A TPS designation grants the U.S. government the power to shield eligible migrants from deportation if they are from countries experiencing dangerous conditions such as war, disaster, or other unrest. El Salvador’s TPS designation is scheduled to expire Sept. 9, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The removal of that legal status would impact about 170,000 Salvadoran nationals in the U.S., according to the Congressional Research Service.

In an Aug. 21 letter to President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, more than 270 faith leaders and organizations–including several U.S. bishops and many Catholic groups including the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, also known as CLINIC–argued that Mullins should extend El Salvador’s TPS designation to prevent disruption to U.S. communities where Salvadoran migrants have established ties and prevent family separation due to remaining dangerous conditions in that country.

“We believe that sending hundreds of thousands of Salvadoran TPS holders back into an unstable and unfamiliar country that does not have the capability to support its own nationals is a danger to those individuals and a decision that would have severe negative consequences for years to come,” the letter said. “A thoughtful review of the current conditions in El Salvador, consideration of their contributions as TPS holders to the United States and the administration’s obligation to respect the statutory framework which governs TPS, supports an extension of El Salvador’s TPS designation.”

In their letter, the signatories added that although they “all come from various faith backgrounds, we have a shared purpose in respecting human life, upholding the inherent dignity of every individual person, maintaining the family unit, and protecting those who are unable to safely return to their home country due to conflict, natural disasters, or some other extraordinary condition.”

Among the many Catholic signatories on the letter were Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami, Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., of Atlanta, Atlanta’s auxiliary bishops and Bishop Stephen D. Parkes of Savannah. The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Ignatian Solidarity Network, and CLINIC were also among the many Catholic groups signing the letter, as were religious orders such as the Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration.

In a statement, Elnora Bassey, a policy attorney at CLINIC, argued, “Sending Salvadoran TPS holders back into unsafe conditions at a time where deportees in El Salvador are being detained without adequate representation, kidnapped, or potentially face some other harm, is cruel and can have a long-lasting harmful impact on those forced to return.”

“At a time where immigrants are being targeted and lawful protections are becoming less available to those who need it, the administration has an opportunity to make a choice that demonstrates its ability to protect vulnerable populations and that we are a nation that demonstrates compassion for all people regardless of status,” Bassey said.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end TPS designation for Haitian and Syrian nationals. Catholic leaders have also urged protection for nationals from those countries who would be subject to dangerous conditions in their countries of origin.

As Connor watched pages and pages of office paper slowly rain down from the burning skyscraper against the clear sunny sky, the realization hit that his cousin Steven Schlag, a bond trader at the brokerage firm Cantor Fitzgerald, worked high up in one of the towers.

The banker suspected the number of lives lost was quickly rising as he frantically tried to call his cousin, a very close relative. Then, the middle of the second tower burst into a fiery ball, struck by a second jet. For Connor, this confirmed a terrorist attack.

“How could this happen again?” he remembers asking himself. “(Steven) had a wife–a foreign-born wife, like my mom was–and three kids. My mom had two. But why, God? What? How did you let this happen?”

He knew well the anguish of a young widow left with young children. It was the story of his mother on the day she lost her husband to a terrorist bombing 26 years earlier, at a historic tavern near his Wall Street office.

Connor, 60, recently described to OSV News the devastation that unfolded before his eyes in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, as the United States prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. The al-Qaida-led attacks in New York and Washington, with a thwarted attempt failing in Pennsylvania, left close to 3,000 people dead.

Connor said he questioned God after seeing “specks jumping” from the blazing towers to their deaths on 9/11.

“How are people left to make a choice: whether to burn or drop 1,000 feet?” Connor asked. “So, that’s something I had struggled with. But I think over time, my faith has gotten much stronger, and certainly in the last decade or so, I think it has even gotten more so.”

Connor, a regular Massgoer, credits his stronger faith after the losses in part to his son, an Augustinian friar studying for the priesthood. He said his son’s faith has helped him to “become more introspective … and understand what it means to be Catholic … to really embrace God and embrace Jesus.”

