The combined parish of St. Mary in El Paso, Illinois — where Sheen was baptized — and St. John in Benson, Illinois, will be the first parish in the world to be named after the new blessed. While the buildings themselves will retain their original names, the new parish name will take effect on Dec. 9, Sheen’s feast day, Tylka said.

“This has been a remarkable week of firsts for the Diocese of Peoria and the universal Catholic Church,” Tylka said in a statement released later on Sept. 26. “We have celebrated Archbishop Fulton Sheen becoming the first American-born bishop to be declared Blessed. For the first time, we have heard his name invoked as a Blessed in the Eucharistic Prayer. For the first time, we have prayed the Collect given to the Church for his feast. And today, I have the great joy of announcing another first: the establishment of the first parish in the world named Blessed Fulton Sheen Parish.”

The Sept. 26 Mass — celebrated by Bishop John Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, who was baptized as a baby by Sheen — was one of many celebrated in thanksgiving for the beatification of Sheen, who was declared “blessed” on Sept. 24 in St. Louis.

“There is something profoundly fitting about this new parish carrying his name,” Tylka continued in the statement. “It was at St. Mary Church in El Paso that Fulton John Sheen was baptized. There, his life in Christ began. From those waters of Baptism flowed a remarkable life of faith, priesthood, preaching, teaching, missionary discipleship and evangelization that eventually touched millions of people around the world.”

A person must be proclaimed “blessed” by the Church before a parish can be named after him or her, Tylka explained to EWTN News’ Mark Irons on Saturday outside of St. Mary’s Church. Tylka said he signed the decree to name the parish after Sheen on Friday morning, less than 24 hours after Sheen’s beatification.

“It’s great,” Tylka said when asked by Irons what he thought about having the parish named after Sheen. “This is where he was baptized, this parish church — which will still be St. Mary’s Church, but it is St. Mary’s Church of Blessed Fulton Sheen Parish — to know that connection, that we’re continuing on that faith that God has given to us that he witnessed so well, just immense pride and certainly for the folks here … to be able to know that theirs is the first parish to ever honor the blessed.”

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Sheen, despite his humble origins in small-town Illinois, aspired to great things as an academic and as a communicator of the Catholic faith. On Thursday, before a crowd of more than 50,000 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, the farm-boy-turned-mass-media star was declared “blessed” after the reading of a decree signed by Pope Leo XIV, a fellow Midwesterner.

Via his decree, Pope Leo announced Blessed Sheen’s feast day will be on Dec. 9, the anniversary of his death. His feast day is expected to be on the calendar of the Catholic Church in the United States.

Sheen was born in Illinois in 1895 and ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in 1919. He later became an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of New York and then bishop of Rochester, New York.

His international fame was largely due to his ability to use the new forms of media of his time to proclaim the Catholic faith.

Through his television program “Life Is Worth Living,” broadcast during the 1950s, Sheen brought reflections on faith, morality, and the meaning of life into millions of homes, becoming one of the most recognizable Catholic figures on American television.

Mark Irons and Jonah McKeown contributed to this report.

This story was updated at 4:02 p.m. ET on Sept. 26, 2026, with the statement from the Diocese of Peoria/Bishop Tylka and comments to Mark Irons.

“We’re social beings, so we want to join communities … where we can be our authentic selves,” said Joseph McInerney, the Knights’ chief strategy adviser and senior vice president for leader development.

The symposium, sponsored in part by the Knights, was focused on problems faced by young American men in 2026. The symposium focused primarily on public policy solutions advanced by both Republicans and Democrats but also included talks unrelated to government, such as McInerney’s, which was about the role of fraternal community in helping strengthen men.

Other conference sponsors included the Institute for Family Studies, the National Parents Organization, and the Men’s Health Network.

Although the Knights are known for being popular with older, retired men, McInerney noted significant growth in recent years with young men on college campuses and those who recently entered the workforce. He pointed out that men who are under 35 are the organization’s fastest-growing membership segment, and there are now more than 300 active college Knights councils, with nearly half of those in the United States.

“The lifeblood of the Knights is young men,” McInerney said, adding that “it’s a place where they can … spend time with other men — their peers — and that, frankly, is very powerful.”

McInerney pitched fraternal communities as a means to combat male loneliness and isolation but also to build up men into leaders and “better themselves so they can be better husbands, fathers, … and members of their community.”

Warning against isolation, which McInerney said is amplified through the internet and media, he said: “We’re not made for that.” Rather, “we’re made for rich and beautiful relationships with the people that we love.”

Although the broader symposium was not primarily focused on matters of faith, McInerney said a major attraction of the Knights for young men is faith formation. He referenced in particular the Knights’ Cor program, which develops small groups for men focused on prayer, formation, and fraternity. The Knights also run the McGivney Fellowship, which is a two-year leadership formation program.

“They become good people,” McInerney said of the goals of the Knights’ programs. “They become people who are worthy of trust, and those are the type of people we want to lead us.”

Speaking to EWTN News after his talk, McInerney noted that the uniqueness of the Knights of Columbus is that it is a Catholic fraternal organization that is also focused on serving others through charity, which he sees as another attraction for young men.

“We want to help people spiritually, but we also have this mandate to serve,” he said. “Thatʼs why we exist, [it] is to help other people. And so, when you join the group, thatʼs kind of part of the package deal that we offer.”

“Itʼs natural if youʼre working on your spiritual life, you want to share the grace that youʼre receiving in your relationship with God,” McInerney said.

McInerney said Catholic men who wish to join can visit their website and get connected to a local council.

“Whatever councilʼs closest to you, weʼll get that person in contact,” he said. “And then whatʼs most important. … Entry might be online there, but whatʼs most important is then getting that man in touch with a man face-to-face.”

40 Days for Life is a pro-life group that leads prayer vigils outside abortion clinics across the U.S. and around the world. The group prioritizes prayer and fasting, nonstop prayer vigils, and community outreach. The group’s most well-known event is likely its Lenten vigil campaign, but 40 Days for Life operates year-round.

For the current campaign, the group will rally against abortion pills, according to Shawn Carney, president and CEO of 40 Days for Life.

“We are saving more babies from abortion pills than ever before by offering abortion pill reversal,” Carney told EWTN News. “We are also going on offense with a national billboard campaign that warns against the abortion pill and offers abortion pill reversal — including in some of the most pro-abortion cities in the country, like San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Boston.”

When asked about what inspires people to join 40 Days for Life, Carney highlighted how the group saves lives.

“There is very little you can do in life that will literally save the life of another human being,” he said. “There is nothing like it, and it is beautiful to see that it has been done nearly 27,000 times.”

“People get involved in 40 Days for Life because it is proven,” Carney continued. “It is proven to be peaceful. It is proven to deepen our spiritual lives. And it is proven to save babies.”

“We have not only saved babies, but helped their mothers with medical care and follow-up,” Carney said. “Former Planned Parenthood workers have said the no-show rate for an abortion appointment can go as high as 75% when we are outside praying.”

Local leaders can volunteer to help lead vigils in their communities.

“One of the most beautiful things about 40 Days for Life is how many babies are born and named after the local 40 Days for Life leader — and in some cases, that local leader becomes the child’s godfather or godmother,” Carney said.

“It is beautiful, and it is one of the reasons demand for 40 Days for Life is at an all-time high,” he said.

Man who poisoned pregnant girlfriend, killing baby, sentenced to six months

An Ohio man, Hassan-James Abbas, was sentenced to six months in prison after he allegedly forced abortion pills into his pregnant girlfriend’s mouth in December 2024.

Jona Affholder was hospitalized and ultimately lost her baby.

Pro-life leader Marjorie Dannenfelser spoke out against the short sentence, saying U.S. law is behind on abortion poisonings, in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“The fact that this guy got only six months in prison for his crime says a lot about the state of our culture right now,” Dannenfelser said. “This was a very much wanted pregnancy. She could support the baby on her own and didnʼt need his help. But he had other ideas in mind.”

Virginians on both sides of abortion ballot measure raise funds

Abortion advocates have raised over $2.8 million to advocate for an abortion amendment in the state constitution, while opponents of the referendum have raised more than $400,000.

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, so far Virginians for Reproductive Freedom, a group largely funded by Planned Parenthood organizations and the American Civil Liberties Union, has raised over $2.8 million to advocate for the amendment.

The proposed abortion amendment would establish a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including the ability to make and carry out decisions relating to one’s own prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management, and fertility care.”

The amendment, if passed, could jeopardize already-existing laws protecting unborn children as well as Virginia’s parental notification law. Virginia’s Catholic bishops have strongly opposed the amendment, as it could lead to unlimited abortion and would likely overturn parental involvement laws and cut safeguards for women.

Campaigns against the amendment include No Safeguards, No Deal and Protect Virginia 2026.

Tierra Walker, 37, died of preeclampsia in December 2024 after multiple hospitalizations due to her high-risk pregnancy. She suffered from high blood pressure, seizures, severe pain, and deep vein thrombosis. Two days before she died, doctors sent her home from the emergency room, saying she was “stable enough.”

Her family has since filed a lawsuit dated Sept. 15 against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, as well as Walker’s doctors, the Texas Medical Board, and the University of Texas health system, claiming that she was denied an abortion that could have saved her life and blaming Texas’ abortion law for her death.

“Tierra Walker is dead and those responsible must be held accountable,” the complaint begins. “At every turn, Texas’s political and medical establishments not only failed but actively harmed Ms. Walker.”

Texas law allows abortions to save the life of the mother; all pro-life states in the U.S. make this exception. Responding to claims that the pro-life law is to blame, pro-life leaders contend that the tragedy was caused by a failure of the medical system.

The head of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), Dr. Christina Francis, said that Walker likely would have survived if she had been given standard medical care — care that is already legal in Texas.

“My heart goes out to Ms. Walkerʼs family, and I hope that this devastating loss is a wake-up call to the medical community and our society to invest in better maternal health care,” Francis told EWTN News.

“The tragic death of Tierra Walker highlights significant problems in maternity care in the United States today, including poor healthcare coordination and insufficiently treating severe medical conditions,” Francis said. “As healthcare professionals, we take an oath to care for our patients, even when it requires extensive hospitalization and extended monitoring.”

“Her death was likely preventable and the result of inadequate medical care; it was certainly not the fault of Texas' abortion law,” Francis said.

Francis said that according to court records Walker “needed coordinated, standards-based medical care.”

“This wouldʼve included controlling her blood pressure more aggressively, diagnostic testing that appeared to be erroneously denied, and continued hospitalization until her condition stabilized,” Francis said.

“Preeclampsia at 20 weeks of pregnancy is, by definition, severe,” Francis said. “If Ms. Walker had been stabilized immediately and then delivered rather than being sent home, she would likely still be alive today. Texas law would have allowed this standard medical care.”

“Induced abortion is not a blanket solution,” Francis said. “Better healthcare is.”

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America spokeswoman Kelsey Pritchard cited failure of medical care and noted that the lawyer in charge of the case has strong pro-abortion-access ties.

“Tierra Walker’s death is tragic and it’s clear there was a failure on multiple levels to provide the high-risk pregnancy care she needed,” Pritchard said. “SBA Pro-Life America has strongly advocated Med Ed policies that make it clear no law anywhere in the country blocks doctors’ duty to act to save lives in pregnancy emergencies.”

“The career pro-abortion activist lawyer behind this lawsuit, who boasts about facilitating an out-of-state abortion on the very same day the Dobbs decision came out, and the inclusion of Senate candidate Ken Paxton give away that there is a political agenda separate from families’ understandable pain and anger,” Pritchard added.

“Attorneys general enforce the law, they don’t make it, but Ken Paxton has vigorously upheld state law protecting both unborn babies and women,” Pritchard said. “Activist lawyers seeking a test case as a pretense to attack the laws is nothing new, it’s how we got Roe v. Wade. That cynical strategy will not succeed in Texas.”

“Abortion activists would rather spread fear about pro-life laws than address complex disparities in care, and their misinformation has consequences that put real women in real danger,” Pritchard said.

Engstrom was the recipient of the miracle in 2010 for Sheen’s beatification. Minutes after being born, he was not breathing nor could emergency workers or hospital staff help him. He was dead for 61 minutes — and as doctors were about to record his time of death, James came to life. As the Church has officially proclaimed, through Sheen’s intercession, the baby began breathing and was healed of any abnormalities that could occur in a way medical science could not explain.

The mandible was chosen because of Sheen’s speaking prowess.

“Using the jawbone is very significant because of his ability to communicate the faith,” Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria, Illinois, Sheen’s home diocese, told the National Catholic Register, a sister publication of EWTN News.

“And, of course, his ability to proclaim the faith, to speak out, the faith to preach and to teach” was paramount for Sheen, Tylka, who concelebrated the beatification Mass, said.

“It’s pretty common for the one who was healed, if they’re available, to have some part to play,” Msgr. Jason Gray, the executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation in Peoria, Illinois, told the Register.

Part of preparing for a beatification or canonization is obtaining first-class relics of the new blessed or saint. Msgr. Gray explained how the Diocese of Peoria obtained these first-class relics that are always parts or fragments of the body.

Now-Blessed Fulton Sheen died on Dec. 9, 1979.

“The important thing is to know that he’s been buried for 47 years at this point, and the body does decompose,” Msgr. Gray noted. “In his case, we’re not dealing with an incorrupt body, so after 47 years, essentially, all the soft tissue had decomposed. When we did the actual canonical recognition, which is always done in a very respectful way and following the norms that are laid out by Rome, and we did open the casket, essentially, it was just bones. Pretty much everything else had disintegrated. We were able to take some bone that we could use for first-class relics.”

The diocese received permission from Rome to take something more sizable because Bishop Tylka wanted to make sure that there was a significant relic given to the Archdiocese of New York, where Sheen served as an auxiliary bishop from 1951 until 1966, and to the Diocese of Rochester, New York, where Sheen served from October 1966 to October 1969. “Both [Rochester] Bishop John Bonnici and [New York] Archbishop Ronald Hicks have been very happy to have that news,” Gray said.

Gray described those relics as the longest bones in the palm area of both right and left hands (the second metacarpal bone of the index finger).

“Those are going to be given to Rochester and New York,” he said. “They will have a significant relic.”

Tylka explained that they were “taking the relics from particularly his right hand because he was right-handed. It was always an iconic image of him writing, especially the ‘JMJ’ on the blackboard as part of his" “Life Is Worth Living” television program. It seems a significant opportunity to use bones from his right hand. That was such a familiar and iconic image of him that so many people knew.” 

“The reality is that although Fulton Sheen was a priest of the Diocese of Peoria, his episcopal ministry and much of his life centered around being in New York,” noted Tylka to the Register.

“And, of course, he was the diocesan bishop of Rochester. So it seems important to me that those two dioceses, in particular the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Rochester, each have a significant relic for their use and veneration in the diocese. And knowing that they’ve been supportive of our efforts to move the beatification forward and the cause of Fulton Sheen, I just thought it would be an important gesture that I, myself, as the bishop, would go and present those relics.”

Tylka will personally present the relics to Bishop Bonnici in Rochester next Tuesday and to Archbishop Hicks in New York next Thursday.

“Each of those dioceses are planning celebrations on those days,” he said. “They both have great devotion and support of the cause for Fulton Sheen, so they’ll be the first two dioceses to receive a relic, a substantial relic,” Tylka explained.

He elaborated on the particular choice of relics for these two dioceses. “Knowing that Fulton Sheen was so demonstrative in not only writing ‘JMJ,’ but often he would make his gesture pointing up to heaven, each of them will receive a bone from his hand. One gets the left and one gets the right.”

In addition to these bones, Msgr. Gray explained another longer bone was also taken to prepare small relics. Each will be in a theca (small round reliquary) in which a tiny chip of bone is placed with the inscription ex ossibus Beati Fultoni Sheen — from “the bones of Blessed Fulton Sheen.” None could be distributed until Sept. 24.

Gray clarified these relics are not for private collections but meant for public veneration. Requests from Catholic institutions such as a parish, seminary, religious house, convent or shrine must include a testimonial letter from a diocesan bishop.

“We need to know that this is a legitimate request from an institution that will respectfully preserve the relic and that it is meant to be made available for veneration by the faithful,” he said.

Second-class relics — an item the blessed or saint owned, wore or touched, such as a shirt or book or pieces of these — are available from the foundation, which has a number of Sheen’s vestments (ex indumentis, “from the clothing”). Such second-class relics can be given to private individuals.

“That’s perfectly fine,” Gray said. “We just ask people to make some sort of a donation because it takes us time to prepare these things — either a relic card, where we actually tape the fragment of vestment inside a holy card; or if people have contributed and been more generous, we’ve prepared an actual theca with a fragment of cloth in it from the vestments of Fulton Sheen.”

“We have an ample supply, so there’s no difficulty in honoring that,” he said. Because of the many requests the foundation receives, “we do ask people to be a little patient because we’re trying to fulfill them as best we can.” (People may make requests and include a donation by mail to the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, 419 NE Madison Ave., Peoria, IL, 61603, or via the website CelebrateSheen.com.)

There are also third-class relics — items like holy cards, religious medals and rosaries that have been touched to a first-class relic.

“Right now, the principal means of creating a third-class is by touching something to the tomb,” explained Msgr. Gray of the current resting place of Bishop Sheen’s mortal remains in a side chapel at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria. “The tomb itself is a first-class relic.” People touch their “rosaries and holy cards all the time when they come to Peoria and make a visit in front of the tomb.”

During the beatification at St. Louis’ The Dome at America’s Center, more than one first-class relic was available for the faithful to venerate.

Another major relic will also travel to Rome — and will be presented to Pope Leo XIV. “That is planned,” Tylka confirmed to the Register. “I’ve received confirmation that I will be given an audience to do so on Oct. 5.”

Because Leo grew up only about 168 miles from Peoria, he might have visited Bishop Sheen’s home diocese and cathedral church growing up.

“Quite possibly,” said Tylka. “He grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago, as I did. And certainly, as an Augustinian, we did have a parish where the Augustinians were serving for a part of some time. So it’s very likely that he probably could have come down for a visit.”

This article was first published by the National Catholic Register, an EWTN News sister publication, and has been adapted for EWTN News English.

“It is humbling to know that we stand in a moment of history that the Holy Spirit has chosen to be able to bring forth Monsignor Joseph Buh, not only for days past, but for the present moment, as we are experiencing once again a Catholic revival in the Diocese of Duluth,” Bishop Daniel Felton said at the opening of the Sept. 22 Mass for Buh’s cause for canonization.

Felton celebrated the Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Duluth. He was joined by a representative of the Slovenian government, a representative of the Catholic Church in Slovenia, representatives for local indigenous communities, and representatives of the Slovenian American community.

A person’s official cause for canonization typically begins at the local level, with the diocesan bishop launching the investigation. In June, Felton consulted with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which voted to support Felton’s inquiry into Buh’s cause.

