logo. Roupp wrote “Genesis 9:12-16,” in which God tells Noah the rainbow is “the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you and every living creature with you for all ages to come” and promises to never flood the entire Earth again.

The Giants apologized in a statement to the San Francisco Standard, saying the display “caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community.” It also prompted an official warning from the MLB to not display handwritten messages in any future games.

The DOJ letter cites an MLB explanation for why the players were warned, reported by NBC News, which said the warning is not disciplinary and “had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message.” Rather, the MLB cited a rule that prohibits displays of writings and messages on uniforms.

However, Dhillon accused the MLB of having a “double standard” in how it enforces this rule, noting the MLB allowed players to wear “Black Lives Matter” messages in spite of the broad prohibition.

Dhillon’s letter noted that employers cannot legally use “facially neutral” policies as “a pretext for discrimination” and said the selective enforcement “calls MLB’s true motives into question” and raises questions about whether the league is complying with federal civil rights protections. She also cited Supreme Court precedent requiring employers to accommodate religious expression in uniform rules.

“The Civil Rights Act prohibits MLB and its franchises from unreasonably burdening the rights of players with religious objections to serving as the league’s vehicle for pro-Pride messages,” she wrote to the commissioner.

Neither the MLB nor the Giants responded to a request for comment.

Support from archdiocese

The players got public support from the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, which was first reported by the New York Post.

Peter Marlow, a spokesperson for the archdiocese, said in statements provided to EWTN News that “people of faith should not be compelled to hide or suppress their sincerely held religious convictions in public life, including in the world of professional sports.”

“In a diverse society, respect should be a two-way street,” he said. “Just as individuals with same-sex attraction deserve to be treated with dignity and free from unjust discrimination, people of faith deserve the freedom to express their beliefs peacefully and respectfully without being presumed hostile or hateful.”

While he said he understands that “some individuals may have been offended,” he added: “We do not believe that a respectful reference to sacred Scripture should be viewed as inherently hurtful or exclusionary.”

Other controversies

This investigation also comes less than one month after the Nationals fired Sean Hudson, its former director of community relations, for saying the team tries to avoid the inclusion of pitcher Trevor Williams in promotional materials because of his strong Catholic faith.

Williams was outspoken against the Los Angeles Dodgers giving a Pride Night award to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — a group of drag queens who dress like Catholic nuns and mock Catholic symbols and practices, which includes a blasphemous satire of the Mass.

This week, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, reiterated her call for a DOJ investigation into that incident and questioned a long-standing rule that exempts the league from antitrust regulations. In her June 17 letter, she demanded a response within 10 days to her concerns about alleged patterns of discriminatory behavior from the MLB.

“No private organization, even one granted special legal status, should be permitted to penalize or marginalize Americans for objecting to the public mockery of their faith,” she wrote. “MLB’s privileged antitrust position must not serve as a license for exclusionary practices.”

The Nationals did not respond to a request for comment.

Controversies about pride celebrations have also extended into the minor leagues, with the York Revolution forfeiting a game because some players refused to wear pride-themed jerseys. This team is part of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is a partner of the MLB.

The team issued a statement saying the players’ refusal to participate in pride is “completely inconsistent with our vision.” The statement said they decided to cancel the game and host a separate Pride event “out of respect for the Pride community and the York community.”

The findings come from the “A Portrait of the Permanent Diaconate in 2025,” an annual survey conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations.

The survey was administered between February and May, asking about the previous year. CARA received responses from 143 of the 185 archdioceses, dioceses, archeparchies, and eparchies whose bishops and eparchs belong to the USCCB and have an active Office of Deacons, for a 77% overall response rate.

Researchers estimated that 21,562 permanent deacons serve in the United States, a record high. The previous year’s report showed 20,212 U.S. deacons.

Yet beneath the 2025 record figure, the report revealed signs of stagnation that could shape the future of the ministry carried out by married or unmarried men ordained as permanent deacons to preach, teach, baptize, witness marriages, and lead charitable service.

“The 2025 diaconate portrait shows a remarkable rebound, estimating 570 ordinations compared to 494 retirements and 390 deaths,” Sister Thu Do, LHC, the report’s primary researcher, told EWTN News. “While we are moving toward a healthier replacement rate than in previous years, the workload for active deacons remains intense.”