Now a New Jersey-based anti-terrorism advocate, Connor lost his father days after his ninth birthday. On Jan. 24, 1975, 33-year-old Frank Connor was at lunch at Fraunces Tavern in the heart of Manhattan’s financial district when he and three other men were killed, and nearly 60 were injured in a bombing. The Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN), a Puerto Rican separatist group, claimed responsibility.

Connor said he has had no inclination to walk away from God, unlike some others he knew who lost loved ones on 9/11. The experience, he said, of losing his father and being raised by a mother and grandmother who were devout, Irish women kept him grounded and better able to handle the loss of his close cousin, whom he described as tough and funny.

“We went to church and all those things, but Grandma Connor always instilled in us never to be raised with hate,” said Connor.

His cousin Jean Schlag Nebbia of Naples, Florida, also clung to her faith shortly after her older brother Steven, who was 41, died in the attack.

“I never blamed God for 9/11. I felt that you’re given the gift of life, and then you’re given the gift of choice. And sometimes there’s bad people and they make bad choices, and other people are hurt through bad choices,” Nebbia, a former special needs teacher’s aide, told OSV News.

Three months after the attacks, she came to a realization.

Nebbia, 63, described watching news footage of the burning towers obsessively, trying to find her brother among those jumping out of the buildings. On the third month of non-stop viewing, her husband gave her some advice a Christian coworker had given him: “to say ‘I’m going to put this in God’s hands.'”

“The moment he said that to me is the moment I started to live … giving up my worries and giving up the unknown,” Nebbia told OSV News. “You know, ‘God, I need a good night’s sleep. I’m going to put this in your hands.’ That, to me, was a turning point. And I don’t know if I could have done that if I didn’t have my Catholic base.”

Nebbia said her 12 years of Catholic education and growing up as a regular Massgoer gave her a solid grounding in faith in God’s providence. She said she goes to God in prayer for almost every aspect of her life because “he has my back” just like her older brother, whom she was very close to, “always did.”

Vera Murphy Trayner also leaned heavily on her faith after losing her husband, Patrick Murphy.

On the morning of the attack, Trayner prayed the rosary fervently as she rushed home from her son’s nursery school while pushing him in his stroller. Murphy, 36 and the vice president for technology at the resource and management consulting firm Marsh McLennan, was on the 97th floor of the first tower that was hit three floors below. His department had moved there just months prior.

Trayner’s go-to devotion “always” came through for her with prayers answered.

“I prayed and prayed and prayed that Patrick would find a way out. He was so smart … and athletic and young … and it was the first prayer that I made that was not answered,” Trayner told OSV News.

She said she “was disappointed” but also held firm to the belief that her husband’s death “happened for a reason” and she “had to accept it.”

“Well, it’s free will. The terrorists, obviously they’re guided by evil and they were able to do such an evil act,” Trayner said. “I don’t want to feel sorry for myself because all through history, there have been traumas, wars. There’s death. There’s fires.”

Now 60, Trayner said her studies at Jesuit-run Boston College opened her up further to the faith during difficulties.

“I was able to ask questions and being a woman in the Catholic faith, being a widow in the Catholic faith, being a mother, I read quite a bit of different books … answering my own questions and talking with people,” she said.

Trayner, a Tampa-based college counselor who remarried in 2006, has relied on the Holy Spirit “to give me the right words,” the Blessed Mother to intercede in raising her children, and the saints, especially Joan of Arc, to guide her through every major challenge.

Still, she said, as she described breaking into a sweat while speaking to OSV News, she remains haunted by the thought of how her first husband must have suffered as the north tower became engulfed in an inferno and collapsed.

Nebbia admitted that as a Catholic, in recent weeks she has begun to struggle with forgiving the terrorists.

“I just feel like I don’t need to forgive them. That’s not my job. So now I’m questioning myself, like, ‘Alright, how do I go about forgiving these people, how?’ That was their goal. They achieved their goal. Now, I question that part of me,” she said.