Buh, who was born in 1833 and died in 1922, ministered to poor immigrants and indigenous people, including the Ojibwe, and helped establish more than 50 parishes in the area. If Buh were canonized, he would be the first saint from Minnesota.

“As Monsignor Buh is with us, he would be the first one to say, ‘this isn’t about me — it’s about the way that God chose me to bring the healing, to bring the hope, to bring the joy of Jesus to others,’” Felton said. “And so we too acknowledge tonight, it’s not about us. It’s all about Jesus.”

In his homily, Felton said there is no better description of Buh than “servant of God,” which now is his official title. He said, “that was his one desire, [it] was to be a servant of God.” He said Buh “wanted to be a disciple of Christ, just growing closer to Jesus in all ways.”

Felton referenced the Gospel reading of the Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and “would carry them to the place that the Holy Spirit desired for them.” He said in the early 1900s, “that same Spirit was hovering over the Diocese of Duluth in a great moment of revival.”

The bishop noted that Buh, when ministering to the indigenous communities and others, would always live with that community and learn the language, “and it was only when he knew that language, the language of the people, that ultimately he would know their hurts and their pains, he would know how they were filled with despair, he would know their tribulations in life.”

“And only when he actually knew that in his heart and he could speak that language of the people, only then secondly, did he always begin to talk about Jesus, to put Jesus on center stage, to say Jesus is healing to your hurts, Jesus is hope to your despair, Jesus is joy to your tribulations,” Felton said.

Now that Buh is a servant of God, the diocese will perform an inquiry into his life and submit its findings to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, which will determine whether to move forward with his cause.

A report published by Institute for Family Studies on Sept. 25 found that churchgoing Catholic couples are happier than other couples. In fact, happiness more than doubled among spouses who attend church compared with their peers.

Among the report’s most notable findings is that despite cultural challenges to faith and a decline in marriage, people who attend church consistently report higher levels of happiness and their marriages are strong.

The report drew on data from the General Social Survey (GSS), CARA data, YouGov, Pew Research, and other sources.

Report co-author Brad Wilcox, senior fellow and director of the Get Married Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies, noted that “churchgoing Catholics and Protestants marry more, have more children, and divorce less than their secular peers.”

“The good news in the report is that the happiest and most sexually satisfied husbands and wives are churchgoing Catholics,” Wilcox told EWTN News. “For instance, 79% of churchgoing Catholics and 74% of churchgoing Protestants are very happily married, compared to 66% of nonreligious husbands and wives.”

“Among churchgoers, 55% of Catholics and 45% of Protestants report being satisfied with their sex lives. (i.e., rating one’s sex life as “excellent” or “very good”), compared to just 45% of nominal Catholics, 35% of nominal Protestants, and 40% of Nones,” Wilcox said.

Also, churchgoers are 39% more likely to be married than their peers, the report found.

“Men and women tethered to the institutions of faith and marriage are more than twice as likely to be very happy today compared to their peers who are not,” read the report, authored by Wilcox along with Grant Bailey, Richard Dell’Isola, and Jane Lankes Smith.

“There’s a ‘faith-family paradox’ where the role of faith, marriage, and family life has shrunk since the 1970s (with Catholic weddings falling by 74% since 1970 to the present),” Wilcox said. “But the believers who remain are more likely to enjoy strong, stable families.”

Belief in the teachings of the Church makes a difference in marital happiness, the study found.

“Couples who embrace classic Catholic teachings about marital permanence and openness to life are most likely to be happily married and sexually satisfied,” Wilcox continued.

The report found that churchgoing couples have "significantly more sex, and more sexual satisfaction, than their secular peers,” the report read.

“Catholics and Protestants who believe marriage is a permanent commitment are more likely to be sexually satisfied than their counterparts who do not hold this view (60% versus 46% for Catholics, with a smaller 43% versus 40% difference among Protestants),” Wilcox said.

Given what the data showed, the authors of the report called for greater attention to faith and family.

“Strengthening faith and family is therefore not a matter of nostalgia but of necessity: it could mean the difference between a society that sustains the foundations of personal and social well-being and one that leaves its people to drift alone and unhappy,” the report read.

But the report also shed light on problems in churchgoing couples and families, like pornography consumption and lack of community support for big families.

“It’s not all good news,” Wilcox said. “Men who are struggling with pornography are more likely to get into trouble in their marriages.”

Churchgoing husbands still view porn at similar rates to their secular counterparts (a quarter of religious husbands compared with one-third of nonreligious husbands).

In addition, a significant minority of Catholic spouses “worry their marriage may not last.”

Catholic parents of families of three or more children reported lower happiness in their marriage. The report cited a lack of community support as a major reason.

“Catholic parents of large families (three or more children) report lower marital happiness, in part, we think, because they don’t get enough support from their local church communities,” Wilcox said. “Unfortunately, only 46% of churchgoing Catholic parents report receiving even ‘some help’ from their church community.”

The report, which was commissioned by the Catholic group FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), also compared the data with a group of 1,219 respondents who were FOCUS alumni. This group was more likely to get married and to be happily married than other Catholic couples, while also less likely to be sexually satisfied than other Catholic couples.

The authors recommend in the report an active faith life, intentional marital discernment, family support at the parish level, and marriage formation for adolescents and young adults.

“In an age marked by unprecedented digital distraction and loneliness, the value of faith and family is powerful and may well be growing,” the report concluded.

Catholic business leaders “can’t just check a box” when it comes to faith, Pierre LeCocq told attendees on Sept. 17 after the event’s opening Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. “You’re in charge of a community of persons. Every decision you make has to be done with that in mind. You’re not here to check a box … you’re here to love.”

In his remarks, LeCocq, past president of UNIAPAC, the International Christian Union of Business Executives, along with other conference speakers, often cited Mensuram Bonam: Faith-Based Measures for Catholic Investors — A Starting Point and Call to Action, a 2022 document from the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

While not a binding magisterial text, the document offers faith-based guidelines for finance and investment drawn from Catholic social teaching.

Conference founder and chairman, Roger Aguinaldo, a Wall Street veteran, said in his opening address that “most Catholic institutions inherited their investment processes from the broader market, which was never built with Catholic social teaching in mind. Your consultantʼs model portfolio doesn’t know what Mensuram Bonam (“A Good Measure”) is. Your benchmark doesn’t scream for human dignity.”

He told EWTN News he organized the summit after a “reversion” to the Catholic faith several years ago, saying he believes “Jesus wants me to dedicate the last third of my career to helping Catholics align institutional dollars with the Catholic faith and create real social impact … not the ESG screens [environmental, social, governance] Wall Street pushed on us. That was virtue signaling. We have 2,000 years of Church teaching to guide us.”

Aguinaldo, who is a former member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Advisory Council, said Catholics do not have to sacrifice returns when they invest in alignment with their faith and values.

“Without a deliberate act of will,” however, he said “a portfolio drifts toward whatever the market calls responsible, which is not the same thing as what the Church calls faithful.”

Exclusion, engagement, impact

Several speakers discussed the three-part investment process of exclusion, engagement, and impact.

Exclusion, or negative screening, means ruling out companies whose products or practices contradict human dignity, such as abortion drugs and contraceptives, pornography, and gambling, among others.

Engagement means using ownership: writing to management, voting proxies, and filing shareholder proposals under Securities and Exchange Commission rules so a resolution can appear on a company’s proxy ballot.

Aguinaldo said Catholic investors need not “just throw away oil stocks. You can engage with the companies as a stockholder,” asking them to bring practices into line with Catholic principles.

Father Séamus Finn, who served on the working group that produced Mensuram Bonam with Cardinal Peter Turkson, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, told attendees that stockholders can file proposals under SEC rules and use their ownership to press for change.

Engagement sometimes changes policy. When it does not, investors may sell the stock, thus creating impact. Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster, executive vice president of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, described that sequence from her work.

She said many of the group’s members, including non-Christians, have welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which focuses on human dignity as economies are reshaped by rapidly advancing technologies like artificial intelligence. That concern also ran through a summit session on new financial infrastructure.

Eddie Cullen, who with Karl Kilb cofounded a digital assets firm that has issued a stablecoin called Catholic USD, told attendees that AI automation of finance “is coming like a freight train” and Catholic financial professionals should be prepared.

The question, as he framed it, was not whether the rails get built but who writes the rules. Cullen said Catholics must get out in front of emerging technologies.

Blockchain, Cullen said, can make transactions faster and more transparent and “will empower the poor” who have been shut out of ordinary banking — an impact play that speakers contrasted with the ESG screens they called insufficient.

Financial consultant Carolyn LaRocco, who works largely with women religious, discussed the challenges of bringing financial products aligned with Catholic social teaching to investors, who might fear making less money with such investments.

“You can make money and do good at the same time,” LaRocco said. “You can keep up with the indexes, but you have to push your financial adviser or consultant, to prove Catholic products do not yield worse returns.”

She said a problem with her industry is "we want it to scale. We love capitalism; we want to make a lot of money, but it takes time.”

In the long run, “how much money do we need?” she went on to ask. “Are we just trying to make money, or are we trying to do good?”

LaRocco said Catholics should challenge themselves and “drive their whole portfolios to mission.”

James Good, the chief investment officer at an investment advisory firm, told EWTN News he was “impressed to see a remarkably diverse group of financial professionals converge with a unified mission” centered on aligning faith and financial management, saying “this demonstrates that Catholic values can influence our world for good … while also fulfilling fiduciary and stewardship responsibility.”

Blessed Fulton Sheen’s feast day will be Dec. 9, the anniversary of his death. That date also marks the first apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego in 1531.

Via his decree, Pope Leo announced Blessed Sheen’s feast day will be on Dec. 9, the anniversary of his death. His feast day is expected to be on the calendar of the Catholic Church in the United States.

Cardinal Luis Tagle, the pope’s representative and the principal celebrant of the beatification Mass, reflected on the meaning of “blessed” during his homily — noting that throughout history many who shared the Christian faith suffered persecution, yet their lives were still marked by joy. It is Sheen’s deep, humble relationship with Jesus Christ and his radical solidarity with the poor and vulnerable that characterized his life as a missionary, one that all Catholics should emulate, Tagle said.

Despite his massive worldly popularity and the fact that he personally accompanied countless converts in their journey to become Catholic, Tagle noted that Sheen did not “claim” the converts as his own but rather described himself as a mere “porter” who led people to the “open door of the house of God.”

“It is for being a zealous and creative evangelizer, an advocate for mission that Fulton Sheen is called ‘blessed’ or ‘fortunate’ or ‘happy’… Blessed is the Evangelizer, converted by beholding and touching the wounds of the risen Christ in wounded brothers and sisters, blessed is the missionary who digs deep into the heart of the poor to meet Jesus there. Blessed Fulton J. Sheen!” Tagle proclaimed.

Jam-packed crowds of Catholics of all ages — from the elderly who were around when Sheen’s shows first aired, to numerous families with small children — had descended on the stadium for the Mass, which began with a lengthy procession of some 1,000 priests, 89 bishops, and hundreds of seminarians and deacons.

The actual moment when Sheen became “blessed” happened early in the proceedings, following the proclamation of a decree signed by Pope Leo XIV. As is customary at beatifications, the decree was read first in Latin by Tagle, the pope’s representative and the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, and afterward in the vernacular — in this case English — by Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria, Illinois, in whose diocese Sheen was born.

Immediately following the reading, a portrait of Blessed Sheen was revealed showing him with a halo, to thunderous applause. The same portrait was simultaneously unveiled at his tomb at the Cathedral St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria.

Earlier in the day, Monsignor Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, announced that six purported miracles are attributed to the intercession of Sheen as part of the process that could lead to his canonization. Any purported miracle attributed to Sheen’s intercession that has taken place since Pope Francis announced his beatification in July 2019 can count toward his eventual canonization, which typically requires a second miracle to move forward.

James Fulton Engstrom, recipient of the confirmed miracle that cleared the way for Sheen’s beatification, survived in spite of having spent 61 minutes without a heartbeat. The healthy 16-year-old presented several of Sheen’s relics during the beatification Mass today.

Catholics from all over the world hailed Sheen’s example as a highly creative and effective missionary, who used every means available to him to share the love of Christ.

Father Solomon Patrick Zaku, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Nigeria, flew to the U.S. for his first-ever visit to the country to attend the beatification of Sheen, who previously served as the Pontifical Mission Societies’ national director for the U.S.

“While I was in the seminary, I read about his book and about his life, and I was somewhat touched by his life. One of the things I have learned from him is the Holy Hour, spending an hour daily, and that has been part of my daily routine, which has been my source of inspiration,” Zaku said. “As the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Nigeria, [we] promote the Mission Rosary, which Archbishop Fulton Sheen introduced … I pray it daily.”

Two parents, two Catholic parishes, and the Archdiocese of Denver are suing the Colorado Department of Early Childhood and the state’s Universal Preschool Program. The USCCB’s amicus brief argues Catholic schools should be allowed to participate without compromising their faith.

Although Colorado permits secular and faith-based schools to participate in the program, schools are prohibited from discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in the admissions process. The schools argue that this prevents them from only admitting children if their parents agree with Church teachings on those issues.

The USCCB’s amicus brief said the case was the latest example of states and cities using nondiscrimination rules to quietly pressure or sideline certain religious beliefs.

“If this trend continues, it will impair the ability of Catholic organizations and other faith-based service providers to partner with state and local governments to serve the public,” it adds. “The resulting harm to the nation’s social support infrastructure would be immense.”

The bishops urged the court to rule in favor of the Catholic schools and provide “clear instruction to courts across the country that religious organizations cannot be barred from participation in public life merely because they live out their sincerely held religious beliefs.”

“[This] will ensure that these organizations can continue providing vital, irreplaceable services in partnership with the states while freely exercising their faith,” the court filing adds.

Benedictine College gets candidate status for medical school

Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, announced that its proposed School of Osteopathic Medicine received candidate status by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.

“Achieving Candidate Status is a significant milestone for Benedictine College. It reflects the dedication and hard work of many people who have helped bring this vision forward,” Dr. Marla Golden, the founding dean, said in a statement. “Our attention now turns to the next major step of achieving Pre-Accreditation Status.”

According to a news release, receiving candidate status allows the college to move forward toward the process of being accredited.

Study shows economic impact of Franciscan University

A study by the analytics company Lightcast found that Franciscan University of Steubenville generates $81.2 million in its annual economic impact and supports 1,146 jobs in the Ohio Valley.

According to a news release from the university, Franciscan’s economic impact was equal to about 1.6% of the Ohio Valley’s gross regional product. It found the university and its students supported 1 in every 45 regional jobs.

“Franciscan University’s first mission is to form men and women in Christ and prepare them to serve God and others through their families, professions, and communities,” Father Dave Pivonka, university president, said in a statement.

“This study gives us a remarkable glimpse at another dimension of that mission,” he said. Franciscan is also an economic anchor for the Ohio Valley — providing jobs, supporting businesses, bringing students and visitors to the region, and sending graduates into the world prepared to contribute and serve.”

New Catholic head of Intercollegiate Studies Institute

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) — founded by William F. Buckley and Frank Chodorov to support conservative college students — named Christopher Fisher, who has a background in Catholic education, as its new president.

Fisher serves as superintendent of Catholic schools at the Archdiocese of San Francisco and previously worked as the executive director of the Portsmouth Institute for Faith and Culture at Portsmouth Abbey, a Catholic monastery and boarding school.

“Chrisʼs deep commitment to the enduring ideas of the Western tradition, his record of institutional leadership, and his passion for forming the next generation of thoughtful, engaged citizens make him exceptionally well-suited to lead ISI into its next chapter,” read an ISI post on X.

In a post on X, Fisher said he is “honored and humbled to be chosen as the next President of ISI, and am deeply grateful to the Board for the opportunity to lead an institution that shaped my own education and vocation.”

Tennessee school district adds Ten Commandments in schools

The Hamilton County School Board in Tennessee voted 6-4 to require all public schools in the county to display the Ten Commandments, joining at least five other counties that have adopted similar rules.

These mandates come less than three months after a state law became effective, which expressly allows public schools and charter schools to display the Ten Commandments alongside the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Father David Sanchez resigned as pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and School in St. Matthews, Kentucky, after a civil lawsuit filed last week accused him of dismissing janitor Gladis Garcia Gomez’s claim that she was sexually assaulted by her supervisor, former facilities manager Cesar Barahona.

Archbishop Shelton Fabre accepted Sanchez’s resignation and the priest has been placed on administrative leave, according to a letter the archbishop wrote to the parish Sept. 23. He wrote that Sanchez “does not want to be the source of further unrest in the parish” and remains a priest in good standing.

Father John Schwartzlose, the parish’s associate pastor, has been named temporary administrator. Fabre said he plans to appoint a new pastor in July 2027.

The lawsuit, filed Sept. 17 in Jefferson County, names the Archdiocese of Louisville, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and School, Sanchez, and Barahona. In it, Garcia Gomez says she was hired as a janitor in April 2025 and that Barahona sexually harassed and assaulted her at work over subsequent months. According to the lawsuit, he regularly forced her into the boiler and maintenance room, where he would rape and sodomize her.

Gladis Garcia Gomez v. Archdiocese of Louisville, et al.

She alleges in the lawsuit that when she reported the attacks and sexual abuse to Sanchez in June 2025, he told her he was a close friend of Barahona, did not believe her, and warned her against speaking further. She claims she met with the archdiocese’s human resources department in October 2025, which told her to file a police report, which she did that same month.

Her attorney, John Spalding, said in a statement shared with EWTN News: “It is deeply regrettable that this case exists at all. No person should have to wonder whether a report of sexual violence will be taken seriously and promptly investigated and acted upon. Justice for victims requires more than policies. It requires truth, accountability, and the courage to protect people rather than institutions.”

A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Louisville told EWTN News it does not comment on pending litigation.

Gray made the announcement at a press conference with Bonnie Engstrom, whose newborn child was miraculously healed after she prayed for Sheen’s assistance. That confirmed miracle led to Sheen’s beatification.

Any purported miracle attributed to Sheen’s intercession that has taken place since Pope Francis announced his beatification in July 2019 can count toward his eventual canonization, which typically requires a second miracle to move forward.

Gray said efforts were underway to gather documentation.

“There’s a potential healing from Stage 4 cancer that resolved itself instantaneously. That one sounds pretty good,” Gray said. “There’s another one of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy of a newborn child. I have no idea what that is but it sounds really bad. So we have a couple different candidates, one for healing a cancer, and healing of another child. And that’s why it’s premature to say anything more than that. We’ll investigate and leave it in the hands of the Holy See.”

James Fulton Engstrom, in what medical experts characterize as a miracle, survived in spite of having spent 61 minutes without a heartbeat. The healthy 16-year-old will present several of Sheen’s relics during the beatification Mass today.