Growth slows despite record numbers

The report estimated that 13,864 deacons are active in ministry, while thousands of others are retired or no longer serving in active assignments.

Although the overall number of deacons increased slightly from the previous year, growth has slowed considerably. The survey found that losses from retirement and death are nearly matching the number of men entering the ministry.

During the 2025 calendar year, 466 permanent deacons were ordained, the study showed. Extrapolating to include those who did not respond to the survey, it can be estimated that there were 570 deacons ordained in the United States in 2025, according to the report. At the same time, 494 deacons retired from active ministry, and another 390 deacons died, the report said.

The data suggest that growth will depend heavily on whether dioceses can attract and form enough candidates to replace those leaving ministry.

An aging ministry

The report’s findings highlight that the permanent diaconate is aging rapidly, and its pipeline isn’t keeping up.

The median age of active deacons is 69, while the median age of all permanent deacons, including retirees, is 70. Only a small percentage of active deacons are younger than 50.

The report indicates that the permanent diaconate remains one of the oldest groups of ordained ministers in the Church in the United States.

The aging trend is also reflected in the number of deacons who retire each year. In many dioceses, retirements outpace growth, contributing to concerns that the ministry could begin declining in size if ordination rates do not increase, the report said.

Demographic profile

The survey found that the vast majority of permanent deacons are married, with only a small percentage being widowed or never married.

Racial and ethnic diversity within the diaconate continues to increase, though most deacons are non-Hispanic white, the report said. Hispanic and Latino Catholics represent a growing share of both active deacons and men in formation, the report said.

“I want to highlight how beautifully the diaconate reflects the growing cultural diversity of the U.S. Catholic Church,” Sister Thu said. “This dynamic adaptation equips men to serve communities in their heart languages, serving as a wonderful testament to the universal and living nature of the Church.”

Questions about the future

The report does not forecast an imminent decline in the permanent diaconate. However, its findings point to growing demographic pressures that could limit future expansion.

While the total number of deacons has reached a historic high, the ministry’s growth increasingly depends on replacing aging members rather than expanding into new territory as retirements and deaths consume much of the annual increase generated by ordinations.

“This signals a crucial transition,” Sister Thu said. “To maintain vibrant parish ministries and avoid a pastoral vacuum as our senior deacons rightfully retire, we must actively encourage the next generation of men to discern and hear this call.”

Bomberger was conceived in rape. Even in states with strong protections for the unborn, these protections often don’t extend to children conceived in rape. Some consider these exceptions a mercy to women who have suffered assault; others consider abortion a secondary trauma.

“My birth mom chose courage in the midst of the chaos,” Bomberger told EWTN News. “She had a strength within that enabled her to be stronger than her circumstances.”

“She rejected what the world says was her right and, in some circles, her obligation,” Bomberger said. “The world looks at lives like mine and says we should have been aborted.”

“I have nothing but love and compassion for the post-abortive, but had my birth mom given in to the lie, I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “Those beautiful generational reverberations wouldn’t exist.”

“My family — my heart — wouldnʼt exist,” he said.

As an adult, Bomberger advocates for unborn babies and for adoption through the organization he co-founded with his wife, the Radiance Foundation.

Adopted into a diverse, loving family

After nearly being aborted, Bomberger was adopted into a large and loving family on June 19, 1971.

“I was the first of 10 children adopted and loved by parents who loved Jesus. They had three biological children prior to adopting,” he said. “We were a diverse family of white, Black, mixed, Asian, Native American, able, and disabled children from different backgrounds who became one family because of our faith.”

“We grew up on a farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania — the perfect place for all of us as we did life together,” Bomberger said. “People often looked at us, confused, trying to figure out whether we were a youth group, a team from school, or some other kind of unrelated crowd of kids. It was fun to see some of their reactions when they learned that we were all Bombergers.”

“Our family served as a powerful testament to the community about how color isn’t what binds us, but love is,” he said.

“I knew I was loved, unconditionally,” Bomberger said. “And I was a complete handful.”

Bomberger’s experience of adoption inspired him to advocate for adoption in his work — and to adopt two children.

Bomberger advocates for adoption through AdoptedAndLoved.com, an initiative that “helps defray expenses for Christian families seeking to adopt,” Bomberger said.

“I was grafted in as one of their own,” he said of the Bombergers. “That’s the beauty of adoption.”