Connor said he has come to accept his family’s tragic losses.

“Maybe I didn’t understand the reason, and maybe I don’t understand the reason why Steve was killed and the other 3,000 people, but I do feel that God does have a reason for it,” he said.

Celebrating the Feast of the Assumption Aug. 15, the pope said the artistic depictions of a youthful Mary ascending to heaven stand in stark contrast to the reality of aging that all people experience.

“The glorification of Mary, body and soul, teaches us that our true beauty does not lie in hiding the signs of aging, but in revealing the signs of love that never end, and are even impressed on our flesh,” he said.

“With this in mind, we are invited to reexamine many of the aesthetic standards, predominantly hedonistic and consumerist in nature, that the world imposes on us,” he added.

Pope Leo, who is staying at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo Aug. 12-18, celebrated Mass at the parish of St. Thomas of Villanova. The 17th-century church, named after the Spanish Augustinian friar, was designed by the famed Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini and is the only pontifical parish located outside the Vatican.

The parish’s celebration of the Marian feast day was a tradition started by St. John XXIII and continued by St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Although Pope Francis broke with custom by staying in Rome during the summer, Pope Leo XIV revived the practice.

In his homily, the pope began by reflecting on the day’s first reading from the Book of Revelation. The reading’s description of “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet,” he said, signified “that in Mary’s heart, heaven and earth, time and eternity, meet.”

To understand what one has in common “with the beautiful young woman depicted on the altarpieces of our churches,” the pope said Christians must “unite the two signs we have mentioned: the incorrupt body of the Mother of God and her immaculate heart.”

“For it is the purity of the soul that, in Mary–as in us–by the grace of God, illuminates and transfigures the whole person, leading us to the glory of Heaven,” he said.

Reflecting on modern beauty standards, Pope Leo said they “risk trapping us in burdensome expectations, causing us to waste precious energy on what does not really matter and does not last forever.”

“In everyday life, we encounter people whose faces are marked by the years and by suffering, yet who are capable of radiating serenity, kindness and peace around them; just as we may observe others who are perhaps outwardly attractive but hard and cold at heart,” he said. “It is easy to see where true beauty lies and where, on the other hand, there is still a need for conversion, forgiveness and healing.”

In order “to discover and nurture” divine beauty, the pope continued, Christians must learn to see it in “the wrinkles of an elderly person as in the tender face of a child as well, in the maturity of an adult as in the liveliness of a young person as well, in work clothes and tools as well as in festive decorations.”

Each of those realities, he added, contains unique stories of love that offer “small glimpses of heaven.”

“Love is humanity’s most beautiful adornment,” the pope said. “Love transfigures, transforms, ennobles and lifts us up, making us light, free and close to God, even amid life’s ups and downs.”

Turning to the Gospel reading from St. Luke, in which Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth and “proclaims the greatness of the Lord,” Pope Leo said Christians need not look far to understand Mary’s humble exclamation of “the magnificent mysteries she experienced.”

Those mysteries, he explained, are visible wherever true charity exists. The pope noted the examples of weary parents to their children “after a long day,” grandparents caring for grandchildren, morally courageous young people and ordinary workers who “help bring a little bit of heaven to Earth.”

“The beautiful face of Our Lady of the Assumption is unique; it transcends any possible representation, and yet, at the same time, is familiar to us,” Pope Leo said. “Even at this very moment, we can see her face in the people who are close to us, such as the brothers and sisters with whom, in faith, we share the daily offering of our lives.”

Over 35 years as a professor, I have probably taught “The Odyssey” at least 50 times. The work is a cornerstone of Western Civilization; a key part of the so-called Great Code that understands the Hellenic and Hebraic narratives of creation and human nature as the foundation of public and personal endeavor we honor and emulate today. 