When asked why she chose to call upon Sheen specifically in such a dire moment, Engstrom noted that Sheen had been a favorite of their family for years — a “local boy” with a down-to-earth Midwestern air, a “warm character” who reminded Engstrom of her own grandfather and great-grandfather.

In an on-air interview with EWTN on Thursday, his mother said she and her husband, Travis, were impressed with how thorough the Vatican’s investigation into the miracle was.

“Travis and I felt very reassured that, wow, when the Catholic Church says something is a miracle, it is a miracle,” Engstrom said during the press conference.

The Mass, which can be viewed live on EWTN with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET,  will be celebrated by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pope Leo XIV’s representative.

The Sept. 24 Mass will be “a foretaste of heaven,” she predicted, “where we are all going to be worshipping God together and celebrating the Church as a whole, and the power of the body of Christ and every good grace that God has given us. I am so looking forward to it,” Engstrom said at a Thursday morning press conference.

Engstrom spoke to the media along with Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, and Monsignor Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation in Peoria. Gray said it is a relief, after years of technical investigations and paperwork, to see their work finally come to fruition and be able to join in the celebration of Sheen with the faithful.

That said, Gray admitted he has been surprised during the process at how much attention Sheen has attracted, particularly among young people.

“One question that came up early on [was]: Whoʼs going to care? All the people who knew him when his program was on are very old. But weʼve discovered young people are inspired by Sheen, because heʼs a voice of integrity that inspires people who did not know him in life, that have discovered him in the years since,” Gray said. “So itʼs just exciting to see how much enthusiasm there is,”

Tylka agreed, highlighting the fact that Sheen pioneered “new media” in his day — attracting wide attention, including from non-Catholics — serving as an inspiration to those looking to do the same in 2026. He also showed how to bridge divisions in the Church and in the world because he “always spoke with the truth of the Gospel, with charity and with clarity.”

“Sheenʼs message is timeless because he spoke the truth and he spoke the truth with clarity and charity. I think a lot of people in the world, especially young people, are searching for purpose and meaning and to have a voice that so convicted, he presents the truth of our faith, our belief in Jesus Christ, the truth that God loves us and that life is worth living. I think thatʼs very appealing,” Tylka said.

‘Local boy’

The beatification Mass Thursday afternoon will include 89 bishops, about 1,000 priests, about 850 each of seminarians and religious, and 250 deacons, along with about 50,000 total attendees, Gray said. The Mass, which can be viewed live on EWTN with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET, will be celebrated by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pope Leo XIV’s representative.

James Fulton Engstrom, the third of Bonnie and Travis’ eight children and the recipient of the confirmed miracle that led to Sheen’s beatification, will play a part in the Mass by presenting several relics of Sheen onstage. Gray and Tylka both displayed two of the relics during the press conference: one of Sheen’s zuchettos — the reddish-purple skullcap worn by archbishops — and Sheen’s pectoral cross.

James Fulton, who was born in 2010, spent 61 minutes without a heartbeat while his mother prayed fervently to Sheen to help her child — whom she and her husband had already named after the famous archbishop. Almost exactly 16 years later, James is a happy and healthy teenager. The fact that James’ healing was a miracle was attested to unanimously by the medical experts, cardinals and others at the Vatican tasked with investigating it. In a later on-air interview with EWTN on Thursday, his mother said she sees a connection between Sheen’s devotion to spending an hour before the Blessed Sacrament every day and the 61 minutes her son lie lifeless.

“As a laywoman, I was so impressed with how thorough the investigation was. And Travis and I felt very reassured that, wow, when the Catholic Church says something is a miracle, it is a miracle,” Engstrom commented during the press conference.

When asked why she chose to call upon Sheen specifically in such a dire moment, Engstrom noted that Sheen had been a favorite of their family for years — a “local boy” with a down-to-earth Midwestern air, a “warm character” who reminded Engstrom of her own grandfather and great-grandfather. In that context, calling on Sheen during the worst hour of her and her husband’s life made complete sense, she said.

Despite his highly unusual birth story, James himself is an ordinary kid, a “punk teenage boy,” Engstrom joked, who didn’t ask to be thrust into the spotlight. Nevertheless, he is also a “delightful young man” who is excited — albeit a little nervous — to play a part in the beatification Mass for the intercessor who helped save his life, Engstrom continued.

“For all of our children, weʼve put all of our kids under the patronage of a saint and have really built a culture where we are celebrating feast days. We are calling on their intercession. I want all of my kids to feel like they have a squad that surrounds them, that is following them through life, praying for them, interceding, cheering them on,” she said.

Gray noted that because the late Pope Francis originally announced Sheen’s beatification in July 2019, any purported miracle attributed to his intercession that has taken place since then can count toward his eventual canonization, which typically requires a second miracle to move forward. Gray said the Vatican is considering six different potential miracles involving Sheen’s intercession, including an alleged instantaneous healing from cancer and a healing of another newborn from a condition similar to James’. Pope Leo, a native of Illinois like Sheen, is well aware of the archbishop’s cause, Tylka added.

Both Tylka and Gray said they have no doubt that Sheen will one day be canonized.

“Americaʼs bishop, as Sheen was known, is being beatified during the 250th anniversary of our nation,” Tylka said. “And we have a pope from Chicago, a native son of Illinois, who gave the green light for this to move forward. So I think all of those things say itʼs pretty opportune … I hope that the time between now and actual canonization wonʼt be that long.”

More than 1,000 people gathered for the service, as the cathedral’s schola sang the psalms and canticles and Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski of the Archdiocese of St. Louis presided. Bishop Robert Barron of Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, preached.

Barron began by recalling Sheen’s extraordinary influence as a preacher and communicator, including the millions who watched his television programs at the height of his career.

But Barron said he wanted to focus on a different question: What made Sheen “blessed, a saintly man of God”?

His answer, according to Barron, was friendship with Jesus Christ.

From the beginning of his own work in evangelization, Barron said, Sheen had been his “motto and inspiration.” Sheen repeatedly insisted that Christianity was not an abstract philosophy or simply a set of moral convictions but a relationship with a living person — Jesus Christ, who told his apostles that he no longer called them servants but friends.

Barron found a window into that friendship in Sheen’s autobiography, “Treasure in Clay,” particularly in Sheen’s reflection on the prophet Isaiah’s encounter with God.

The passage offered a template for the spiritual journey, Barron said. It begins with an encounter with the holiness of God, moves through a recognition of one’s own unworthiness and ends with a willingness to be sent on mission.

The first movement, he said, is grace.

“Sheen’s life was marked through and through by signs of unmerited divine love,” Barron said. That grace was closely connected to Sheen’s devotion to Mary, whom Scripture describes as “full of grace.”

“Mary, as it were, haunts the spiritual life of Fulton Sheen,” Barron said.

He traced that devotion from Sheen’s baptism at St. Mary Church in El Paso, Illinois, through his priestly ordination in the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, his devotion to the rosary, and his more than 30 journeys to Lourdes. Sheen went there, Barron recalled, to visit “the woman I love.”

For Sheen, Mary was the supreme example of a human being receiving the unmerited love of God.

That understanding of love for God also shaped Sheen’s approach to the Eucharist. Barron pointed to Sheen’s lifelong commitment to the Holy Hour, when he would spend an uninterrupted hour each day in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

Sheen saw the Holy Hour not as a task to be accomplished but as time spent in the presence of Christ. “Looking at the Eucharistic Lord for an hour transforms the heart in a mysterious way,” he wrote.

Barron also recalled Sheen’s image of the person who faithfully sits before the tabernacle as “like a dog at the master’s door ready to see” where the master will send him.

That preparation would lead Sheen to radio and television, where he saw new opportunities to bring the Gospel to a much wider audience. His academic formation, Barron noted, was always directed toward that apostolic purpose. Sheen wanted to bring the Catholic intellectual tradition to bear on the questions of his time while communicating it in ways ordinary people could understand.

He repeatedly heard, Barron said, Christ’s command to “go out into the deep.”

Sheen answered that call through decades of preaching, writing, broadcasting, and missionary travel. Yet “Treasure in Clay” also reveals the fragility of the person carrying that treasure.

Sheen openly acknowledged his weaknesses, including his enjoyment of titles, prestige, and popularity. “I was popular,” Sheen wrote. “I was sought after, I was a friend of both royalty and the masses.” Then came the question: “How close was I to the cross?”

For Barron, that honesty was part of Sheen’s holiness. The closer a person comes to the holiness of God, he said, the more clearly that person sees his own need for forgiveness and healing.

“God is holy. I am not. Woe is me,” Barron quoted Sheen as saying.

Sheen’s sufferings, including those that came from within and outside the Church, became part of that purification. As Sheen put it, “Since I would not take up the cross, the Lord would lay it on my back.”

Through that process, Barron said, Sheen became more deeply conformed to Christ and more ready to be sent. Those themes were reflected in the way people at the cathedral spoke about Sheen and his continuing influence.

Sister of Life Maria Augustine, who traveled from New York with other members of her community, called Sheen “a great teacher and a great evangelist.”

“We look to him for his inspiration and his intercession as we go out into the world,” she said, “to proclaim the good news of human life and love.”

For Cardinal Raymond Burke, Sheen’s example has particular significance for the priesthood. Burke said Sheen inspired his own priestly vocation, and he continues to read Sheen today to deepen his “knowledge and love of the holy priesthood.”

Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, pointed to Sheen’s deep Eucharistic devotion as the source of his evangelizing work.

“To me, Fulton Sheen is a man who was so deeply in love with Jesus in the Eucharist, that he just let that shine out in everything that he does,” Cozzens told EWTN News. “And that’s what I try to do too.”

Barron returned at the end of his homily to the Church’s continuing work of evangelization. The beatification, he said, does not make Sheen any greater; rather, it brings him “in a powerful way before the attention of the world.”

Those seeking “fresh language” to bring the Gospel to modern culture, Barron said, are indebted to Sheen. So are those who preach the “ancient faith with a heart on fire” and those willing to use the communications technologies available to them.

For them, Barron said, Sheen is “a powerful heavenly friend and intercessor.”

EWTN will provide live coverage of the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Sept. 24, with broadcast coverage beginning at 10 a.m. ET with a “Beatification Pre-Show” from The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, followed by the “Mass of Beatification” at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live updates will also be available through the EWTN News live blog.

Ashley Feasley of The Catholic University of America’s Immigration Law and Policy Initiative outlined her preliminary findings in a report about how expanded U.S. immigration enforcement is affecting faith‑based service providers and immigrant communities.

The report is a partnership among CUA’s law school, the Immigration Law and Policy Initiative, and the National Catholic School of Social Services.

Feasley spoke during a Sept. 23 National Migration Week webinar hosted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops with Bishop Brendan Cahill of Joliet, Illinois; Jenny Cachaya of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network; and Haydee Diaz of Catholic Relief Services Honduras.

Cachaya said more than 145,000 U.S.-citizen children have had a parent booked into immigration detention since January 2025.

That estimate predates the most recent increase in immigration enforcement activity, Feasley said. According to U.S. Census data, 18.4 million children in the United States live with at least one immigrant parent, highlighting the broad reach of immigration policies on families and communities.

“What we saw was children who were triply hit by the loss of a family member, the loss of financial security, and the precarity and the loss of their daily routine,” Feasley said.

Researchers surveyed 49 Catholic, Jewish, and Lutheran organizations across the United States. Participants reported on immigration enforcement, including apprehensions and enforcement activities that had occurred since January 2025. Eighteen organizations reported enforcement activity at or near schools, child-care facilities, or related services.

The study showed expanded immigration enforcement is producing what it characterized as widespread fear and behavioral changes in immigrant communities, with children and mixed-status families experiencing the most severe effects.

• Eighty-two percent of surveyed organizations reported that enforcement actions, fear of enforcement, or perceptions of enforcement caused clients, community members, or even staff to change their daily activities or help-seeking behavior.
• Ninety-eight percent of respondents said their clients expressed fear of deportation, detention, or family separation.
• Twenty-eight organizations (58%) reported serving clients or immediate family members who had been apprehended by immigration authorities since January 2025.

Researchers said they plan to issue a formal report with recommendations for policymakers and service organizations. They also said they would identify effective practices that help communities respond to enforcement pressures.

What Catholics can do

Cahill, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration, said Catholics should continue to collaborate, share messages, and “change culture. And it takes time, but we’re changing culture, seeing the humanity of the immigrant, responding to a culture that dehumanized other people.”

Helping can be as simple as accompanying and supporting neighbors in need, as parishioners are often the right messenger to each other, Cachaya said.

Cachaya said: “Donʼt underestimate the importance of accompaniment. You donʼt have to be an immigration lawyer. You donʼt have to be a social worker. You just have to be willing to step in and support your neighbors.”

Allan Smith, founder and director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Mission Society of Canada, published the book “America’s Apostle” on Sept. 15, just ahead of the archbishop’s beatification on Sept. 24.

“I think … the title is a perfect one — ‘Americaʼs Apostle,’ because he really was an apostle to the American people in the great tradition of apostles,” Vice President and Editorial Director of EWTN News Matthew Bunson told “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Veronica Dudo on Sept. 22.

The book was published through EWTN Publishing and Sophia Institute Press.

“[Sheen] was a brilliant communicator; he had immense gifts on television, radio, as a writer, as a poet,” Bunson said. “But all of that was geared toward proclaiming Jesus Christ in exactly the same way that a good apostle should.”

Sheen began his media career as a priest, hosting an hourlong radio show called “The Catholic Hour” in 1930 until he was consecrated an auxiliary bishop in New York in 1951 and transitioned to television, hosting “Life Is Worth Living.” At its peak, Sheen’s radio show was reaching about 4 million people weekly, and his television show was reaching about 30 million people.

“Like a good apostle, he used all the means of communications at his disposal,” Bunson said. “I just mentioned television, radio, you name it. He wanted to use it. So itʼs perfectly appropriate, I think, for him to be called ‘Americaʼs Apostle.’”

Sheen also reserved one hour every day for prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament, beginning this when he was ordained in 1919 until he died in 1979. He was found dead at the age of 84 in his chapel in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

Bunson explained that Sheen “made a promise on the day of his ordination” that he would do a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. He also noted Sheen wrote in his autobiography, “Treasure in Clay,” that he prepared for his homilies, his books, and his speeches in front of the Eucharist.

“He made the Blessed Sacrament his way of not just preparing, but making himself holy and worthy of the people he was talking to,” Bunson said. “Because thatʼs how seriously he took what he was saying.”

“So as a communicator, it wasnʼt just communicating about himself,” he said. “He was always proclaiming a person, and that was Jesus Christ. And he did that by developing and fostering his love for the Eucharist. And he did it in the Holy Hour.”

“Fulton Sheen, pray for us,” Bunson concluded.

The group, which also campaigns against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives it argues inject gender ideology into clinical practice, says in a Sept. 22 letter that Planned Parenthood and its affiliates may be coding visits in ways that make youth hormone prescriptions appear routine. According to the letter, such coding could obscure what the group calls “sex‑rejecting” services and allow private and public insurers to cover treatments that might otherwise be excluded.

Do No Harm further cites what it describes as “significant, often irreversible” risks associated with these treatments and says available evidence on their safety or effectiveness for addressing gender dysphoria is “low to very low quality.” The letter also notes the procedures’ “lucrative” nature, asserting they can create long‑term patients.

Because health insurance providers, including government-sponsored ones such as Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE, reimburse for “medically necessary” treatments only, the group alleges that Planned Parenthood miscodes the procedures in order to get illegally reimbursed.

The letter says some Planned Parenthood affiliates as well as the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) have publicly discussed using such strategic coding practices.

According to the letter, a professional data broker Do No Harm hired to examine Planned Parenthood’s coding practices between 2015 and 2025 found “a subset of approximately 800 patients from across the country for whom Planned Parenthood affiliates wrote between 1,100 and 1,200 prescriptions seemingly related to gender dysphoria while potentially failing to use the correct diagnosis codes for the associated office visit.”

Because of the limitations “inherent in a private actor’s attempt to root out another private actor’s wrongdoing without any of the government’s tools,” Do No Harm asked HHS to investigate Planned Parenthood’s coding practices for office visits as well as to “determine whether and to what extent” those office visits result in pharmacies filling prescriptions for cross-sex hormones, which are then submitted to the federal government for reimbursement.

Two large U.S. health systems, New York University Langone Hospitals and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, agreed Sept. 18 to end pediatric gender-affirming medical interventions for minors and pay financial penalties to resolve Justice Department investigations. NYU Langone will pay $8.5 million and UPMC will pay $950,000.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January ending federal support for gender transition-related care for minors and, in a March joint address to Congress, called for federal legislation “permanently banning and criminalizing sex changes on children.”

These developments come just a month after HHS’ August report, “Wolves in White Coats: How Doctors and Hospitals Pushed and Profited from the Fraud of ‘Gender Medicine.’”

The report outlines HHS’ findings and recommendations about the transgender medicine industry and refers to the DOJ and the HHS inspector general’s office clinics and hospitals identified in the report for investigation for possible violations of federal law.

Planned Parenthood did not respond to a request for comment.

The diocese has partnered once again with the Miller-Keystone Blood Center, which during the 2025 campaign collected 821 units of blood — 40% more than the previous year, according to a diocesan press release. Sixty-three parishes and schools throughout the diocese participated in the blood drive last year.

“Blood cannot be manufactured or replaced,” Allentown Bishop Alfred A. Schlert said in the release. “It can only come from individuals willing to give of themselves for others.”

The Miller-Keystone Blood Center said that because of a national shortage of donated blood, most centers around the country are operating with only a one- or two-day inventory.

“Blood is perishable, and there is no substitute,” said Monika Kotlarska-Gross, director of donor relations at Miller-Keystone. “The only source is the volunteer blood donor.”

Someone in the U.S. is transfused about every two seconds, according to the Red Cross, which said in July that an emergency shortage it had declared the month before had escalated to a national blood supply crisis, the second in the Red Cross’ history (the first was in 2022).

Summer is “trauma season,” according to the Red Cross, with more wrecks and outdoor injuries, and a single trauma patient can use dozens of units. The shortage comes as school blood drives disappear in the summertime. The Red Cross also blamed heat, air quality, and foodborne illness for keeping donors at home.

A diocesan spokesman told EWTN News the campaign can “become a straightforward model other dioceses around the country could adopt.”

Donors who give under their parish’s sponsor code will receive a St. Januarius medallion blessed by the bishop, he said.

The blood drive will end on Dec. 16, one of the dates St. Januarius’ blood is venerated for its miraculous liquefaction. According to the Diocese of Naples, Italy, the saint’s blood liquefied this year on Sept. 19 at 10:04 a.m.

St. Januarius, patron of blood banks

St. Januarius, the patron saint of blood banks and those who’ve suffered heart attacks, was the bishop of Benevento in the early 300s. Tradition holds that he hid Christians during the persecution of Roman Emperor Diocletian and was eventually caught and executed.