“In the natural and the supernatural, it makes you a son or daughter without a disclaimer,” he continued. “It’s an act of love, mercy, and justice that helps brings wholeness and healing to what was broken.”

Juneteenth: Self-sacrificial love

For Bomberger, Juneteenth is a reminder of the unity of Christ’s love.

“Juneteenth broke through color barriers both in our nation’s history and in my own personal life,” Bomberger said. “Both situations took courageous white and Black people rejecting the lies about our humanity and choosing self-sacrificial love instead.”

“Juneteenth is a great reminder that there’s beauty in unity,” he said. “Only Christ’s love brings perfect unity.”

Bomberger advocates especially those targeted by Planned Parenthood, which often places locations in Black communities and has a history of eugenics and racism.

“Juneteenth demonstrates how truth has to get over so many obstacles to be finally heard and bring the freedom that is its very nature,” Bomberger said. “Our nation’s soul was finally moved by the truth that we’re created equal and led to the abolition of the inhumane institution of slavery.”

“My prayer is that the work I do helps bring this great nation to that same awakening when it comes to the inhumane institution of abortion,” he said.

How is the Black community targeted by the abortion industry?

Bomberger advocates against the abortions of all unborn babies, but especially Black babies.

He described Planned Parenthood as “the leading killer of Black lives.”

“Planned Parenthood kills more Black lives in two weeks than the KKK killed in a century,” Bomberger said.

Bomberger noted that Planned Parenthood has a past history of racism.

“Planned Parenthood has a long history of targeting the Black community initially through its eugenics programs including the Negro Project,” Bomberger said.

“Presently, it overtly targets the Black community with their facility placements, racial propaganda, marketing, and specific programs (i.e., Black Organizing Program, African-Americans for Planned Parenthood, and Stand with Black Women),” he said.

“They even admit in writing: ‘The fact is — Black people are our base,’” Bomberger continued.

“Planned Parenthood poses as an ally in a community they ravage with abortion,” he said.

Motivated by faith in Christ

Bomberger is inspired by his faith, his family, and love for all people.

“My faith in Jesus fuels my activism,” he said. “My resilient and resourceful wife, Bethany, who is the co-founder of our organization, inspires me.”

“1 Corinthians 13:6 says: ‘Love does not delight in evil, but it rejoices in the truth,’” he said.

“Everything I do is motivated by love for Christ and love for people,” he said.

“Our four children, two of whom were adopted, are the reason why we fight for the most marginalized,” he said. “They’ve been involved in our ministry since they were toddlers.”

His organization publishes children’s books that teach “an age-appropriate pro-life worldview” for kids.

“Each book shares the truth that every human life, whether planned, unplanned, able, or disabled, has God-given purpose.”

“We’ve taught them that every human life has equal and inherent worth from God, not government,” he said. “It’s been a blessing to see them, over the years, be able to communicate God’s heart for the most vulnerable through our original content and to live audiences across the country.”

David Shellenberger, president and CEO of the Saint John Vianney Center, which helps those in ministry navigate stress, anxiety, addiction, vocational transitions, and other challenges, stressed in an interview the importance of caring for them.

When asked by anchor Veronica Dudo on “EWTN News Nightly” why it is so important for Catholics to talk openly about the mental health needs of clergy, Shellenberger emphasized the humanity of those called to ministry.

We need “to make sure that we are always aware of the stressors that come up in their lives. While they’re called to ministry, they are human first,” he said.

They are “just like all of us,” he continued, “[who] come preconditioned with certain situations that we may be predisposed to.”

Catholics must make “sure that spiritually, physically, and emotionally we are always caring for our clergy and religious,” he said. It is “essential because they are being challenged every single day to do more with less. And we as a laity can continue to support them with our time and our talent, and also, most importantly, our prayers.”

The Saint John Vianney Center, founded in 1946 in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, is the longest-running Catholic behavioral health and addictions treatment center for clergy and consecrated religious in the world. It also serves clergy from other religious denominations.

Shellenberger highlighted a milestone the center is observing in 2026: “This year we celebrate 80 years of ministry to the Church,” he said.

“Our approach begins from Christ’s healing presence and addresses the multi-dimensional nature of the healing process — the integration of spiritual, human, intellectual, and pastoral well-being,” the website reads.