When my abbreviated summer session of World Literature began in June, I shortened the class reading of “The Odyssey.” While I thought that most of the students had already been exposed to the work in high school, I also knew that Nolan’s film was imminent. I trusted the class to see the movie, and many of them did. Their reviews were mixed, as is mine—Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is a great film, but not always a great adaptation. My students who saw the film did not have the context I expected. Their general response seemed to be, “It was pretty good.” 

The Odyssey has been interpreted many times. Any lover of English poetry knows Keats’ “On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer.” While Tennyson’s poem “Ulysses” is my favorite consideration of the epic, I still think that Robert Fagles’ poetic translation is the best modern translation we have. Emily Wilson—the first woman to translate the poem, and whose work Nolan referenced for his movie—recently wrote that she would be embarrassed to have contributed anything to the film. 

Worse than those who perhaps unfairly criticize the film or those who are already praising it as the greatest movie of the 21st century, are those who announce that they won’t see it at all. This is the audience that most concerns me. This is the audience that wants nothing to do at all with the classical past. They are missing a lot. 

I am continually surprised that most of my general education world literature students know very little about the Hebrew Scriptures of Genesis and Exodus. They know even less about the New Testament, whether the Gospels or the Epistles. When I introduce these texts to them in class, many of them are horrified: “We’re reading The Bible? In school?” 

Yes, we are. And we’re also reading Homer, Virgil and Ovid. And we’re considering Islam, Hinduism and Zen Buddhism. If you propose to teach a semester course in world literature, you must reckon with the great narrative and religious traditions of both West and East. 

Doing so means that you must abridge and adapt. You must capture the essence of the text and tradition, even though you cannot express it fully and literally. And you cannot simplify the text to suit the expectations of the audience. 

Does Nolan’s Odyssey accomplish this? In some ways, yes. Yet there are many compressed moments in the movie that detract from the story’s subtle and nuanced understanding of human nature. When I was not in awe of the film’s visual allure, I occasionally tired of the violence. To be fair, spectacle is a highlight of both the poem and the film; Homer’s vibrancy can be as disgusting as it is amazing. Nolan’s graphic depictions are equally stunning. Yet Nolan misses that some of the best moments in “The Odyssey” aren’t violent. Rather, they are quiet and introspective and reveal a complexity of character. 

Matt Damon portrays Odysseus in a scene from the movie “The Odyssey.” The OSV News classification is A-III—adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is R—restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. OSV News photo/Melinda Sue Gordon, Universal

Consider one of the best-known sequences of the epic, the encounter with the one-eyed giant Cyclops, Polyphemus. In the poem, Polyphemus is a drunken clod, a brute who devours many of Odysseus’ crew, thus horribly violating the code of hospitality that is so central to the Law of Zeus. Yet Homer also shows us another side of Polyphemus, a tender concern for his sheep that links him to the classical pastoral ideal while also showing him as a fully rounded character. Nolan’s interpretation misses this empathy and depicts only the cruel vulgarity of the Cyclops, who he links not to the pastoral but to the Goya painting of “Saturn Devouring His Son.” 

Further, the Cyclops episode in the poem reveals the great cunning of Odysseus, who uses his clever intellect to fool Polyphemus so that the crew can escape. The “Nobody” or “No-Man” deception is brilliant because it showcases the hero’s talent even as it ironically foreshadows his literal disappearance from his home and family and his entrapment by Calypso.  

Nolan’s rendition is visually captivating, but by dismissing the complexities of both characters, the viewer misses both Homer’s insight and a delightful narrative twist. 

As I watched the film, I became aware that I was having a quiet conversation with it, either affirming its moments of greatness or wanting to cry out in protest. While Nolan retains much of what makes the epic fascinating beyond violence—the visit to the underworld and the prophecy of Tiresias are good examples—there are historical details such as armor and ships that have upset purists. And while Nolan remains true to the fidelity of Penelope, he takes interesting liberties with the portrayals of other female figures such as Circe, Calypso and Athena. Anyone who has read the poem anticipated what Nolan might do with the Sirens, Charybdis and Scylla, and I won’t spoil that for you. I won’t spoil the depiction of the Laestrygonians either, except to say that I loved the framing of that scene. 