After his death, a woman named Eusebia is said to have saved some of his blood in two flasks, and since at least 1389, his dried blood has often miraculously liquefied and then solidified again, especially on his feast day and sometimes before popes and other holy people.

His blood is kept in Naples, nicknamed the “City of Blood,” which observes an annual feast and procession in his honor.

Bishop John O. Barres has a special connection to Sheen that goes back more than six decades: Sheen baptized Barres as an infant in 1960 at St. Augustine Church in Larchmont, New York — decades before Barres would become the bishop of the Long Island diocese.

In “The Beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and the Mission of the Catholic Church in the 21st Century,” Barres looks back at Sheen’s life, writings, pioneering use of radio and television, and reflects on how Sheen’s legacy still impacts the Church today.

Beginning with his personal connection to Sheen, Barres shares that his baptism — which took place on Oct. 2, 1960 — came during the time his father, Oliver Barres, was working for Sheen as a writer for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, a Catholic organization dedicated to supporting the Church’s missionary work around the world. Sheen served as the organization’s national director from 1950 to 1966.

“When Archbishop Sheen baptized me at St. Augustine’s Church, I can only imagine his riveting voice saying, ‘I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,’ as he poured water over my head in the presence of my parents, godparents, four older sisters and family friends,” Barres writes in his pastoral letter.

He adds: “Providentially, Archbishop Sheen was not only baptizing me but, in a certain sense, sending me out as a future Successor of the Apostles and Diocesan Bishop on Catholic worldwide mission.”

The missionary nature of the Catholic Church

Looking to Sheen’s legacy, Barres says in his letter that every Catholic is called to mission and reflects on how Sheen embodied this call through his work, especially his use of technology.

Barres highlights a term Pope Leo XIV coined: “missionary conversion.” The Holy Father has called Catholics to be missionaries that are constantly open to “missionary conversion” — bringing the Gospel into their families, parishes, workplaces, institutions, and the wider secular world.

With this idea in mind, Barres points to Sheen’s ability to spread the Gospel through every medium available to him at the time.

“Whether speaking from a radio studio, standing before a television camera, teaching in a university classroom, or preaching from a pulpit, Archbishop Sheen’s message remained the same: Jesus Christ,” Barres says.

He adds that the beloved bishop had a “burning zeal for mission,” which was the “heart of his ministry.” These traits, he continues, “must be true of us.”

“Each of us must respond generously to our baptismal call to holiness and mission and become vibrant instruments of missionary conversion in the daily life and mission of the Church. Mission fields abound. Starting within the home, they encompass the globe,” Barres writes.

The bishop also suggests that Sheen would have embraced the emerging technologies of today, including artificial intelligence, but would insist these technologies not replace the human person.

Barres says: “Archbishop Sheen would have us turn with missionary boldness to this frontier and encourage us to use the emerging technologies of that world, including artificial intelligence, ethically and wherever they can serve the Church’s global mission. Yet he would never allow the means to eclipse the person.”

Therefore, Barres calls on Catholics to approach contemporary media with “confidence, creativity, seriousness, and charity,” bringing the fullness of the Gospel into the spaces where people communicate and encounter ideas.

The beauty of the priesthood

The second major theme Barres in his pastoral letter draws from Sheen is the priesthood. He points to works such as “The Priest Is Not His Own,” “Those Mysterious Priests,” and “Treasure in Clay,” in which Sheen reflected on the dignity, sacrifice, and struggles inherent in the priestly vocation.

One major point Barres reflects on is Sheen’s willingness to acknowledge his own human weaknesses, saying it is meaningful for priests and seminarians to see that a man ultimately recognized for his holiness also understood the struggles that priests face.

“The struggle between acrimony and a priestly spirit of humility and magnanimity occurs in every priest’s heart,” Barres shares. “It is nice to know that a bishop and priest soon-to-be beatified struggled with what priests and bishops struggle with every day. It reminds us holiness is possible.”

The second point he makes — which was a major aspect of Sheen’s theology — is considering the Catholic priest as the victim on the cross, united to Jesus.

“Only a priest who understands how an existential embrace of the Cross in all its mystery is critical to the living out of the ontological change that occurred in his being at his priestly ordination can embrace and live his priestly identity and mission,” Barres writes.

As Sheen’s beatification approaches, Barres says he sees it as an opportunity for priests to “rediscover his compelling vision of the priest as victim: one who is united with Christ not only as Shepherd but also as the Lamb who offers himself for the life of the flock.”

Additionally, Barres says he hopes Sheen’s intercession will help bring about “a new and creative Pentecost in Catholic missionary communications,” allowing Catholics to proclaim the faith with “renewed confidence, imagination, clarity, and love.”

Barres’ pastoral letter can be read in full here.

“After several years of private discernment, I would like to announce to you with great reverence and care that, with the blessing of my religious community the Sisters of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) and the Archbishop of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, his Excellency Jeffrey S. Grob, I am officially entering into a time of public discernment of the foundation of a new religious community, Friends of the Bridegroom,” Heidland wrote in a post on X.

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The religious sister explained that her many years working in healing ministry  and working with other religious sisters, priests, and bishops has allowed her “to see and experience the need and ache for the ongoing healing and renewal of our clergy and religious sisters.”

Heidland has served as the executive director of Friends of the Bridegroom alongside Father John Burns of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. According to its website, it is an apostolate that seeks to renew the Church through the healing, renewal, and expansion of consecrated life and the priesthood.

She called her time working with the apostolate “a profoundly blessed time” and added that “the Lord has continually stirred a desire in all of us in the apostolate to discern the foundation of a new community of priests, religious sisters, and laity who would work toward this important renewal.”

“During this time of public discernment, the Friends of the Bridegroom ministry and my public activities connected with this discernment will remain under the pastoral care and oversight of Archbishop Jeffrey Grob, Archbishop of Milwaukee,” she explained. “I am deeply grateful for his willingness to accompany and guide this discernment during this important time.”

Heidland will remain a sister in good standing with SOLT and will continue to wear the order’s habit.

“I am truly grateful for the support of so many people over the years and I continue to count on your prayers and support as we discern this very important step … Once again, I extend my tremendous gratitude to Sister Mary Aloysius of Jesus, SOLT General Sister Servant, her General Council, and Archbishop Jeffrey Grob,” she wrote.

Heidland was placed for adoption by her 17-year-old unmarried biological parents. After spending some time in foster care, she was adopted by a Catholic couple and raised in Woodland, Washington.

It was her adoptive parents who gave her a foundation in the faith. However, at age 11 she was sexually assaulted and at 13 she was raped. She has never publicly named her abuser.

During her teenage years, Heidland focused her time on sports. When she was a senior in high school she was offered a full scholarship to play volleyball at the University of Nevada, Reno. While she remained an important part of the team, she was an alcoholic by the age of 21 and embraced the partying lifestyle.

Completely estranged from her faith and feeling broken, a priest entered into her life and made a lasting impact. Heidland’s mother also began to pray and fast for her daughter, asking the Lord to guider her becoming a nun.

In 1998, Heidland entered the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity after she felt Jesus calling her to become his bride. Today, she speaks openly about the healing and restoration Jesus has done in her life and shares her powerful testimony with others around the world.

In a letter dated Sept. 20, the day of the shooting, Garcia wrote that people in the city are “living in terror and fear because of the increased activity of ICE agents on our streets.”

He asked for prayers for the man who was shot, his family, “all who have been involved and for our entire community,” and for federal, state, and city authorities to be “transparent and honest about what occurred.”

The New York Times reported that ICE agents were checking license plates in north Austin Sunday afternoon when they found a deportation order for Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, pulled him over and told him that he would be arrested. Garces Perez then drove away, according to the Times, and a short chase followed.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said ICE requested help about 12:50 p.m. with a vehicle pursuit of a blue Toyota Corolla. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said city police were not part of the ICE operation and that the shooting came before troopers arrived.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it is investigating, with FBI assistance, “the officer involved shooting of an illegal alien from Venezuela” who it said entered the country illegally and had a final order of removal.

DHS said the man’s condition is stable and that he is in federal custody pending removal.

Video showed the Corolla and an unmarked Ford SUV stopped under a highway overpass when an officer approached the Toyota, which was moving slowly. Witnesses reported multiple shots. Garces Perez, who his family said was making a DoorDash delivery, was shot in the upper torso, treated at Dell Seton Medical Center, then transferred to ICE custody.

His lawyer, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, said at a news conference Monday that he is at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall. Garces Perez called his attorney during the conference, saying over speakerphone that a bullet remains near his spine, he is not receiving adequate medical care, and he slept on the floor at the facility.

“Iʼm not doing well because of the gunshot I received,” he said in ​Spanish.

Lincoln-Goldfinch disputed that her client knowingly fled identified agents. She alleged that an unmarked vehicle sideswiped him, he did not know it was ICE, and officers shot him after another collision.

Lincoln-Goldfinch also said her client entered the country legally and had a work permit.

“Many people are often being detained only due to the color of their skin or the language they speak,” Garcia wrote.

In a Sept. 22 statement to EWTN News , García said that in his diocese, he is hearing from clergy and parishioners of “specific instances” where people “have been detained as they are going about the ordinary responsibilities of daily life. When good, hardworking people become fearful that they may be targeted because of their ethnicity or appearance, we all have a responsibility to listen and to speak to the human reality that exists within our communities.”

He told EWTN News he has dispensed those who are afraid from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass, calling it an “extraordinary step.”

DHS issued a statement on Sept. 22 that it said was meant to rebut “lies” about the shooting. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Garces Perez “is an illegal alien who has no legal status to be here and has been given some of the best medical care he’s ever received in his life.” Mullin said ICE would not slow “removing dangerous illegal aliens from our communities.”

Regarding claims raised by Lincoln-Goldfinch and in news coverage, DHS answered point by point. It said ICE did not decide whether a hospital would remove a bullet and would not direct that kind of medical procedure. It said any work permit Garces Perez had expired in 2025 and that regardless, a work permit does not confer legal status.

DHS also said Garces Perez was ordered removed in absentia after he missed immigration court and that a change of address does not cancel that obligation. It said he entered the country illegally, had no valid work permit or protective status, and had a final removal order from a Department of Justice immigration judge.

DHS claimed he is receiving around-the-clock medical care, including pain medication, and that he arrived at the detention facility a few hours after leaving the hospital and slept on a bed there, not on the floor.

Garces Perez was the subject of a targeted vehicle stop because he was in the country illegally, according to the DHS statement, not an indiscriminate target.

DHS said resisting officers and evading arrest is a felony and blamed “sanctuary politicians” for encouraging people to defy ICE. Despite protests, ICE would not leave Austin, the federal agency said.

“Regardless of a person’s immigration status, every person is created in the image and likeness of God and possesses an inherent dignity that must always be respected and protected,” Garcia said on Sept. 20. “We cannot allow differences of citizenship to diminish our recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human being.”

During National Migration Week, he added, “we are all brothers and sisters. When one person is harmed, all of us are affected.” He repeated the call for “comprehensive immigration reform” and “a viable immigration policy that respects the rule of law while recognizing the dignity of every person.”

This story was updated at 7:26 p.m. ET on Sept. 22, 2026, with the statement from DHS.

Catholics are positioned to play a visible role in this year’s 36 gubernatorial contests, with at least 14 candidates across both parties publicly identifying as Catholic.

The number of Catholics has the potential to increase in governors’ mansions nationwide. If every Catholic candidate were to win, the number of Catholic governors would climb from 20 to 22.

About half of gubernatorial races are open races, with the incumbent either term-limited or retiring. According to The Eagleton Center on the American Governor, 20 U.S. governors publicly identify as Catholic.

In Massachusetts, Democratic Gov. Maura Healey faces Republican Michael Minogue, and in Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott faces Democrat Gina Hinojosa, meaning both states have Catholic nominees from each major party.

In a statement to EWTN News, Abbott, first elected governor in 2014, said: “My Catholic faith is integral to my work as Governor, especially the protection of life from the youngest to the oldest members of the Texas family. Specifically, Jesus and His Church’s teachings on abortion, euthanasia, justice for victims, and the dignity of workers inform every decision I make from the Governor’s desk. As Governor, I will continue to keep Texas the shining city on the hill for the rest of the world as we prioritize uniting all of Godʼs children in love of neighbor."

Meanwhile Hinojosa, who has served in the Texas House since her election in 2016, told EWTN News: “My faith is my moral compass. It grounds me in purpose and gives me the courage to do what is right regardless of obstacles or consequences.”

Several other gubernatorial candidates also shared with EWTN News how their Catholic faith either shapes or would shape their approach to governing.

Gov. Jim Pillen, R-Nebraska, who faces Democratic former state senator Lynne Walz in the November election, said: "My Catholic faith is the foundation of who I am and how I serve. I begin each day praying to do God’s will. As Governor, my faith shapes my commitment to protecting life, serving others with humility, respecting human dignity, and working to build safer, stronger communities.”

In Connecticut, Republican Ryan Fazio, facing Democratic incumbent Gov. Ned Lamont, said: “I am a Catholic who believes in Jesus Christ and a responsibility to glorify God and act in a morally upright way in the world to save our own souls and help others. As governor, I would carry the same ethos that our faith teaches us to serve others in a righteous way. Those in leadership must serve humbly and always reject the temptations of power.”

Meanwhile in Idaho, Democrat Terri Pickens Manweiler is challenging Republican Gov. Brad Little. She said: “I am a non-practicing Roman Catholic. My faith governs my personal actions and beliefs. I firmly believe in the separation of church and state. I would not impose my beliefs onto others, especially through the political process or governance.”

The “Borgo Dialogues,” organized by the Vatican-run Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education, began on Sept. 20 and will continue until Sept. 23 in New York, in conjunction with the U.N. meeting.

According to a news release, the gathering will focus on the question “What are we building, for whom, and who will inherit it?” The invitation-only meetings include leaders in business, finance, academia, faith, healthcare, sports, civil society, and international institutions.

“The Borgo Dialogues represent an invitation to courageous leadership rooted in listening, encounter and shared responsibility,” Cardinal Fabio Baggio, director general of the Laudato Si’ Center and founder of the Borgo Dialogues, said in a statement.

“At a moment when many institutions face growing fragmentation and distrust, we need spaces where leaders can engage difficult questions honestly, build trust across differences and commit themselves to actions that uphold human dignity and advance the common good,” he said.

The Borgo Dialogues initiative began in June with a meeting at the Vatican. It is inspired by papal teachings contained in Pope Francis’ encyclicals Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti and Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.

According to the news release, the main focus of the talks is AI and work transformation, healthcare and human dignity, sustainable development, systems-level change across industries, and the evolving responsibilities of leaders navigating an increasingly interconnected world.

The news release states there is a shared commitment to designing technologies, institutions, and systems that recognize the inherent dignity of each person, with a focus on those who are most vulnerable.

“The world’s most urgent challenges require relationships that rise above institutions and ideologies,” said Father Daniel G. Groody, CSC, a member of the Laudato Si’ Center’s General Council.

“The Borgo Dialogues create a distinctive environment where intellectual rigor, moral purpose and practical leadership come together, helping diverse leaders transform reflection into responsibility and ideas into action,” said Groody, who is also the vice president and associate provost for undergraduate education at the University of Notre Dame.

The inaugural Borgo Dialogues were held in the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo, Vatican State, from June 17–19. It included more than 80 participants. The Laudato Si’ Center is expected to present proposals to the World Economic Forum based on the discussions.

The 81st U.N. General Assembly began on Sept. 8 in New York. General debate meetings begin on Sept. 22 and end on Sept. 28.

Surprisingly little is known for certain about Matthew’s life, even though his Gospel is so crucial for the Church. The manner of Matthew’s calling by Jesus is well known — Matthew was a Jew but worked as a tax collector for the Romans in Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee, making him a pariah among his own people. When Jesus called Matthew to follow him, Matthew gave up his presumably materialistic life as a tax collector to follow the Lord.

Jesus’ calling of Matthew led some religious authorities of the Jewish community to wonder: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” To which Jesus responded: “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

The Catholic Encyclopedia notes, however, that no further reference is made to Matthew in the Gospels, except in the list of the apostles, and “of Matthew’s subsequent career we have only inaccurate or legendary data.” It appears though, according to a number of other ancient sources, that he evangelized for at least a decade and a half in Asia.

Matthew’s earthly body is purported to lie in the crypt beneath the cathedral of Salerno, Italy. In the crypt, a bronze St. Matthew made by Michelangelo Naccherino in 1606 sits above the altar. The saint is shown writing the Gospel with a book resting on his left knee and a pen in his right hand. At his left side, an angel hands him an inkwell as he writes.

Alfano I, the archbishop of Salerno from 1058–1085, completed the crypt in 1081 and placed Matthew’s body in the sepulcher. The renovation in the early 17th century was carried out by architects Domenico and his son Giulio Cesare Fontana.

According to legend, St. Matthew’s intercession helped to protect the city in 1544 from the dreaded pirate Ariadeno Barbarossa, supreme commander of the Turkish military fleet, when a storm that had been prayed for by devotees to St. Matthew in Salerno blew Barbarossa’s fleet away from the city.

Eastern Catholics and the Orthodox churches celebrate St. Matthew on Nov. 16 along with St. Fulvianus, a prince who is recorded in some traditions as converting from paganism after Matthew’s martyrdom.

Pope Benedict said in 2006 that “in the figure of Matthew, the Gospels present to us a true and proper paradox: those who seem to be the farthest from holiness can even become a model of the acceptance of God’s mercy and offer a glimpse of its marvelous effects in their own lives."

This story was first published on Sept. 21, 2023, and has been updated.

National Migration Week will begin on Monday, Sept. 21, and conclude on Sunday, Sept. 27, the day the Catholic Church observes the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

On its website, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced that in solidarity with the pontiff, it will adopt the theme “Even One of These Little Ones,” the same theme chosen by Leo XIV for the global observance.

In his message, Leo XIV explains that this theme “draws our attention to the minors directly involved in the experience of migration and flight, to the care owed to them, and to the Lord’s promise that “whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.’”

The chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, Bishop Brendan Cahill, noted that the Catholic Church, “in this country and beyond has a long, inspiring history of caring for migrant and refugee children.”

In the United States, this history spans “from the days of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and her sisters sheltering many orphaned immigrant children when few others looked their way to today’s diocesan charities providing them and their families with vital support,” he noted.

The Italian saint and her sisters arrived in New York in 1889, where they encountered a very harsh pastoral reality among European immigrants. Yet, despite the difficulties, the sisters managed to open an orphanage, a home for themselves, and a school for the children.

Cahill expressed his gratitude to law enforcement officers, social workers, pastoral staff, and caregivers who look after the safety and well-being of migrant and refugee minors.

However, he added, “[a]s we see protections for this population being undermined in various ways, including prolonged stays in detention and decreased access to legal representation, we urge governments and communities to ensure a high level of care rooted in their God-given human dignity.”

“This requires promoting family unity and reunification whenever possible,” he said.