The center offers residential and outpatient treatment, spiritual direction, mental health counseling and psychotherapy, vocational assessments, and consultation services that integrate Catholic spirituality with clinical excellence. It also offers education programs and wellness initiatives to religious orders and parishes, both online and in person.

The center also maintains outpatient services on the West Coast through a partnership with the Kairos Psychology Group in Oakland, California.

When asked about the role of bishops, parish staff, and parishioners in caring for the psychological and spiritual well-being of clergy, Shellenberger replied that first, we must acknowledge “that the stressors exist for all of our Church ministers.”

The next step is “being able to coordinate the supportive services that our clergy and religious need.”

“It’s not just top-down and it’s not just bottom-up. It’s both. And when we can care and cradle our clergy and religious in that way, they will be successful in providing us the ministry they were called to,” he said.

This year’s annual conference, held June 5–8 at Mundelein Seminary outside Chicago, included a new offering designed to address this issue directly. Attendees at the Society of Catholic Scientists conference could choose to arrive early for Science and Faith Speaker Training, a one-and-a-half-day workshop on June 4 and 5 to prepare Catholic scientists to speak on science and faith topics.

While many scientists throughout history didn’t even dream of a conflict existing between scientific reason and their Catholic faith, many attendees spoke of the persistent modern “myth” that the two are not mutually compatible. The numbers back up their observation of the myth’s prevalence: According to Pew Research, some 59% of Americans believe “that science often is in conflict with religion.”

The Society of Catholic Scientists exists largely to combat this myth, founded as it was in 2016 “to witness to the harmony of science and faith.” With some 1,500 members so far and about 250 new scientists and students joining each year, its mission is growing rapidly.

The Science and Faith Speaker Training workshop began with guidance on presentation techniques from mentors who have extensive experience speaking and writing about these topics, such as Stephen Barr, president of SCS and author of the book “Modern Physics, Ancient Faith,” which argues “that modern scientific discoveries and religious faith are deeply consonant.”

Then attendees shared their own sample presentations in small groups and received feedback from experienced mentors. The workshop was supported by a grant from the Templeton Religion Trust.

The idea for the workshop, the first in the society’s nine years of conferences, originated with Dan Kuebler, biology professor at Franciscan University, vice president of SCS, and author of the book “Darwin and Doctrine,” which offers “a fascinating exploration of the compatibility and mutual flourishing of science and religion.” When he proposed the idea, other members quickly saw its wisdom.

“Iʼm a theologian whoʼs been doing faith and science work for 21 years, and thereʼs nothing that replaces a Catholic scientist who is doing great work in their field and showing that they see the harmony between that work and their Catholic faith,” said Chris Baglow, theology professor and director of the Science and Religion Initiative at the University of Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life.

“The ‘conflict’ misconception is almost universal in our culture, so itʼs part of the mission of the society to represent the relationship between faith and science in the public square,” Baglow said.

As part of that mission, Baglow recently wrote a high-school theology textbook, “Faith, Science, and Reason,” which “unveils the history of science as something that grew out of, rather than in opposition to, the Catholic faith.”

When Kuebler first envisioned the workshop, he saw it as an explicit effort to prepare younger scientists to represent this message effectively.

“One of the things that we recognize is that we need more people out there speaking to high schools, parishes, and so forth about science and the Catholic Church to help dispel some of these myths,” Kuebler said. “We thought, ‘We have all these scientist members here who are interested in that — why donʼt we get some of the best speakers to come and help train them?’”

Sixteen scientists took part in the workshop, which included not only instruction from experienced speakers but also a chance to put those skills into immediate practice. Each attendee prepared his or her own “faith and science talk” and presented it to a small group of mentors, receiving feedback to improve.

“Many of the attendees have letters of invitation to go speak at Catholic seminaries or at Catholic high schools, and now they feel much more confident,” Kuebler said.

Indeed, workshop participants said it equipped them with confidence to speak on these topics.

“The workshop provided a supportive, expert group to receive feedback for developing my faith and science talk,” said Anna Lennon, a doctoral student in ecology and evolutionary biology at Indiana University. “We were able to engage in discussion that supported and encouraged us to go beyond our labs and classrooms into our local communities to encounter our Creator together.”