Understanding ourselves and our place 

So why should a Christian, and especially a Catholic Christian, care so much about an ancient poem nearly 3,000 years old that predates the Gospel by 800 years? 

Because we can’t truly understand ourselves and our place in the world without it. 

The Homeric epics “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey,” along with Virgil’s “The Aeneid” and Ovid’s “Metamorphoses,” are as foundational as Hebraic Scripture. They illuminate who we are, what it means to be human and what it means to have an innate awareness of a Creator. The profound difference between the Hebraic and Hellenic conceptions of God must be understood if we are to fully know the narrative of Salvation History, Christianity and the development of theology. 

When St. Paul confronts the Greeks with the Gospel, their response is like that of many of my students when presented with classical and ancient texts: some scoff, some understand, and some muse that they would like to hear more about it another time.  

Like many teachers have expressed after seeing Nolan’s film, I am thrilled that the movie has captured the interest of a young audience that now wants to read the epic for themselves. I look forward to teaching it anew this fall semester to an audience who I know will be more engaged by the material than usual. 

I am also excited about the two forthcoming Mel Gibson films “The Resurrection of the Christ.” Part One is due to be released on May 6 —Ascension Day—next year, and Part Two is scheduled for May of 2028. The film will feature vivid portrayals of the Harrowing of Hell, which will spark even more dialogue among both believers and non-believers than “The Odyssey” has. 

When J.R.R. Tolkien was trying to convince C.S. Lewis to convert to Christianity, he came at the matter from the vantage of foundational and classical myth. Lewis protested that myths are “lies,” and Tolkien’s reply was adamant: “No, they are not lies.” Tolkien knew that myth is a doorway to truth, and truth an invitation to faith. Whether you’re headed back to high school or college this fall, or investigating the Homeric epics further on your own, take comfort that in a rapidly changing world, myth is not only relevant, but it endures. 

Evelyn Fuentes is an up-and-coming musician whose talent earned her the privilege to share the stage with the symphony.    

She performed the “Glazunov Concerto” for alto saxophone under Maestro Dirk Meyer’s conducting, accompanied by the orchestra. She received the 2025 Youth Concerto Competition award, which earned her the opportunity to perform   

Evelyn Fuentes, a graduate of Pinecrest Academy, performed with the Augusta Symphony.

“I had the most amazing experience performing with the Augusta Symphony. Being surrounded by so many hardworking and talented professional musicians was beyond inspiring, and I am so grateful to them for the kindness they showed me during that weekend. Performing with Augusta was the best debut I could have asked for, and I hope to perform in a similar capacity very soon,” she wrote in an email.  

It’s one of many accolades she received during high school. Fuentes will continue studies in saxophone performance at Northwestern University.  

Hannon, a parishioner at St. Mary’s Church in Rome, is a guest columnist for The Georgia Bulletin and is author of two memoirs—her most recent a spiritual memoir.  

Lauretta Hannon’s spiritual memoir was released by Mercer University Press Aug. 4.

“A Priest Walks into a Waffle House: Stories from a Gritty, Grace-Filled Life” shares tales from Hannon’s colorful childhood to her discovery of the Catholic faith and beyond.  

Disarming a playground bully with vulnerability, experiences with her flawed yet greatest spiritual teachers and a sister’s love in a fractured family are all essay topics. Her book serves as a reminder that “grace abounds where we often miss it: in the grittiness of life.” 

Hannon discussed her vocation of writing and the new book in this Q&A with The Georgia Bulletin: 

Georgia Bulletin: Some readers feel like they know you through your guest columns in The Georgia Bulletin or from reading “The Cracker Queen: A Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful Life.” For the rest, can you share a nutshell introduction to yourself? 