Therefore, the USCCB invited the nation’s Catholics amid “heightened social tensions regarding immigration” to reflect “on how our faith is calling us to respond to this most vulnerable group.”

Toward this end, the bishops’ conference is encouraging “dioceses, parishes, schools, and organizations nationwide to mark this observance with prayer, educational programs, pastoral outreach and support for migration-related ministries.”

For its part, the USCCB’s Secretariat of Migration will host a webinar on Sept. 23 at 2 p.m. ET featuring “several expert panelists who will highlight some of the key implications of this yearʼs theme."

“These experts will shed light on both the international and domestic dynamics facing children in the context of migration,” the bishops’ conference explained.

Those interested in participating in the webinar may register at this link.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The event is an international prayer initiative that aims to bring together families, parishes, schools, religious communities, and individuals from around the world in response to Pope Leo XIV’s call for the Church to pray the rosary for peace.

The Global Rosary for Peace is organized by Holy Cross Family Ministries and is part of its efforts to strengthen family prayer and encourage the faithful to pray the rosary. The initiative received the pope’s blessing last year and over 67,000 people prayed the rosary live during the first global event.

Father Fred Jenga, CSC, president of Holy Cross Family Ministries (HCFM), told EWTN News that the first Global Rosary for Peace was created due to several global crises taking place and the need for prayer.

“There is always some kind of global crisis that is going on that really calls us to pray more,” he said. “Last year it was all the conflicts that were everywhere. Some of them have sort of died down a little bit but we still have more going on as well in this very year that we are in. So we are just picking up from where we left off. So that we invite people again to pray more.”

Currently, over 95,000 people have signed up to take part in this year’s live, global rosary.

HCFM was founded by Venerable Patrick Peyton, an Irish-born Catholic priest who was known as the “rosary priest” and for his famous phrase “a family that prays together stays together.”

With this at the core of its ministry, HCFM desires to “bring God back into the life of families because we know when God is at the center of the families, especially through prayer, regular prayer, God changes the chemistry in those families because God is love, God is kindness,” Jenga explained.

“God created our families. And they will be restless and weak and all over the place until they allow [God] to be the center,” he said.

Jenga also spoke about the importance of praying the rosary specifically.

“When we pray the rosary on a family level, the heart of the rosary is the mysteries of the rosary, and those mysteries speak to every human season that you can think about,” he shared. “We go through joy, we go through sorrow, we go through mission, we go through celebration or glory. So there you have a set of mysteries that you can pray with through any season that youʼre talking about.”

The priest also pointed out that when we look at the saints, nearly all of them share two characteristics: a love for the Eucharist and a love for the rosary.

“So, in their path to sanctity, these are the two rails that they ran on. And if we also desire the same kind of sanctity and strength in our families, right there is really a formula for us that we can be able to employ to help ourselves as a family and also to help ourselves as individuals,” Jenga said.

He added: “We’re at a time of need in our world right now. There are too many conflicts that are going on and we need a favor for global peace, and the rosary is one of those prayers that weʼre turning to because even throughout history, every time there was a global crisis, the Church, even our Blessed Mother, if she appeared, she asked us to pray the rosary.”

For those who participate in the Global Rosary for Peace, Jenga said he hopes they are “able to renew their belief in the power of prayer.”

“Secondly, this can be a jumping-off point for them to get started, in smaller ways, praying in their own families and for the needs in their families, but also keep praying for our world at this time.”

To take part and register for the Global Rosary of Peace visit https://hcfm.org/pray-for-peace/.

Much of the public will only be aware of the beginning and the end of such controversies — when a clergyman is accused of a misdeed and when he is ultimately either found guilty of it or cleared of any wrongdoing.

But U.S. dioceses have complex and at times lengthy ways of addressing such allegations — processes that ensure both a full treatment of the alleged misconduct and the rights of priests to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

‘The smoke of truth’

Monsignor William King, JCD, serves as an assistant professor of canon law at The Catholic University of America. His academic expertise includes the study of both canon and civil law as well as the study of “temporal goods” such as Church finance and corporate structure.

King told EWTN News that bishops who receive allegations of wrongdoing against priests must first determine if there is sufficient credibility to the allegations, a principle he said in canon law is known as “fumus veritatis,” or “the smoke of truth.”

“It’s not proof [of the allegations] in any way,” King said, “but if there’s sufficient suspicion that it might be truth, then the bishop would accept that allegation” and launch what is known as a “prior investigation” meant to gather facts.

Amid the start of the process, King said, a bishop may or may not remove the priest from ministry if he “felt that it was necessary for any of several reasons.” After that he would appoint an investigator, who may or may not be a priest, to lead the inquiry.

“That person is bound to secrecy so as to protect the reputation of the priest, and any of the accusers and witnesses,” King said.

Such an investigator has “pretty broad powers” to ask questions of, and seek evidence from, those connected to the case. After that process, he or she would bring the results to the bishop.

The prelate would likely then speak to his canon law experts. He may also talk with mental health experts and could potentially order the priest to submit to a psychological assessment. “That’s not uncommon, and depending on the nature of the allegations, it might be appropriate,” King said.

After the fact-finding and consultation process, the bishop will decide whether or not to move forward with a criminal or penal process. In some cases, the ordinary may opt instead for a “penal remedy.“

“It could be a warning or rebuke, or a ‘penal precept’ — a formal document that prohibits the priest from undertaking certain actions or doing certain things,” King said. A precept, he said, can be used even in cases where no crime is committed, to ensure that the actions that led to the controversy are not repeated.

If a penal process is instigated, the preferred method for most bishops is to convene a tribunal; in some cases, a prelate may opt for a less formal “administrative process.” Either option involves the calling of witnesses, testimony from both the accuser and the accused, and the collection of additional evidence.

Tribunals are usually overseen by three judges, King said; they must be priests, and "they would typically be brought in from other dioceses.”

Tribunals are meant to determine both whether a priest committed a crime, King said, as well as whether or not the crime itself is “fully imputable” to the priest.

Sexual abuse allegations: Rome must be notified

The process is largely the same whether the allegations involve claims of administrative or professional misconduct or if they involve accusations of sexual abuse, King said.

However, allegations against a priest of abuse of a minor are “reserved to the Holy See,” he said. In those cases, following the results of a preliminary investigation, a bishop is obligated to send a summary of the case, including the evidence, to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, specifically its special disciplinary section.

“[The dicastery] will review that and instruct the bishop as to what type of process should be followed — administrative or judicial,” King said.

“When the bishop sends the initial dossier or file over, most of the time he will make a recommendation” as to which process should be followed, King said. A bishop in certain cases may recommend “no process, or another remedy or way of addressing the situation.”

The dicastery “will take that into consideration. But ultimately, they make the determination, and the bishop is bound to follow their direction,” King said.

The Vatican can approve or reject a diocese’s decision if the matter is reserved to Rome, King said. In all other cases, it is resolved domestically either via administrative process or tribunal.

A priest, King said, can appeal a diocese’s decision to the Roman Rota if he wishes.

“You and those who came before you have taught our children, tended to the sick, welcomed immigrants, accompanied the dying, consoled the brokenhearted, and proclaimed Christ where no one else was willing to go,” the archbishop told the major superiors on Sept. 18 in Florissant, Missouri.

“For that, the Church gives thanks. But gratitude alone is not enough. The Church also looks to you with hope,” he said.

The archbishop spoke at the 2026 National Assembly of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, the theme of which was “250 Years of Freedom: Daughters of the Church from One Generation to the Next.”

The council comprises major superiors and vicars from 112 religious communities around the U.S. The group describes its national assembly as “the springboard for collaboration, participation, and dialogue among members,” which “promotes unity among the major superiors that gives witness to the joy of religious life.”

Addressing the gathering as the keynote speaker, Lori acknowledged the assembly’s recognition of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

The U.S. has been instrumental in advancing religious freedom and human dignity across the world, the archbishop argued. He noted that most histories of the founding of the U.S. focus on the Founding Fathers such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and others.

But “the American experiment would have looked very different” without the contributions of “thousands and thousands of women religious,” he said.

“Who welcomed wave after wave of immigrants? Who cared for the victims of epidemics when others fled? Who taught generations of children not simply arithmetic and grammar, but honesty, sacrifice, discipline, and love of God?” he said.

Women religious “changed the nation because they first allowed Christ to change them,” the archbishop said. He noted the “paradox” in which those who take vows of poverty “enriched countless communities” and those who “renounced worldly ambition” often “exercised the greatest influence upon society.”

“The world struggles to understand this paradox,” Lori said. “The Gospel does not.”

Women religious have historically both upheld the ideals of America while challenging it when it “falls short of the Gospel,” Lori said.

He cited the witness of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini’s “evangelical poverty” as she carried out the founding of schools, hospitals, and orphanages around the world.

And he further pointed to the work of Servant of God Sister Mary Thea Bowman, praising her for her “profoundly Catholic way” of confronting racism while evangelizing about the love of Christ.

Urging the women religious to pursue “an ever-new embrace of the heart of your vocation,” Lori told the assembly: “The world needs women who have been seized by Christ.”

“It needs women whose lives bear unmistakable witness to the truth that God is real, that holiness is possible, that sacrifice is fruitful, and that love poured out in communion with Christ can transform the world,” he said.

The holy day for Jews involves fasting and atonement and is held in late September or early October. In 2026 it begins at sunset on Sept. 20 and ends by nightfall on Sept. 21.

In a video message released Sept. 18, Scranton, Pennsylvania, Bishop Joseph Bambera, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ ecumenical committee, noted that the Jewish holiday “invites a searching examination of the year that has passed and a commitment to the year ahead.”

“At the heart of this observance is the recognition that our relationships with God and with one another call us continually to reflection, repentance, and renewal to consider how we can live more faithfully and more generously,” he said.

The relationship between Catholics and Jews, Bambera said, is “not simply a matter of dialogue” but rather is “rooted in the deep spiritual bonds” between the two ancient religions.

He noted the shared patrimony between the two faiths as well as the scriptural texts that both share. Building “genuine friendship and understanding” between the two religions “matters so deeply,” he said.

Bambera further noted the need to “reject antisemitism in all its forms.” Catholics, he said, are called to oppose that form of hatred as well as to deepen their understanding of Judaism and Jewish people.

The prelate cited the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Nostra Aetate, which in part decried the practice of antisemitism “at any time and by anyone” and which stressed the links between the ancient Jewish faith and the origins of Christianity.

Interreligious dialogue “is not merely an exchange of ideas” but rather “creates friendships, builds trust, and helps us recognize our responsibilities toward one another,” Bambera said.

The bishop concluded the video by wishing Jewish viewers “Gmar Chatima Tov,” a traditional greeting during the Yom Kippur season.

Drafted by a group of more than 30 pastors from around the U.S., the Declaration for Life with Christian Leaders supports pro-life legislation, condemns chemical abortion, and affirms the dignity of unborn children from conception. The four-page declaration has been signed by 100 faith leaders from Missouri as well as 50,000 citizens.

“This Declaration for Life, written by pastors, is calling on everyday Christians across America to stand for life and confront the scourge of chemical abortion,” Hawley stated.

“It is the first duty of the Church to defend human dignity where it is denied,” the declaration says.

Tony Perkins, who heads the Family Research Council, a national Christian political advocacy group, has been outspoken in his support of the declaration, criticizing the Republican Party’s recent silence on abortion.

“There are Republican members of Congress and state leaders who continue to champion the unborn, but the Republican Party has gone all but silent on the issue of life,” Perkins stated. “The strong pro-life language that was a part of the GOP platform for decades was removed, and little is said about abortion.”

“We are called to defend the defenseless and speak for those whose voices have been silenced,” Perkins said.

South Korean bishops oppose abortion pill

South Korean Catholic bishops are opposing the government’s expansion of abortion pill use, calling it a "disregard for life.”

In response to South Korea’s announcement that it will allow the use of abortion pills through nine weeks of pregnancy, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea (CBCK) released a statement opposing the move.

“The CBCK voices deep concerns as this measure would only institutionalize abortion in an ‘orderly’ manner, without changing its fundamental nature, while allowing a disregard for life to be more deeply rooted in our society,” the bishops stated.

“We eagerly ask the government and the National Assembly to deeply contemplate this and choose a path that both protects life while practically helping women,” the bishops continued.

Students for Life launches campus campaign showing human cost of abortion

A fall campaign titled “Abortion Victims: Every Abortion Has a Human Cost” by the pro-life group Students for Life of America (SFLA) will span 150 college campuses across the United States.

Educational displays will highlight the victims of abortion and what abortion procedures look like.

The campaign began Sept. 8, near the one-year anniversary of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10, 2025.

“The goal is to continue his legacy of bringing the fight for free speech and the sanctity of life to college campuses across the nation,” the group said.

“So many people are harmed by abortion, most notably preborn children,” said SFLA Vice President of Field Programs Reagan Barklage. “Millions of children lose their lives every year at the hands of physicians betraying their oath to uphold life, and so many others experience forced abortions in trafficking and abuse. This tour tells their stories — and why we must act to keep others from suffering the same fate.”

EPA to test drinking water for pharmaceuticals

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new study of drinking water that will screen for pharmaceutical pollutants.

Pro-life groups have been calling on the EPA to test for water pollution caused by abortion drugs. The EPA had previously said it would investigate.

Missourians split on abortion, poll finds

An August poll found narrow margins in public opinion on an amendment that would protect unborn children in Missouri.

In November, Missourians can vote on whether to repeal a 2024 pro-abortion amendment. In its place, a new amendment would protect unborn babies except those conceived by rape or incest, or in medical emergencies.

The Missouri polls found that 44% opposed the pro-life amendment and 43% supported it, while 13% were unsure.

The poll by SLU/YouGov was conducted Aug. 13–24 and had a margin of error of about 4 percentage points.

When polled in February, 50% of Missourians were in favor of reinstating the pro-life amendment.

California passes bill requiring community colleges to provide abortions

A California bill that would require community colleges to provide medical abortions is heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

The bill, which the California Senate passed with a 61-17 vote, would require community colleges with medical centers to offer chemical abortion drugs beginning Jan. 1, 2029. Newsom, a Democrat, is expected to sign the bill.

Wisconsin bishops denounce Planned Parenthood lawsuit seeking to overturn abortion safeguards

Wisconsin bishops are opposing a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin to overturn laws protecting women and unborn children.

The lawsuit, filed in Dane County, argues that two Wisconsin laws violate the state constitution. One law requires a 24-hour wait period between requesting an abortion and receiving one; the other law maintains that only licensed physicians can provide abortions.

Abortion in Wisconsin is legal up to 20 weeks after fertilization.

“These commonsense laws provide critical protection and medical safeguards for Wisconsin’s women and their children,” the statement by the Wisconsin Catholic Conference read. “The suit aims to eliminate these laws not for patient safety, but for profit and expediency. No woman should be rushed into an abortion. When human life is on the line, every moment counts.”

Idaho Supreme Court adjusts abortion amendment language following lawsuit

The Idaho Supreme Court overwrote a pro-abortion group’s objection to amendment language in a recent decision.

The court approved revised ballot statements for Proposition 1, an abortion amendment set to be voted on this November that would create a “right” to abortion.

The decision approves a clarification of the meaning of fetal viability and adds a more specific description of how a yes vote would be in support of “codifying a statutory reproductive right to freedom and privacy.”

Idahoans United for Women and Families, a pro-abortion group advocating for the abortion amendment, had filed a lawsuit over the language and objected to the newly revised statements.

Sansone, 27, was born and raised in a Catholic family. He and his five siblings grew up in St. Louis, where their faith played an important role in their daily lives.

“Catholicism was ingrained in just about every aspect of my childhood and my life growing up,” Sansone told EWTN News in an interview. “We were taught from a very young age that faith was extremely important. It came right before family and then two before hard work.”

He added: “We had a little prayer corner in every house that weʼve lived in that had a picture of Jesus and then right underneath was a kneeler and then a bunch of little pamphlets — prayer cards or funerals of loved ones, and things like that.”

Sansone was taught hard work on his family’s 170-acre soy, corn, and wheat farm located on his great-grandfather’s land. It was here that he learned about farm life.

Fast forward to 2024 and Sansone’s mother and sisters were watching Season 2 of “Farmer Wants a Wife,” a reality dating series that follows farmers as they search for love among a group of women willing to leave city life behind for a chance at a relationship and life on the farm. The show combines romance with the realities of rural life, as the farmers and contestants get to know one another with the possibility of building a future together.

“They were constantly telling me to come watch it and see an episode and things like that and I just kept saying, ‘No, not interested,’” he recalled.

Then Sansone received a direct message (DM) on Instagram from the creators of the show. After thinking about it and speaking to his family about it, he decided to take part in the show.

“Realistically, the motivation for me to actually entertain that DM and to ultimately go on the show was, hey, this is a fun, random, once in a lifetime thing. I can make the most of it … and perhaps even find a wife,” he said.

Despite Sansone not finding a wife on the show, he reflected that it “reinforced his faith.”

“There were no Catholics in my group. I was the only one … I think what it really did is reinforced my faith a little bit because we would have these faith-based conversations on the show and we would have conversations about our beliefs and things like that and it kind of forced me to reconcile with myself what I actually did believe. So I would say that in doing that it reinforced my faith,” he shared.

Coming off the show and once it aired, Sansone began to gain a following on social media. He explained that he came to the realization one day that he “didn’t do anything to earn it.”

“All of this kind of fame and publicity, I would say in air quotes, is not something that I earned,” he said. “So, my way of paying back that opportunity, that was obviously a gift from God, was to use my platform to promote my faith.”

Sansone, who goes by @notjohnsansone on Instagram, has 109,000 followers on the platform and uses his growing social media platform to share approachable Catholic content, often drawing from his own experiences to encourage others in their faith. His posts touch on Catholic teachings, prayer, and the realities of striving for holiness while acknowledging the imperfections and struggles of everyday life.

Instagram post

“The social media world is not the friendliest spot for that type of thing,” he said. “So, my way of doing it and my strategy is more so kind of to subtly incorporate that into everyday things and make it a relatable thing that people who donʼt understand the faith or maybe didnʼt grow up in it, itʼs something for them to relate to.”

Thanks to his content creating, Sansone admitted that it has “forced me to improve my faith” and has “strengthened it.”

“Iʼve met a lot of interesting people through it [social media]. People who are much stronger in their faith, know a lot more about the Catholic Church and her history,” he added. “And in being around them, I think Iʼve forced myself to kind of become better at my faith.”

Sansone’s content creation recently took him to Peoria, Illinois, ahead of the beatification of Venerable Fulton Sheen alongside a large group of other Catholic content creators. He called the experience “incredible” and that he also “learned a lot about my faith and it kind of made me realize how far I needed to go still.”