Nathaniel Cunningham, Fairchild distinguished professor of physics at Nebraska Wesleyan University, particularly appreciated the chance to practice his own presentation with mentor feedback.

“This was really useful for me to go from general ideas to a concrete science and faith talk,” he said. He also appreciated getting “helpful guidelines and guardrails for speaking on faith and science” in the training presentations from speakers with expertise in both science and theology.

“Personal growth in goodness, inner peace, and an understanding of truth emerged as some of the strongest motivations for exploring the Catholic faith,” said the report, titled “Why Are So Many People Becoming Catholic?”

About 85% of respondents said desire to grow closer to God was their primary reason for entering the Church and 77% listed “wanting to grow in goodness and virtue,” while 76% cited a desire for “a deeper understanding of truth” and 72% said they were looking for “a greater sense of inner peace.”

Led by the Archdiocese of Chicago, the survey conducted from Feb. 22 to May 31 included 2,127 responses from participants across 20 U.S. Catholic dioceses. The report did not list a margin of error.

About 68% of respondents named attraction to the Church’s sacred liturgy, prayer, ritual, and the sacraments as a significant factor in their conversion, while 65% said they were “attracted to the wisdom of a 2,000-year-old Church to help me navigate life.”

Fewer Catholics flirting to convert

Adult converts to the faith were less likely to cite dating or marrying a Catholic as a factor related to their conversion, researchers found.

“About 26% of catechumens and candidates for reception into full communion cited dating or marrying a Catholic as part of their journey to the Church,” the survey said. “By comparison, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), using data from Pew Research Center’s 2007 Religious Landscape Study (Conversion Recontact Survey), found that 72% of Catholic converts at the time said marriage was an important reason for becoming Catholic.”

For respondents who did cite dating or marrying a Catholic as a part of their journey to the Catholic Church, the gender composition varied based on generation. Among Gen Z respondents, women represented a majority at 63%, while men comprised 37%. For millennials, the distribution was balanced, according to the survey, while men “represented a clear majority” among Gen X and baby boomer respondents.

Other motives

A little more than half of respondents identified the desire to belong to a church community or being inspired by the positive example of Catholic family, friends, or other personal connections.

The Church’s stance on social issues and its position as a worldwide provider of charitable services were ranked lowest among participants.

Challenges and fears among respondents

OCIA participants listed a variety of obstacles to their conversion, ranging from personal fears and apprehension about Church teaching to difficulty navigating parish systems and fitting OCIA classes into their schedules, according to the survey.

“Many expressed anxiety about navigating the liturgy itself, often feeling unfamiliar with and intimidated by the rituals of Mass. Others feared not belonging in a parish, worrying they would feel like outsiders within an established community,” researchers said. “Finally, some held back due to doctrinal uncertainty, unsure whether they could fully embrace all Catholic teachings and fearful of committing to a journey they might ultimately feel unable to complete.” 

The study’s authors included Chicago archdiocesan employees Betsy Bohlen, chief operating officer; Pat Brown, strategy and research manager; and Tim Weiske, director of the department of parish vitality and mission.

The survey of 1,848 Catholics between May 26 and June 1, part of Pew’s broader American Trends Panel survey, found 78% of Catholics view Leo favorably. This is down from last summer when his favorability was at 84%, mostly due to lower favorability from Catholic Republicans.

Only 12% of Catholic Americans viewed the pope unfavorably, and 10% did not answer or did not know who Leo was.

The survey found Leo’s favorability at 84% among Democratic or Democratic-leaning Catholics, which is five points lower than last year. Only 5% of Democrats said they had an unfavorable view. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning Catholics, 72% had a favorable view, which is 12 points lower than last year. About 22% had an unfavorable view.

Leo’s favorability is highest among those who attend Mass weekly, at 85%, and lowest among those who seldom attend Mass, at 73%. It was 79% among those who attend monthly or yearly.

Leo and Trump

The survey found that a plurality of Catholics say Pope Leo has struck the right balance in his approach to the Trump administration, while smaller shares say he has been too critical or not critical enough. Views vary sharply by party.

Leo criticized some of Trump’s rhetoric about the Iran war and called for a peaceful resolution, and Trump called the pontiff “terrible on foreign policy.” The U.S. and Iran are close to a peace deal as of mid-June. On June 18, Trump shared an article on Truth Social about the Holy Father’s approval of the ongoing peace negotiations.