Hannon: I’m just a girl who came from the wrong side of the tracks in Warner Robins, Georgia. But I’m also a lifelong seeker of truth and beauty. A lover of God. Someone upon whom grace has been lavishly bestowed, especially during the grittiest times. 

Despite this, I grew up with a disdain for Christianity and spent most of my life mocking it at every opportunity. It grieves me to even say that now.  

Then one morning in 2015, I had a mystical encounter with a priest at the Mableton Waffle House. It stopped me dead in my tracks and made me reconsider my whole spiritual identity. My conversion wasn’t fast or pretty. The journey has been fitful, poignant, and at times, laugh-out-loud funny. And believe me: the joke’s been entirely on me! 

Today, I’m on fire for the Lord and want everybody to know about–and access–the inexhaustible riches of the Catholic faith. 

GB: When did you first discover you had a gift for writing and storytelling? How did this gift help you sort through both the suffering and joyful experiences of your life? 

Hannon: I was 10, and my dad and I were visiting family in Hartford, Connecticut. My Great-Aunt Martha asked me to compose a poem and read it to everyone. Doing that absolutely lit me up in a way I’d never experienced. When I wrote about it in the new book, I recalled a quote that really captured it. 

“There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in,” from Graham Greene’s “The Power and the Glory.”  

I got a glimpse of what I was put here to do. 

Writing has been a spiritual practice for me and a form of prayer–and even worship. When sitting down to tell a story and make meaning of it, I’m forced to be still and listen. I’ve found that the Holy Spirit often comes through loud and clear during those moments. 

GB: “A Priest Walks into a Waffle House: Stories from a Gritty, Graced-Filled Life” is a collection of essays on your experiences and encounters. Is there one that stands out as a crowning jewel or one that never leaves you? 

Lauretta Hannon

Hannon: The standout has to be the “It’s real” moment.  

After many months of struggling to believe that what the Church says is true, I received a divine message while at Mass. It was only two words, but it had the power of a direct lightning strike behind it. 

The message was, “It’s real.” As in: Jesus is real. His words are real. The Resurrection is real. The Eucharist is the real body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ–because He said so. The Catholic Church is real.  

It blew me away! I mean, how can you walk away from that? 

GB: The new book’s title reads like a joke opening, and humor has a starring role in both your books. How important is laughter and seeing the funny side of things in the practice of faith? 

Hannon: Writer Anne Lamott says, “Laughter is carbonated holiness.” I believe that. Nothing connects people better than humor. Walls dissolve when you share a laugh with someone.  

There’s something deeply spiritual and healing in being able to see the comedic in something, particularly when you’re going through dark times. I bet the enemy hates that. 

Even my prayer through the writing of the new book was funny, although I wasn’t trying to make it that way. I prayed, “Jesus, you’re gonna have to put your razzmatazz on this book. I can’t pull it off by myself. Remember: razzmatazz, okay?” 

GB: You close your new book with Rules for Real Radicals. What does it mean to be a real radical? 

Hannon: To be a real radical is to truly love everyone, realizing there are no others. A real radical is a joyful rebel in a despairing world. A real radical devotes time to disciplined spiritual practice in order to become and remain present to the presence of God. A real radical sees suffering as a great teacher. As you can tell, I could go on and on!  

In a nutshell, a real radical is an apostle of hope.

Reach for Excellence recognized this milestone with a celebration on March 26 in the Marist School library and the dedication of a plaque honoring founders and early supporters in June.    

In 1998, as Marist School prepared to mark its centennial, then–Father Joel Konzen, SM, and the Society of Mary reflected on how they might serve students beyond the school’s immediate community. Their vision was to reach talented students from under-resourced backgrounds and open doors to opportunity.  

After three years of exploring enrichment programs, the Marists found a program to help promising students from low-income households gain admission to college-prep high schools.  

The first class in June 2001 began with 25 rising seventh graders. Twenty-five years later, Reach for Excellence has graduated 564 students. All but one completed high school, and 92 percent went to college. Alumni have earned degrees from Harvard, Yale, Princeton and MIT. Among them are doctors, attorneys, educators and an astrophysicist.  