Reflecting on Sheen’s life and how his legacy can inspire Catholic content creators, Sansone said: “I think what was great about him is that a lot of his messages were, yes, based in the Catholic faith, but they were more relatable to an everyday person. You didnʼt have to be Catholic to utilize his messages and apply them to your own life. I feel like thatʼs one important thing that a lot of Catholic content creators can do. Itʼs what I try to do.”

As for what he hopes viewers of his content take away from it, Sansone emphasized that he wants “people to understand Catholicism for what it really is.”

These are the words of Sarah Taylor, a Catholic mother of three whose 9-year-old son, Reid, was excluded from parish activities because of his autism.

“As a mother, it was heartbreaking to see my child denied opportunities to participate in the very community where we sought belonging, acceptance, and spiritual growth,” Taylor told EWTN News.

Reid was asked to leave sacramental preparation classes and Vacation Bible School because the parish couldn’t accommodate his special needs. His mother described this as “devastating” — but she decided to do something about it.

“In the days that followed, I felt a wide range of emotions — sadness, frustration, disappointment, and a fierce determination to advocate for greater inclusion of individuals with disabilities within the Catholic Church,” Taylor said. “My husband and I knew that something needed to change, not only for our son, but for other families who might face similar barriers.”

Taylor reached out to her home diocese of Baton Rouge, who put them in contact with the All Are Welcome ministry. Through the ministry, she and her family found genuine, “life-changing” acceptance.

“We were welcomed not despite Reidʼs autism, but with an understanding that his differences are part of who he is,” Taylor said. “That sense of acceptance was life-changing for our entire family.”

“The ministry has also strengthened our faith journey in unexpected ways,” Taylor said. “During a time when we felt hurt and disconnected from the Church, the kindness, compassion, and support we received reminded us of what it truly means to be the body of Christ. Through the ministry, we experienced the love and inclusion that Jesus demonstrated throughout his ministry.”

An estimated 1 in 4 people have a disability, according to 2022 CDC data. About 3.2% of children — 1 in 31 children — have autism. But ministries designed for inclusivity can be hard to find.

Jodi Devore, who has three children with autism, founded All Are Welcome along with another Catholic mom, Edda Dupaquier, after having similar experiences. The Catholic special needs support ministry began as a backyard rosary group and has since expanded throughout the diocese.

“As we prayed and shared our stories, we realized we all carried the same desire,” Devore said of the backyard rosary group. “We didnʼt want a ministry beside the Church — we wanted our families to fully belong within the Church. We wanted our children to know Christ, receive the sacraments, build genuine friendships, and participate fully in parish life alongside everyone else.

“As we prayed and shared our stories, we realized we all carried the same desire,” Devore said of the backyard rosary group. “We didnʼt want a ministry beside the Church — we wanted our families to fully belong within the Church. We wanted our children to know Christ, receive the sacraments, build genuine friendships, and participate fully in parish life alongside everyone else.

The ministry has had a powerful impact on the diocese.

“Weʼve watched families return to Mass after years away. Children have received sacraments,” Devore said. “Parents who once felt alone have found a community that truly understands them. Most importantly, weʼve witnessed families rediscover that they have a place in the life of the Catholic Church.”

“Our hope has always been simple: that every individual with special and exceptional needs — and every parent, sibling, and caregiver who walks beside them — would know they are not just welcome in the Church, but that they are an essential part of the body of Christ,” Devore said.

Running to the altar: Sensory-friendly Masses

Mass is a key area where families with children with disabilities can feel excluded — but it’s one of the most important parts of being Catholic. Sensory-friendly Masses — designed for people with special needs like autism — are “one of the most meaningful parts of our ministry,” according to Devore.

These Masses feature lower lighting, softer music, and shorter and more literal homilies.

“Families know they can move around as needed without fear of judgment,” Devore explained. “Most importantly, everyone gets Jesus.”

Before and after Mass, the environment is full of excitement and beauty, according to Devore.

“Children and adults with disabilities often run to the altar with joy. They arenʼt afraid. They arenʼt worried about doing something wrong. Theyʼre simply drawn to Christ,” Devore said. “Every time I see it, Iʼm reminded thatʼs what the Church should feel like — a place where people are free to run toward Jesus.”

Attending Mass can be incredibly challenging for families with children with special needs.

“For many families, Sunday morning isnʼt as simple as getting everyone dressed and going to Mass,” Devore said. “Sometimes the clothes are too itchy. The smell of incense can be overwhelming. The music may be painfully loud. Sitting still for an hour can feel impossible. A child may need to move, vocalize, or leave the pew altogether.”

“As a parent, youʼre doing everything you can to help your child, but at the same time youʼre painfully aware of every glance, every stare, and every whispered comment around you,” Devore said.

“What hurts most isnʼt the noise or the outbursts. Itʼs the feeling that you and your child, your family, donʼt belong in the very place where you should feel most at home,” Devore said.

Taylor explained how children with autism may behave differently during Mass, but that doesn’t make them any less reverent.

“As a mother of a child with autism, my hope is that every member of the Catholic Church understands how important it is to welcome individuals with disabilities into the Mass — not just occasionally, but as a natural and expected part of parish life,” Taylor said.

“A child may wear noise-canceling headphones to manage the sounds of a crowded church,” Taylor said. “They may flap their hands when they are excited, rock back and forth for comfort, stim during the homily, or carry a beloved dinosaur up with them when they receive Communion. These behaviors are not distractions; they are part of how that child experiences and navigates the world. They do not lessen the reverence of their worship or the sincerity of their faith.”

“The Catholic Church is meant to be a home for everyone,” Taylor continued. “When individuals with disabilities are present at Mass, they are not interrupting the community — they are enriching it. Their presence reminds us that Godʼs love is not reserved for those who fit a certain mold. It is for all of his children.”

“What matters most is not whether a child sits perfectly still, remains silent, or follows every social expectation,” Taylor said. “What matters is that they are there. They are present. They are experiencing Jesus in the way they are able. They are witnessing the miracle of the Eucharist and participating in the life of the Church.”

“Our differences are not obstacles to Godʼs love; they are reflections of the beautiful diversity of his creation,” Taylor said. “If we truly believe that every person is made in the image and likeness of God, then every person deserves to be welcomed, valued, and embraced within our faith communities. A child with headphones, flapping hands, or a dinosaur in hand belongs at the Lordʼs table just as much as anyone else. And the Church is stronger, more compassionate, and more Christ-like because they are there.”

“These children of ours, they make the ground holy,” said Dupaquier, who helps lead the ministry alongside Devore and Deacon Randall Waguespack. “And they make us better people with more virtues, with more patience, with more understanding — capable of loving in ways that we weren’t sure that we could love.”

Coming home: Communities transformed

The ministry has helped bring families back into the Church; most importantly, it has made the Church feel like home.

Devore and her family experienced feeling “like outsiders in our own Church.”

“Not because people were intentionally unkind, but because many simply didnʼt understand what they were seeing,” Devore explained. “Over time, that judgment becomes exhausting, and for many families, it leads them to quietly stop coming.”

But Devore said the ministry has given her “hope.”

“Iʼve watched parishioners grow in understanding, volunteers embrace these families with incredible love, and parents finally take a deep breath because they know they donʼt have to apologize for their child simply being who God created them to be,” Devore said.

The All Are Welcome ministry hosts family retreats, support groups, and helps support persons with disabilities in participating in the liturgy, not only through sensory-friendly Masses but also through active lay participation.

“Weʼre also passionate about meaningful participation in the liturgy. Individuals with disabilities serve as altar servers, proclaim the readings when theyʼre able, bring forward the gifts, and participate in the Mass in visible and meaningful ways. They arenʼt simply attending church — theyʼre helping lead the worship of the Church,” Devore said.

Through the ministry, Devore has seen transformation not only of families but also of parishes.

“The greatest transformation weʼve witnessed isnʼt just that families return to Mass. Itʼs that they begin to believe they belong there,” Devore said.

“Parishioners begin seeing gifts instead of limitations. Entire parish communities are transformed because they discover that these families arenʼt guests in the Church — theyʼre an essential part of it,” Devore said.

“Weʼve seen families return to Mass after years away,” Devore said. “Weʼve celebrated children receiving the Eucharist when their parents once thought it might never happen. Weʼve watched parish communities discover the incredible gifts these individuals bring to the Church.”

“Our greatest hope is that one day no family will wonder whether thereʼs a place for them in the Catholic Church,” Devore said. “We want every individual, regardless of ability, to know Christ, receive the sacraments, discover their God-given gifts, and live a life rooted in faith.”

Understanding disability: Seeing as Christ sees

Devore and Taylor encouraged people to be accepting of people with special needs, sharing what they believe is most important for others to understand about disability.

“Families affected by disability often face barriers that many people never think about,” Devore said.

“I would want people to understand that no two children with disabilities are alike,” Taylor said. “My son may communicate differently, process information differently, or respond to situations in ways that others do not immediately understand, but those differences do not diminish his value, his intelligence, or his desire to belong. Like every child, he wants to be accepted, included, and loved for who he is.”

It’s not about big gestures, but more about the small moments, according to Taylor. “Simple acts of patience, understanding, and inclusion can make an enormous difference for our families,” she said.

But acceptance is also about how other people “see.”

“Perhaps most importantly, I would want people to move beyond seeing the disability and instead see the child: see their unique gifts, their personality, their sense of humor, their faith, their kindness, and their potential,” Taylor said.

“I would simply ask people to see one another through the eyes of Christ,” Devore said. “If you see a child making unexpected noises at Mass, an adult who communicates differently, or a family that seems overwhelmed, donʼt assume they donʼt care or donʼt want to be there.”

“More often than not, theyʼre doing everything they can just to be present,” Devore continued. “A smile. An invitation. Sitting beside them instead of moving away. Those simple acts of kindness can change someoneʼs entire experience of the Church.”

Addressing a new Vatican document commemorating the 60th anniversary of Vatican II’s Nostra Aetate — which discourages “defensive entrenchment” and single-minded proselytism — Barron clarified the distinction between aggressive pushiness and authentic Christian proclamation.

“In a way, I wish we would drop the word ‘proselytizing’ because it’s used now in so many different ways,” he said.

Recalling a conversation with Pope Francis during an ad limina visit, Barron noted that the pope defined proselytism as “obnoxious evangelization” — a browbeating, overbearing approach.

While supporting respectful dialogue, Barron insisted that sharing the faith remains nonnegotiable.

“We are really good at stressing how kind, respectful, and tolerant we should be. That’s great, and I’m all in favor of it. But we also announce Jesus — in a friendly way, in a nonthreatening way,” he said.

Expressing a desire for Church documents to place greater emphasis on proclamation, he added: “The Church is not a debating society. ... We are here to proclaim a word in love. It’s the truth in love. But by God, it’s the truth, and I think that’s obviously worth emphasizing.”

Advising the White House on religious freedom

The Word on Fire founder also responded to critics questioning his involvement with the Trump administration following his appointment to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

Clarifying his position, Barron pushed back against claims that his participation represents a political endorsement. “I’m not a member of the Trump administration!” he said. “The president invited me to be around the table to discuss issues about religious liberty so that policy in that regard could be better formulated. Why would I say no to that?”

Comparing his role to that of legendary Notre Dame president Father Theodore Hesburgh — who served on numerous presidential commissions across multiple administrations — Barron noted: “If Joe Biden had invited me to be on a commission considering issues of religious liberty, I would have said, ‘Sure!’ ... It’s not in any way a compromise or siding with one party.”

Advocating for Jimmy Lai and religious liberty in China

Turning to international affairs, Barron stressed his long-standing advocacy for imprisoned Hong Kong media tycoon and democracy activist Jimmy Lai. While noting he was unsure if his public advocacy influenced his appointment to USCIRF, the bishop made his intentions clear regarding his new watchdog role.

“For years now, I’ve been advocating on behalf of Jimmy Lai. I think it’s outrageous the way he’s been treated,” Barron said. “If Jimmy Lai isn’t brought up in the commission, I would certainly bring him up.”

When asked about the Vatican’s controversial agreement with Beijing regarding the appointment of bishops, Barron hesitated on the specifics of current Vatican diplomacy while pointing to a proven historical model: “I’m a John Paul II man, and the way he dealt with communism, I think, is the right way to deal with it.”

Legacy of Fulton Sheen and resurgence of communism

Looking ahead to the upcoming beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen in St. Louis, Barron praised the pioneering Catholic broadcaster as a model for modern evangelists — highlighting both Sheen’s holiness as the “saint of the Holy Hour” and his courage in identifying ideological threats.

Barron noted that Sheen’s bold stance against communism in the mid-20th century carries striking relevance for contemporary culture. “The fact that Sheen took on communism back in the 1940s and ’50s, when he correctly discerned it was threat No. 1 ... well, it’s back,” the bishop observed. “It’s back in institutional form in different places around the world, but also in our own country.”

Explaining why Sheen’s critique remains essential today, Barron added: “What he noticed about communism was its deep antipathy toward God, the things of the spirit and the moral order, and he knew this was deeply disruptive to the values of the West. That’s a message that still needs to be heard.”

Modern culture and empathy

Concluding the conversation, Barron reflected on a recent article he penned regarding the limitations of empathy when elevated above all other virtues in public and ecclesial life.

“Empathy is a good thing — to feel with somebody else. ... However, there is a hierarchy of values, and empathy is not at the top. At the top of the hierarchy for a Christian has to be love,” Barron explicated, drawing on St. Thomas Aquinas’ definition of love as “willing the good of the other.”

“To love is not to spare the feelings of someone; to love is to will the good of the other. ... We don’t say, ‘God is empathy’; we say, ‘God is love.’”

Watch the full interview below:

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

Jeremiah Robinson from Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, was charged with making terroristic threats, which is a Class D felony that carries up to seven years in prison. He was charged on Sept. 16, according to a news release from the St. Louis prosecuting attorney’s office.

Brecht Mulvihill, executive director of communications for the archdiocese, expressed gratitude to law enforcement in a statement to EWTN News and said the archdiocese is praying for an end to hatred and threats of violence.

“First, we wish to extend our gratitude to the law enforcement officers who responded immediately to this incident, especially to the Shrewsbury Police Department,” Mulvihill said.

“The safety and wellbeing of the men and women who serve the Church are of the utmost importance, and we pray for an end to the hatred and threats of violence that have become so regrettably prevalent on social media,” he said.

Prosecutors alleged that Robinson posted a video on TikTok on Sept. 15 in which he said he was two minutes away from the archdiocese and that God had instructed him to use no discernment and that “everyone who walks into that church is guilty and to kill them.”

According to the prosecutors, Robinson posted a second video in the parking lot and turned his phone to show archdiocesan offices and said his directions were to leave no one breathing.

The news release states that the FBI’s national operations center contacted the Shrewsbury Police Department about the video.

It states the building was evacuated. The building was searched for bombs, which included the use of bomb-sniffing dogs, but there was nothing found.

Robinson is being held on a $100,000 cash-only bond, according to prosecutors.

“Take this all of you and drink from it: For this is the chalice…” Father Brent Bowman prayed at the altar, followed by a six-second pause while celebrating Mass for the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church in Hopkins, Minnesota, on Sept. 14.

He continued the consecration prayer through tears and then sobbed for nearly one minute at the altar, struggling to raise the chalice. He continued to cry as he raised the chalice and was weeping as he knelt before the blood of Christ after the consecration.

Instagram post

Bowman’s emotional response to the consecration was captured on video because the parish livestreams its daily Masses on YouTube and it spread across social media platforms, with many viewers wondering what prompted the reaction.

In his statement, he explained that he did not witness what the Church considers a “Eucharistic miracle,” such as when the accidents of the bread and wine apparently change in some way along with the substance. Rather, he said, “I had a private spiritual experience” during the Mass.

“During the consecration prayer over the wine at the altar, as I spoke the words, I was given what I believe to be internal knowledge of the power of these words being spoken and the reality of their effect to the point that I had difficulty speaking,” Bowman said in his statement.

“With each word, I became more physically overwhelmed as seen in the video,” he said. “At the same time, I was given sensory knowledge of the weight of God’s power coming down upon the altar, and I felt the heaviness of Jesus’s substantial presence in the chalice in my hands.”

“The chalice became too heavy to hold as I felt it pulled down to rest upon the altar,” Bowman said. “I felt my hands fixed to the chalice of the Precious Blood, and I could not physically move it. Attempting to elevate the Precious Blood, which I was not able to do for a period of time, I believe I was given grace to understand more deeply the bittersweetness of Our Lord’s Passion and how much blood Christ shed for the immense weight of all our sins.”

“I believe I experienced this weight in the chalice,” he said. “This spiritual experience emotionally and physically overwhelmed me as evident in the Mass recording.”

Bowman noted that spiritual experiences are “completely unmerited gifts and signs of God’s abundant love for all his people” but “not necessarily signs of any person’s holiness.”

“I pray this brief testimony moves all our hearts to contemplate more deeply the mysteries of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and the Precious Blood,” he said.

Although Bowman did not experience a “Eucharistic miracle” in the sense of the bread or the wine altering its appearance, God does perform a miracle at every Mass during consecration, known as transubstantiation.

When the priest consecrates the Eucharist, the “substance” of bread and wine does not remain, but instead the bread and wine are transubstantiated into the true body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ even though it maintains the physical appearance and chemical structure of bread and wine.

“The presence of Christʼs true body and blood in this sacrament cannot be detected by sense, nor understanding, but by faith alone, which rests upon Divine authority,” St. Thomas Aquinas wrote in the “Summa Theologica.”

St. Cyril of Alexandria, a patriarch and doctor of the Church, wrote about the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist in a sermon about the Last Supper, written in the early 400s: “Do not doubt that this is true, since Himself plainly says, ‘This is My body’ [and] ‘This is My blood,’ but rather receive in faith the Saviorʼs word; for He, being the Truth, cannot lie.”

“For the words of God are of course true, and in no manner whatsoever can they be false: for even though we understand not in what way God works acts such as these, yet He Himself knows the way of His works,” Cyril wrote.

The archbishop’s pastoral letter, “Uniting for Our Sacred Waters,” was released this month as fears of declining water reservoirs increased in New Mexico.

It also comes shortly after Pope Leo XIV issued a prayer intention for the care of water. The Holy Father described clean water as a “blessing” but noted that 25% of the world’s population lacks safe drinking water.

“Entire communities and nations need our action and our prayer for the care of water for the blessed relief,” the pope said.

The NASA Earth Observatory revealed this summer that the Elephant Butte Reservoir, the state’s largest, had shrunk to just 1.4% capacity, its lowest since 1971, driven by persistent drought conditions and early snowmelt.

Wester in the pastoral letter urged Catholics to recognize the deep connection between water and the Catholic faith.

“We bless ourselves with water when entering and leaving our churches,” he wrote. “Just as we share and celebrate the word of Christ, we share and celebrate the sacredness of water.”

“Together, let us reflect on our kinship with our waters and how we are responsible for protecting, conserving, and restoring them,” he said.