Among all Catholics, 51% say Trump has been too critical of Leo, 14% say Trump has struck the right balance in his criticisms, and 4% say he has not been critical enough of the pope. The remaining 31% were either unsure or did not answer.

The survey found that only 19% said Leo has been too critical of Trump, 35% said the pope struck the right balance, and 16% said he has not been critical enough of the president. Another 30% were unsure or did not answer.

It found that 70% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning Catholics say Trump has been too critical of Leo, and 3% said the pope has been too critical of the president. Alternatively, it found that 32% of Republican and Republican-leaning Catholics said Trump has been too critical of Leo, and 39% said the pope has been too critical of the president.

John White, a retired politics professor at The Catholic University of America, told EWTN News the poll results are not surprising, saying “itʼs very clear that Pope Leo has settled into his role — indeed, he was made for it.”

“Pope Leo XIV has bridged the divisions among Catholics with his wise, timely pronouncements — all of which are true to the Gospel,” White said. “He is a moral leader for this time.”

White said Trump’s decision to demean the pope in social media posts are not received well by Catholic Americans or Americans more broadly.

According to an April Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll of 2,560 American adults, about two-thirds of Americans viewed Leo’s calls for peace positively and a majority of Americans did not like Trump’s criticism of the pontiff.

Catholic bishops, higher education leaders, scholars, and superintendents gathered for the Front Royal Education Summit at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, at the end of May where they developed the statement together.

“We must reexamine the curriculum, pedagogy, and culture of our schools,” says the “Front Royal Statement” by Catholic educators, bishops, and practitioners.

The statement provides guidance for Catholic education, detailing “seven cardinal principles” for Catholic K-12 schools.

Several Catholic bishops signed the letter: Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska; Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco; Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane, Washington; Bishop Earl Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio; and Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois.

The statement’s 45 signatures include Society of G.K. Chesterton President Dale Ahlquist; Ethics and Public Policy Center President Ryan Anderson; President George Harne of Christendom College; and others involved in Catholic education.

Preventing Catholic schools from disappearing

Educators voiced concern for the “steady decline” of Catholic schools.

An average of 100 Catholic schools have closed per year for 60 years, according to the letter.

“Today, only 6,000 Catholic schools remain, serving fewer than 1.7 million students, despite significant growth in the overall Catholic population,” the statement said. “If this trend continues for another 60 years, parochial schools will largely disappear, and Catholic education will survive primarily in home schools and small co-ops.”

“Yet Catholic schools remain indispensable,” the statement continued. “Nowhere else do we have so many hours each week to form a sacramental imagination in young people, present salvation history comprehensively, and help them grasp the immensity of the incarnation and redemption of Jesus Christ.”

Catholic parish schools were originally founded en masse to preserve the faith of Catholic children in light of public schools “steeped in Protestant culture,” according to the statement.

“Today, we face a different but equally grave crisis: soaring rates of disaffiliation among young Catholics, driven by a culture of skepticism and materialism that undermines faith and the Church’s moral teachings,” the statement said.

“Declining enrollment, rising costs, a shortage of well-formed teachers and leaders, the reluctance of some pastors to maintain Catholic schools, and the inability of many families to afford a Catholic education, despite their desire for one, only make the crisis more acute,” the statement continued.

Education for human flourishing

Conley, known for his work in Catholic education, wrote the introduction for the seven principles, saying that they “articulate and condense this great tradition of Catholic educational philosophy and practice and attempt to capture the essence of the renewal of Catholic education now sweeping the Church in the United States.”

The seven principles are: the supernatural end of education; the nature and dignity of the human person; what children deserve, the rights of parents, and the duties of the state; the ecclesial responsibility of bishops and priests; the formation and responsibilities of teachers and leaders; the integrity and order of the curriculum; and the transmission of a living Catholic culture.

The principles are intended “to carry forward that rich tradition while addressing the urgent needs of Catholic primary and secondary schools today,” according to Conley.

“[T]he Church has continually reminded the world that education is ordered toward the full flourishing of the human being, culminating in the supernatural vision of God,” Conley wrote.

“We pray that these seven principles will provide a shared foundation to unify the various streams of educational renewal now underway in Catholic schools and to inspire a supernatural vision that guides the true integral formation of the whole child,” Conley said.