The archbishop cited Pope Francis’ warnings in Laudato Si’ about water scarcity and a potential “acute water shortage” across the world. Wester said human society must make “moral choices” that “equitably protect people, waters, lands, and wildlife.”

He lamented what he described as the “squander[ing]” of water in New Mexico, specifically the depletion of groundwater supplies there, as well as contamination of aquifers by local military activity and nuclear weapons laboratories.

Water, the archbishop said, is “an oasis for the good of all.” God teaches that humans should both share and steward such a resource, he wrote.

The archbishop urged authorities to hold those accountable who pollute waterways and to protect water sources from future pollution. “[E]ach of us,” meanwhile, “can pay attention, pray, and act in our personal, spiritual, and political lives.”

He urged Catholics to “consider what water means to you and to envision a better future for our sacred waters — and everyone who shares in them as God’s gift.”

This is not the first environmental warning the archbishop has issued. In May he warned the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration to stop expanding production of plutonium pits, with the prelate describing nuclear weapons as “immoral” and “genocidal.”

In June, meanwhile, he similarly warned the Arms Control Association about the concept of a “just” nuclear war and lamented the lack of momentum toward nuclear disarmament.

Wester is among the Church leaders — along with Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle; Archbishop Peter Nakamura of Nagasaki, Japan; and Bishop Alexis Shirahama of Hiroshima, Japan — who have formed a coalition of prelates called the Partnership for a World Without Nuclear Weapons.

The bishops and archbishops all oversee dioceses or archdioceses with deep connections to nuclear technology. The Manhattan Project developed the first nuclear weapons just outside of Santa Fe in the 1940s, while Seattle is home to the largest stockpile of deployed nuclear weapons in the world.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki, meanwhile, were the first and to-date only places where nuclear weapons were used in acts of war.

Discussing the administration’s efforts in an interview with EWTN News White House correspondent Owen Jensen, White House Faith Office Director Jenny Korn emphasized the importance of having “a White House Faith Office that the president put in the West Wing as a direct report to him to work on policy that affects religious institutions and people of faith in their daily lives.”

The list of accomplishments covers 25 categories, including the protection of religious liberty, defending houses of worship, securing conscience rights, ending the weaponization of government, expanding school choice, upholding parental rights, restoring biological truth, and defending life.

Among the most recent items, Korn highlighted the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) guidance to all federal departments and agencies, directing them to protect religious liberty in all programs, policies, and practices.

That guidance includes lifting restrictions that prevented federally-funded faith-based organizations from including prayer and the religious aspect as part of their programs.

“We canʼt take away those rights. We canʼt take your faith out. Your faith is the part of the whole reason why you are serving the community,” Korn said.

The White House listed several “victories” tied to conscience rights, including strengthening protections for healthcare providers who object to abortion, sterilization, or assisted suicide.

Among other measures, the Department of Health and Human Services has rescinded previous departmental guidance that could force pharmacists to stock and dispense abortion pills in violation of pharmacists’ religious beliefs.

The report also touts that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has conducted terminations and overseen resignations following an anti-Catholic memo authored by the FBI during the Biden administration.

In addition, the White House notes that the Department of Justice’s Weaponization Working Group released a report on how that department, under the previous administration, collaborated with pro-abortion groups to target pro-lifers and weaponize the FACE Act against pro-life defendants.

The Department of Justice has subsequently restricted “the misuse of the FACE Act against pro-life advocates, dismissing several cases aimed at persecuting pro-life Americans.”

Defending life

Nonetheless, pro-life leaders have also given some critical reviews during Trump’s second term.

While there has been praise for measures that include conscience protections and restrictions on abortion-related funding overseas, they have criticized the administration’s failure to sufficiently regulate abortion pills and completely defund Planned Parenthood, in addition to the administration’s support for in vitro fertilization (IVF).

The White House list indicates that the “Food and Drug Administration is conducting a review of the abortion drug mifepristone.” Korn said she has not had a specific conversation with Trump on where he stands on the abortion drug mifepristone.

IVF expansion on victories list

The list glaringly counts Trump’s expansion of IVF as a “victory,” stating Trump “took action to lower costs and expand access to IVF and high-quality fertility care.”

The Catholic Church strongly opposes the practice. “Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church states.

Addressing this issue, Korn said the “president is very pro-family. And so we want to be able to make sure that we are allowing Americans to be able to grow their family.”

“But we understand the nuances and we understand thereʼs some disagreements,” she acknowledged. Korn emphasized that “Catholics are at the table” as the administration’s policy deliberations continue and that she expects many additional favorable outcomes for people of faith during the rest of the president’s term.

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) agreed to a legal settlement with Jessica Bates, who was represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). It affirms the department will not consider her religious beliefs when evaluating her application for a certification to adopt children and will not attempt to regulate her speech about gender and sexuality.

“Every child deserves a loving home, and children suffer when the government excludes people of faith from foster care because of the state’s own ideological crusade,” ADF Senior Counsel Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse said in a statement following the Sept. 9 settlement.

“Oregon officials turned Jessica away just because of her common-sense belief that parents should help children become comfortable with who they are instead of pushing them down a path of confusion and medicalization,” he said. “We believe this settlement is a win-win that protects constitutional rights and puts children’s interests first.”

In September 2022, the ODHS denied Bates’ application because she would not comply with a state policy that requires applicants to agree they will “respect, accept and support the … sexual orientation, gender identity [and] gender expression … of a child or young adult” who is placed in the home, which ADF has characterized as a “gender ideology mandate.”

Bates sued ODHS in March 2023, arguing that the policy violated her First Amendment rights to free speech and the free exercise of religion. The lawsuit stated she told the certification officer she would love any child as her own but would not facilitate a child’s gender transition through hormone therapy, use pronouns inconsistent with a child’s biological sex, or encourage gender expression inconsistent with the child’s biological sex or same-sex attraction.

A federal district court initially ruled in favor of ODHS in December 2023, but an appellate panel of judges ruled in July 2025 that ODHS likely violated her constitutional rights and blocked the department from enforcing the rules against her while the lawsuit continued.

Legal settlement

Per the legal agreement, ODHS will allow Bates to apply for a certification and will not consider her religious views in any way.

It states ODHS will not deny the application “because of her religious beliefs that sexual activity should occur only within the confines of a marriage between one man and one woman, and a person should identify and seek to live consistent with his or her biological sex.”

The settlement adds that this extends to her “desire to respectfully speak about, live out, parent, and make day-to-day caregiving decisions consistent with these sincerely held religious beliefs.”

Under the agreement, ODHS also cannot require her to “agree to use prescribed words or language, including chosen pronouns, to express views about sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression inconsistent with her religious beliefs described above as a condition of certification.”

“[The] ODHS may not enforce any per se standard, rule, or policy that precludes Bates from being considered for any particular placement, based in whole or in part based on her religious belief,” the settlement agreement states.

It further prohibits ODHS from disqualifying Bates from consideration for any particular child placement based on her religious beliefs.

Yet, the settlement does not prevent ODHS from “deciding a child’s placement based on its individualized consideration of the child’s needs and of a foster parent’s concerns or limitations (including where religiously motivated) on their ability or willingness to meet the child’s specific needs, including with regard to their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.”

The Oregon attorney general’s office referred EWTN News to the Oregon Department of Human Services for comment. The department did not respond to a request for comment.

Popcak told the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, why he felt compelled to add a Catholic voice to this headline-making conversation.

“I created it because Catholics aren’t immune from either physical or emotional illness, and, as Catholics, we have a unique, holistic perspective on healing that encourages us to use the medical, psychological, relational, and spiritual tools available to us to promote our healing and well-being."

Popcak emphasized the need for a faithful voice in a conversation that affects approximately 1 in 7 new mothers.

“As much as we might like to think otherwise, people of faith are just as affected by mental-health problems as anybody else,” Popcak emphasized.

“Research really does show that faith plays a protective element ... but we are still afflicted with these things. Being able to respond to this in a way that is reflective of our Catholic faith and the Catholic view of the person I thought was important.”

Breaking the stigma of guilt

A central focus of the e-book is addressing the unique layer of spiritual guilt that Catholic mothers often experience when struggling with mental health post-childbirth.

Popcak explained that many Catholic mothers internalize their symptoms as a personal or spiritual failing, incorrectly believing their distress signals a lack of gratitude for their child or a weak prayer life.

“These feelings are not the mom,” Popcak said during an interview on EWTN Radio. “They are the illness attacking your feelings. ... You’re not failing any more than you would be failing if you had the flu. You didn’t make yourself get postpartum depression either. It’s your body’s reaction to the normal crash of hormones that occurs after birth, plus a lot of other factors.”

The book opens with an urgent disclaimer encouraging mothers experiencing severe crisis or self-harm thoughts to seek immediate medical intervention, reminding them that “these feelings are not you; they are the illness talking.”

Distinguishing ‘baby blues’ from clinical needs

During the broadcast, Popcak outlined the critical differences between common short-term mood shifts — often referred to as the “baby blues” — and clinical postpartum depression or psychosis. While the “baby blues” typically peak around day five post-delivery and resolve within two weeks, symptoms lasting longer require professional medical evaluation.

Popcak advocated for routine screening at OB-GYN and pediatric visits, comparing mental health checkups to baseline physical assessments.

“When we go to the doctor, even if we’re not feeling lightheaded, they take our blood pressure,” Popcak noted. “A postpartum depression screening tool takes about four minutes to complete. ... It should be just as standard as getting your blood pressure taken.”

He also emphasized that treatment should address both physical and psychological dimensions, recommending psychological counseling alongside medical treatments like SSRIs (common prescription medications for depression and anxiety) to help mothers develop coping strategies and process underlying stressors.

Self-sacrifice vs. self-destruction

Addressing spiritual questions surrounding maternal sacrifice, Popcak distinguished between healthy, Christlike self-giving and harmful self-neglect.

“There is a difference between self-sacrifice and self-destruction,” Popcak warned, urging husbands and extended family to step up support for new mothers. “God gives us our body to work for the good of others. In a sense, it’s a tool, but it can only do the job it was created to do if we take care of it. ... It’s not irresponsible or selfish or self-indulgent for the carpenter to sharpen his saw.”

The new e-book is available as a free public service download for mothers, families, and pastoral care providers. 

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

Bishop John Dolan of Phoenix, Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares, and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego took part in a Sept. 9 ribbon‑cutting ceremony marking the opening.

“The people formed here will carry what they learned beyond these walls and into their parishes, their families and communities; into the lives of those who need their care, whether through priestly ministry or mental health services,” Dolan said at the event.

“This work is ultimately about accompanying people and helping them recognize they are cherished, made in God’s image and likeness — and that can never be annulled — and they are not alone,” he said.

The 3,132-square-foot education center will support both Nazareth Seminary and the Photina Center for Catholic Counseling. The center will offer in‑person courses for the University of Mary’s Catholic anthropology certificate, limited master’s‑level counseling courses, and professional development resources.

The Photina Center will support the work of the mental health ministry, including its program to place counselors in the diocese’s Catholic schools.

The center takes its name from St. Photina, whom Eastern Christian tradition identifies as the Samaritan woman who meets Jesus at the well in John’s Gospel. Photina means “light” to reflect the center’s goal to illuminate paths of hope and healing.

University of St. Thomas to host archbishop emeritus of Assisi for event honoring St. Francis

The University of St. Thomas in Minnesota will welcome Archbishop Emeritus Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi for a day of prayer and reflection during its St. Francis celebration on Sept. 18.

The event will include public veneration of sacred relics of St. Carlo Acutis, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Clare of Assisi, and a lecture by the archbishop.

The unveiling of the sacred relics and the opening of veneration will take place in the campus’ Chapel of St. Basil, where Mass will also be celebrated for attendees.

Following the day of prayer, Sorrentino’s lecture will explore how St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Creatures” (“Canticle of the Sun”) serves as a summary of the saint’s life.

The school said the hymn is not simply a tribute to nature or an early example of Italian but a witness to St. Francis’ “love for God carried at length to the full extent of the created universe.”

Bridgeport Diocese launches kids education series starring animated Bishop Caggiano

The Diocese of Bridgeport is launching an educational series led by an animated Bishop Frank Caggiano to teach young children about the Catholic faith.

“Bishop Frank Teaches the Faith” is a weekly series from the diocese’s Institute for Catholic Formation. The series will include weekly two- to three-minute episodes that introduce young children and families to different topics of the Catholic faith.

“Every generation of the Church is called to find new and creative ways to proclaim the Gospel,” Caggiano said in a Sept. 15 statement.

“Our children are growing up in a world shaped by digital media, and we have an extraordinary opportunity to enter that world with them and introduce them more deeply to Jesus Christ and the beauty of our Catholic faith,” he said.

Each episode pairs animation and storytelling with Caggiano’s own voice. According to the diocese, the goal is to help kids recognize that the faith is an invitation into a relationship with Jesus Christ and a way of living each day.

“Anything we can do to help parents raise faith-filled children is a win,” said Patrick Donovan, executive director of the Institute for Catholic Formation.

“Our hope is that these short episodes will spark conversations at home, reinforce what children are learning in their parishes and schools, and, most importantly, help them grow closer to Jesus,” he said.

The series will launch on Sept. 18 with the release of the first 10 episodes, which will be available online. Following the initial release, episodes will become available every Friday.

Loyola University Maryland expands aid with guarantees for early decision, Catholic grads

Loyola University Maryland is introducing two financial aid guarantees for early decision students and graduates of Catholic high schools entering in fall 2027.

The university is guaranteeing at least $40,000 annually in Loyola-funded scholarships and grants for students admitted through early decision and eligible graduates of Catholic high schools.

“These new commitments reflect Loyolaʼs desire to make an exceptional Jesuit education more accessible while providing students and families with greater clarity about affordability earlier in the college search process,” said Terrence M. Sawyer, president of Loyola, in a statement.

"We want families to have confidence that a Loyola education can be financially within reach,” he said.

Loyola’s early decision commitment guarantees at least $40,000 a year in Loyola‑funded aid for students admitted in November or January. The schools’ Catholic high school commitment will similarly guarantee eligible graduates of Catholic high schools in the U.S. and abroad $40,000 annually.

In anticipation of Xiʼs visit to Washington on Sept. 24, Sebastien Lai, Jimmy Lai’s son, met with leaders to advocate for his father. He joined a Sept. 16 congressional hearing led by Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey.

“Jimmy Lai is not being imprisoned because he committed any act of violence whatsoever,” Smith, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said.

“His son has emphasized that his father has never, never advocated violence. Rather, Jimmy Lai used his voice, his newspaper, and his public platform to support freedom and democracy,” he said.

Smith said he introduced legislation Sept. 16 that would require the State Department to quickly assess any death in custody of a Hong Kong political prisoner and impose sanctions on officials found responsible. He titled the bill the “Jimmy Lai Hong Kong Political Prisoner Accountability Act of 2026.”

At the hearing, Sebastien Lai offered testimony along with Steve Yates, a research fellow on China and national security policy, and Mark Clifford, president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation.

“I want to thank America, President Trump, who has been a true champion of my fatherʼs, his administration, and the senators and members of both parties whose support has never wavered and only gotten stronger. That is moral courage, and my family does not take it for granted,” Sebastien Lai said.

“By the end of this year my father will have spent six years in a maximum-security prison in solitary. At 78, he is the oldest political prisoner in Hong Kong. With a 20-year sentence looming over him, if he’s not freed soon, he will most likely die in prison,” he said.

“My sister Claire was to testify beside me today. A few weeks ago, she was diagnosed with cancer,” he said.

“I was with her in London last week as she began chemotherapy. My father learned of his own daughterʼs diagnosis from a maximum-security prison. He cannot hold her hand. She wants nothing more than to have him with her for this fight,“ he said.

“We hope the Chinese authorities will consider what compassionate release would mean for her, and for a 78-year-old man who has already suffered enough,” he said.

“America understands, in its bones, that freedom dies with the last man willing to defend it and that the cost of not standing up for liberty is not felt until it is too late,“ he said.

The appeal to Xi “is simple," Sebastien Lai said. “My father poses no threat. His imprisonment makes him a symbol of injustice; his death in prison would be a disgrace. Let Jimmy Lai come home to his family and let him sit beside his daughter in her hardest moment.”

America understands, in its bones, that freedom dies with the last man willing to defend it and that the cost of not standing up for liberty is not felt until it is too late.”

Sebastien Lai

Son of imprisoned Hong Kong media publisher and democracy advocate Jimmy Lai

Clifford, of the Washington‑based advocacy group promoting human rights in Hong Kong, spoke on behalf of his friend Jimmy Lai and to remind “people that Jimmy is just one of hundreds of political prisoners being held in often appalling conditions.”

“Iʼd like to emphasize the release of Jimmy Lai would be something President Trump, Republicans and Democrats, indeed, freedom-loving people around the world would applaud,” Clifford said. “It would be a unifying event at the time when the world really needs it.”

Yates said Jimmy Lai’s case is “a test of character, of Xi Jinping’s leadership, of the president’s relationship with his counterpart, and of whether there remains any credible basis for the assumptions on which American policy toward Hong Kong was long constructed.”

The case is “a litmus test of whether there remains any reason to believe there is a future in Xi Jinping’s China for the kind of man Jimmy Lai is: a child of God, a lover of the real China, and, it may fairly be said, one of China’s greatest entrepreneurs,” Yates said.

Lai’s health ‘is going to get worse’

At a subsequent event, Sebastien Lai spoke at a press conference at Georgetown University about his father.

Trump has previously met with Xi about Jimmy Lai’s case, which did not end with his release, but Sebastian Lai said he does not believe “it is a lost cause.” He said he hopes Trump raises his father’s case “again and again.”

Sebastian Lai detailed his father’s health, which “hasnʼt gotten any better” while in solitary confinement.

“He now has heart issues. His nails fall off. His teeth are rotting. During the summer, he bleeds all over his body because [of] his rashes,” he said.

His health was especially worrisome recently because “Hong Kong just had a record summer,” Sebastien Lai said. “The heat traps in there and essentially bakes in itself. So weʼre very, very worried.”

Caoilfhionn Gallagher, human rights lawyer and leader of the international legal team representing Jimmy Lai, further laid out the urgency of the case.

“It’s very clear that if someone is detained in solitary confinement for an extended period of time, there is a direct ramification for their mortality,” she said.

“The risk to prisoners detained in solitary confinement is particularly heightened if they’re elderly or diabetic, and Jimmy Lai is both. So this couldn’t be a more urgent and timely discussion,” she said.

Gallagher also noted the broader human rights issues and lack of democracy in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong “has become a place where you can be thrown in prison for singing the wrong song, or not singing the right song, or wearing the wrong T-shirt, printing the wrong newspaper. And I think Jimmy Laiʼs case is hugely important in itself because of who he is,” Gallagher said.

“Heʼs probably the worldʼs most famous political prisoner at the moment. His case is hugely important, but we think part of why theyʼve gone for Jimmy Lai is because by getting the biggest fish of all, it sends the message to the small fry across Hong Kong,” Gallagher said.

"It makes very clear that their message is keep silent or youʼll be next,” Gallagher said.

Xi’s visit to the U.S. offers “a particular opportunity to shine a light on this issue,” she said.

Barron, who already serves as a member of the domestically focused Religious Liberty Commission, was appointed to the position by President Donald Trump. The Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, bishop was selected for the post alongside former U.S. Domestic Policy Council Director Joe Grogan and former missionary Andrew Brunson.

In a statement to EWTN News on Sept. 16, Barron said he was “honored” to accept Trump’s invitation to serve on the commission.

The bishop noted that the commission itself is “strictly bi-partisan” with its members “chosen by leaders of both major political parties.”

He highlighted the numerous Catholics who have served on the commission over the years, including Princeton Professor Robert George, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Mary Ann Glendon, Jesuit Father Thomas Reese, Archbishop Charles Chaput, and Bishop William Murphy.

“I feel privileged to join their company,” Barron said.

An independent agency in the legislative branch, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom monitors global religious liberty issues and recommends policy to the U.S. government to advance religious liberty around the world.

It regularly publishes briefs on countries it identifies as consistent violators of religious liberty. It also advocates for those suffering from religious persecution, such as this week when it urged Trump to push for the release of religious prisoners in China and for the end of religious persecution by the Chinese government.

The appointments on Sept. 16 came shortly after Trump asked Cissie Graham Lynch, the granddaughter of famed late Southern Baptist evangelist Billy Graham, to serve as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

The bishops said in a Sept. 16 announcement that the conference’s administrative committee also met with “representatives from a variety of tech firms and specialists” who work with AI.

Bishops’ spokeswoman Chieko Noguchi said the meeting “focused on ways to keep any system of Artificial Intelligence at the service of humanity” as well as “the urgent need to address the real and present dangers such technology presents.”

The meeting came amid warnings from numerous AI leaders of the risks posed by AI systems, which are undergoing rapid advancement and which critics say could one day threaten humanity with extinction if they become advanced enough.

In an apparent reference to those warnings, Noguchi in the press release referred to “recent events” she said “have only emphasized the great need for action by everyone involved.”

The bishops aimed to use the conversations to “help to identify ways the Church can contribute to the moral foundation of AI models and steps the companies can take to protect against misuse of their inventions and to guarantee human oversight of the technology.”

Following the meetings, the bishops’ administrative committee launched a task force aimed at “preserving human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence.” San Jose, California, Bishop Oscar Cantù will serve as task force chair, the bishops said.

“Over a dozen” bishops traveled to Capitol Hill after the meetings to press Congress for strong safety standards on artificial intelligence and to “support legislation to protect children online.”

Noguchi said the bishops and AI leaders also discussed “how the Church and industry can work together toward the goal of ensuring that technology is used in ways that keep it human-centered” while respecting human dignity and benefiting both the rich and the poor.

Church leaders have repeatedly called for meaningful AI oversight as the technology has progressed from a computer-based novelty to an embedded part of the global economy and of modern life.

Pope Leo XIV in May published his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, in which the Holy Father warned that AI “tends to amplify the power of those who already possess economic resources, expertise, and access to data.”

“In practice … technology is never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise it, finance it, regulate it, and use it,” the pope wrote.

In August, meanwhile, the pope warned that decisions affecting human life are increasingly being entrusted to machines and called for safeguards governing artificial intelligence and other digital technologies.

Earlier this month the U.S. bishops acknowledged the “widespread concern” that AI will lead to “higher unemployment and to fewer jobs that can support a family.” The technology must be “carefully developed” to serve the common good, they said.

Also earlier this month Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the United States, noted the “perception that we need a moral voice” on the topic of AI.

“Not everything which is possible to be done should be done. Not everything that technology offers should be taken. This is a moral choice,” the archbishop said.

The Dorothea Project — named after two servants of God, Dorothy Day and Sister Thea Bowman — organized the Sept. 15 event to coincide with the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, one of the patrons of the organization.

Catholics gathered for Mass at St. Peter’s Church on Capitol Hill, celebrated by Washington, D.C., Auxiliary Bishop Gary Studniewski, and processed to Upper Senate Park, which is less than a mile from the parish and sits adjacent to the Capitol. They prayed the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary.

In his homily, Studniewski reflected on the Gospel reading from John 19 when Mary, the mother of God, stood before Christ on the cross. As Mary did, he said, “we want to stand at the foot of the cross of suffering, the suffering Christ, [and] we want to be present to our suffering brothers and sisters to offer our tears and our prayers and our consolation.”

The bishop said that “these days, in our own country, we are aware of so many who suffer the pains of injustice.” He said: “We gather today, mindful of the many men, women, and children — real families — who suffer the injustice of being mistreated as immigrants, migrants, strangers.”

“Like our Blessed Mother, we may appear to be powerless at the foot of the cross,” Studniewski said. “But the suffering of our brothers and sisters in need is somehow softened by our presence and by the agency of those who love them. They are not alone. They are accompanied in their suffering. They are loved.”

Anna Marie Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), an organization that works closely with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), said the procession and rally come at a “difficult and frightening moment for immigrant communities in the United States.”

She said deportations impact people “who have lived, worked, worshipped, raised children, and have contributed to our community for years.” She said immigration status is more complicated than “legal” and “illegal,” noting that people can face deportation when protected status expires or have difficulty moving from temporary to permanent status.

People who follow the laws, Gallagher said, may “find that the rules have changed around them.”

Policies, she said, must protect “family safety and human life” and always be consistent with “human dignity.” She said policies should recognize every person, regardless of immigration status, as “a person created in the image and likeness of God.”

“You are part of our communities,” Gallagher said of migrant communities. “Your dignity does not depend upon your immigration status. You are not invisible and the Church will continue to walk with you.”

Many gathered for the procession carried signs, some of which were premade and depicted Our Lady of Sorrows with the text, “dignity, family, solidarity.” Art Laffin, a member of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker movement in Washington, D.C., carried a handwritten sign saying, “Love your neighbor means to welcome the immigrant, not to detain and deport them.”

Kathy O’Leary, who traveled from New Jersey, told EWTN News she came to connect with Catholics “taking action right now,” adding: “We need to show our love for our neighbors.” She said she’s grateful Pope Leo XIV and the U.S. bishops have spoken up for migrants, noting that their statements have encouraged more people to attend events like this.

Frank Panopoulos, a human rights attorney and activist, told EWTN News he also believes it’s “great that the bishops and the pope are speaking about it.” Yet, he said he does not believe the message has reached the pews to the point that it motivates more people to take action.

He said gatherings that defend the dignity of migrants should have “the same kind of crowd that Jesus got when he entered into Jerusalem.”

Ken Cooper, a retired religion teacher, told EWTN News he attended the event because “when you welcome the stranger, you welcome [Christ],” quoting from Matthew 25.

“If they’re here, you must treat all human beings like Christ,” he said.

Following the rally, the Dorothea Project took groups to several congressional offices with whom they coordinated meetings, including the office of Rep. Don Beyer, D-Virginia.

“We must build an immigration system that upholds American values and treats every person with the dignity they deserve,“ Beyer said in a statement to EWTN News. ”I’m grateful to the Dorothea Project for its partnership in this work, including its continued advocacy to protect our neighbors’ freedom to worship without fear and pass our Protecting Sensitive Locations Act into law.”

Katie Holler, founder of the Dorothea Project, told EWTN News the group “feels really blessed that so many people came from both near and far” for the event. The advocacy of Leo and the U.S. bishops on behalf of migrants, she said, “gives us fertile soil” to bring more Catholics into public advocacy for migrants.

This story was updated at 1:35 p.m. ET on Sept. 17, 2026, to include a statement by Rep. Don Beyer, D-Virginia.

The commission called on Trump to continue his efforts for the release of the prisoners ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to the U.S. on Sept. 24.

USCIRF called for the release of Catholic pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai, numerous Christian leaders, and others in prison for practicing their religious beliefs.

“President Trump boldly demonstrated to President Xi during their meeting in Beijing earlier this year that the United States stands for religious freedom by calling for the release of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) prisoners,” said Asif Mahmood, chair of USCIRF.

“Speaking up again sends a clear and consistent signal that religious freedom for all is a priority for the United States and that it expects the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] to respect its population rather than persecute millions for practicing their faith,” he said.

The commission highlighted that after a direct appeal by Trump, Chinese authorities previously freed former prisoner Pastor Ezra Jin of the Zion Church in July. He was permitted to relocate to the United States and reunite with his family.

While Jin was released, eight other Zion Church leaders who were arrested alongside him remain detained.

“In releasing Pastor Jin, President Xi showed that he has the power to release FoRB prisoners if he so desires—and indeed he has an obligation to do so under international law,” said Cece Heil, vice chair of USCIRF.

USCIRF detailed the other leaders whose release the commission is urging and is asking Trump “to seize the opportunity during his upcoming summit with President Xi,” Heil said.

They called on Trump to discuss religious leaders including “Gulshan Abbas, Ekpar Asat, Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife Pang Yu, Jimmy Lai, the Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family,” Heil said.

The commission also asked Trump “to urge the Chinese government to provide a passport to U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident, Pastor John Cao and allow him to reunite with his family and seek urgent medical treatment in the United States,” Heil said.

The appeal also precedes a planned hearing on Sept. 16 held by Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, to discuss the release of Lai. Jimmy Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, will offer testimony regarding his father’s immediate release and to examine the broader implications of his continued imprisonment.

In its 2026 annual report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State redesignate China as a country of particular concern (CPC) for engaging “in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom,” according to the commission.

USCIRF urges special watchlist designation for Kyrgyz Republic

In a September report, USCIRF also reaffirmed its call for the Kyrgyz Republic to be placed on the U.S. Department of State’s special watchlist.

The brief was released to highlight “legal restrictions as well as recent violations that Kyrgyz officials have committed against independent Muslims and Christians from unregistered communities,” USCIRF reported.

“The Kyrgyz government regularly violates freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) as laid out in its constitution as well as in international documents such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which it is a signatory,” the report said.

USCIRF detailed that Kyrgyz officials apply a “vague label of extremism” to justify matters such as regularly raiding places of worship, issuing fines, seizing religious materials, imposing prison sentences, forcing individuals to renounce their beliefs, and engaging in physical abuse.

In early 2025, the nation’s president, Sadyr Japarov, amended a restrictive  religion law and approved other acts, which significantly tightened state control over religious groups.

“Enforcement of these laws—which often occurs in conjunction with broadly framed anti-extremism statues under the Criminal Code—often involves targeting religious groups that the government considers ‘nontraditional,’ particularly independent Muslims and members of unregistered Christian groups,” the report said.

The commissionʼs report noted that targeted Christian groups often face persecution “from harassment and fines to prison sentences and physical abuse,” according to the report.

Lynch, whose father, Franklin Graham, leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, revealed the news on X on Sept. 15, saying Trump had asked her to serve as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

The role helps lead the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Lynch on X said it would be “a great honor and privilege” to serve in the role.

“If confirmed by the Senate, please pray that I would serve with excellence and make the most of every opportunity to protect our most precious and fundamental right—and one that far too many people around the world still live without—freedom of religion,” she wrote.

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Lynch has remained active in the religious advocacy and aid networks started by her grandfather and continue to be run by her family.

She has served as an adviser to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and at Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian aid organization also led by Franklin Graham.

On Sept. 15 Franklin Graham said his daughter is “uniquely” qualified for the role, the duties of which include promoting religious freedom abroad and advising the U.S. government when that right is violated internationally.

The government says the religious freedom ambassador serves as “a principal adviser to the president and the principal adviser to the secretary of state regarding matters affecting religious freedom abroad.” The ambassador‑at‑large also has served as a nonvoting member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which has three vacancies yet to be appointed by the president.

Franklin Graham said his daughter has “traveled the world and been a student of this issue for many years” and has “a broad worldview and knowledge of the issues facing religious freedom today.”

“I couldn’t be more proud of her, and I ask you to pray that God would give her wisdom and strength,” Graham wrote.

The group’s 95th annual educational conference, held in Phoenix Sept. 10–12, emphasized the early Church Fathers, whose influence was strongest in the East, in order to “promote a more comprehensive view and more respect for the mysteries of human health and disease,” said conference chair Dr. Mary Keen-Kirchoff.

“We’re embodied spirits, not just physical bodies,” she said at the opening. Healing, she added, “is a return to humanity’s original creation in the image and likeness of God.”

The conference theme was “Mysteries and Miracles: Restoring the Practice of Medicine to Heal the Whole Person.” Setting the tone, Father Andriy Chirovsky, a theologian and priest of the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with Rome, and psychiatrist Dr. Donna C. Dobrowolsky shared the first plenary.

They moved between theology and clinical practice, saying they hoped to help medical professionals recover a holistic understanding of “the whole person, because thatʼs who all of us care about.” Theology without clinical reality stays abstract, they said; clinical work without a complete Christian anthropology becomes fragmented.

“If the human person is misunderstood, then healing will also be misunderstood and therefore less effective,” Chirovsky said. “Healing requires a true anthropology.”

He quoted Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, in which the pontiff wrote: “We Christians lift our eyes to the Incarnate God, knowing that it is ‘only the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of humanity truly becomes clear.’”

Why the East, and why now?

Chirovsky cited St. John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical Ut Unum Sint (That They May Be One), in which the pope, referring to the Eastern and Western Catholic churches, wrote that “the Church must breathe with her two lungs!”

Dobrowolsky noted that what the West calls sacraments, the East calls mysteries: rites “not fully comprehensible by human reason, but revealed by God.”

Chirovsky said Eastern spirituality and practice “preserve certain habits of thought that are especially needed at this moment in history.”

He was not arguing against the West, he said. Any strength can become distorted when it loses its complement. The East offers “a needed medicine for some of the pathologies of modern culture,” especially the idea that a person is the center of the universe, “self-defining,” and “the ground of truth.”

“We require revelation to understand our own selves,” he said.

“If the person is not self-explaining,” Dobrowolsky said, medicine has to be careful because lab values and symptom clusters aren’t enough to explain a person. They’re important, but they don’t tell us everything about who a human person is.”

The Catholic Church needs both the East and the West in the same way a healthy person must think with both hemispheres of the brain, the priest said, quoting neuroscientist Iain McGilchrist’s book “The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World.”

In his book, McGilchrist notes that the left side of the brain is analytical and narrow, while the right side focuses more on the big picture, and pathology results when the two sides don’t work together and one side dominates.

Chirovsky compared modern medicine’s laser focus on the analytical and quantifiable, using hyperspecialization in the medical field as an example, to a pathology with too much dependence on the left brain.

“The analytic mode is powerful, but when it dominates unchecked, the person becomes legible as data but less visible as mystery and as a person,” he said.

“Any practice of medicine that loses sight of the whole person as revealed in the incarnate Son of God is going to run into lots of trouble,” he added. “Modern medicine is doing exactly that.”

Dobrowolsky agreed, adding that “in medicine, that imbalance isn’t theoretical, we see it every day.”

Seeing the human being as mystery does not mean the person is unintelligible, she said. “We’re saying this human person is not exhausted by reductionist accounts. And that the deepest truth of the human person is disclosed in relation to Christ.”

“If a person is reduced to a collection of functions, risks, and measurable outputs, their care becomes reduced as well,” she continued, saying that while practitioners may “retain technical brilliance … the patient may begin to disappear beneath the technique.”

Indeed, the conference’s breakout sessions touched upon the necessity for a Christian anthropology informed by a Church “breathing with both lungs," with talks titled “Healing Is Not the Same as Curing: Patristic Anthropology and the Limits of Modern Medicine,” “The Neglected Soul: Ancient Monastic Teachings on Depression in the Modern World,” and “Psychedelics, AI, Spirituality, and More: Ancient Wisdom for Reenchanting Medicine.”

“My prayer before the conference was that all attendees receive abundant graces of understanding and hope for the future,” Keen-Kirchoff told EWTN News. “I am so grateful that the Holy Spirit was so present … and trust that attendees are more in tune with who we are in Christ and who we are to become in Christ.”

Bishop James D. Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, won the CMA’s annual Evangelium Vitae award for his pastoral efforts surrounding mental health.

In May 2024, Conley published a pastoral letter titled “A Future with Hope,” concerning the Catholic response to mental health struggles. The honor sits close to the conference’s theme: care that views the person as a whole, in the mystery of body and spirit.

Khalil was arrested and detained Feb. 8, 2025. His daughter and advocacy group Christian Solidarity International (CSI) have urged U.S. governmental intervention.

Veronica Dudo, “EWTN News Nightly” anchor, interviewed Khalil’s daughter, Natalie Khalil, and Joel Veldkamp, CSI director for public advocacy, on Sept. 14 about the detention, the state of U.S.-Syrian relations, and Natalie’s recent letter to President Donald Trump appealing for help.

“It’s been 19 months since they got him. We don’t know why they got him. They didn’t claim that they have any charges against him. We weren’t allowed to get a lawyer. They came to our house and said, ‘He was wanted,’” she said.

Khalil, known for his Christian faith, gained wide respect in 2015 when he organized the defense of Sadad during an ISIS assault, an effort credited with saving more than 9,000 residents.

Veldkamp said: “Suleiman Khalil is very well known in Syria for saving the town.”

He received an early warning that ISIS, a violent extremist organization responsible for mass atrocities across Syria and Iraq, was approaching, Veldkamp said.

Khalil was not aligned with the former regime but was an independent Christian political figure who acted out of necessity to protect his community, Veldkamp said.

Veldkamp said it appears Khalil is being punished for those actions, a move that sends a stark warning to Christians across Syria about their place in the country. Veldkamp said such treatment threatens the survival of the Christian community in one of the world’s oldest centers of Christianity. The treatment of Khalil, Veldkamp said, undercuts the government’s own assurances to Washington.

“For the new Syrian government, which has only been in power for about two years, to tell the United States that they’re joining their fight against terrorism, and then to put a man like this in prison, it sends a very confusing message to the U.S. It sends a terrible message to Christians in Syria who are really uncertain about their future under this new government,” Veldkamp said.

“The new Syrian government is very dependent on the U.S. government — on the Trump administration. The Trump administration has high hopes for Syria,” Veldkamp said.

‘We weren’t allowed to be Christians’

Natalie Khalil said the family faced strict limits during their visits, including rules that barred them from expressing their Christian identity.

“Even when we went to visit, we weren’t allowed to be ourselves,” she said. “We were asked to wear hijab to cover the head and hair. We were to cover the whole body. Yet, my brother went wearing a necklace with a cross — they took it off his neck. We weren’t allowed to be Christians in that place.”

She added: “I wasn’t able to get him a Bible inside to the prison.”

In a letter to Trump, Natalie expressed her plea for justice.

“My story is not unique. I don’t need special treatment; I just need the justice for my father’s case,” Natalie said.