Students with Reach for Excellence met during the summer to prepare for the high school entrance exam. The Reach for Excellence organization began to help students from working-class backgrounds prepare for college-prep high schools. It marks its 25th anniversary this year.

Lead by Executive Director Dr. Linda Lehmil, Reach continues its mission. This year, all students who applied to private or independent schools were admitted, and 61 percent enrolled. Scholars attend Marist School, Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School, The Paideia School, St. Pius X Catholic High School, Westminster, Wesleyan School, Dekalb Early College Academy and public high schools.  

Class of 2025 graduates attend colleges and universities including Columbia, Brown, Emory and Georgia Tech.   

“None of this would have been possible without Father Bill Rowland,” said Bishop Konzen. “He was the driving force who made it happen and who issued the clarion call that the Society of Mary needed to broaden the scope of what we have done in Atlanta for the next 100 years.”  

Reach has been guided by a committed board and supporters including Wade Stribling, Jim MacGinnitie, Bob Fitzgerald, Steve Raeber, the late Tim Cambias, Rocco Testani and others.  

Marist School alumni on the board include: Amanda Glover Bradley, Missy Chambless; Natalie Smith Childs, Brendan Dete, Brandon M. Fountain, Jennifer Thomas Gordon, Wolly Mendez, Kelly Cambias Miles, Katherine Riley Robb, Lyn Connolly Schaffer, Jordan Snellings and Alison MacGinnitie Thompson ’88.  

To donate, visit www.reachforexcellence.org.

At the exit of the “People of Hope” museum, visitors were invited to complete prompts such as “I will create hope by …” and “I will live as Jesus did.” 

These promises were clipped inside a tractor-trailer converted into a traveling museum that illustrates the hard choices faced by men and women living on the margins of society and how Catholic Charities responds.  

For Gwen Hinton, the museum reinforced her desire to work for social justice.  

“It just deepened our desire to be the kind of change we want to see in the world,” said Hinton. 

She and her husband, Mike, worship at St. Andrew Church in Roswell. Both are active in serving the poor at their parish and giving their time to the night shelter at the Shrine of Immaculate Conception in Atlanta.  

Visiting the exhibit on Aug. 5 helped the two of them gain a deeper understanding of the work they are already doing, she said. The exhibit revealed how charity is necessary, but it’s also important to fix the structures that can keep people in poverty, she said.  

Caroline Gold of Catholic Charities Atlanta smiles outside the “People of Hope” mobile museum parked in between St. Peter Chanel Church and Blessed Trinity High School in Roswell for its Georgia visit. Part of the museum is dedicated to hearing video testimonials from volunteers who accompany people facing dire situations. Photo by Julianna Leopold

This unique museum turned the spotlight on neighbors in need and those who help them. It is called “People of Hope: Faith-Filled Stories of Neighbors Helping Neighbors.” Built into a retrofitted tractor-trailer, the museum was parked between St. Peter Chanel Church and Blessed Trinity High School in Roswell for its two days in Georgia. 

The People of Hope Museum is to visit more than 150 communities across the country. The initiative comes from a grant of nearly $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. as part of its National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life.  

Vanessa Russell, CEO of Catholic Charities Atlanta, greeted visitors. She said a goal of the traveling exhibit is to move beyond dry statistics and “humanize poverty” by allowing people to hear stories and become immersed in the lives of others. The hope is that experiencing the hardships “hit your heart” in a way numbers cannot, Russell said. 

For two days, more than 120 people walked through the museum for an immersive experience. Viewers got the chance to learn about the lives of five individuals facing hard choices, including families with special needs children, a widow living on limited income and former prisoners resettling after incarceration. 

Does the prisoner take a higher-paid mechanic job, at the risk of violating parole as he is surrounded by friends from the old neighborhood? Or the widow with a high heat bill, weighing whether to pay her rent, her heating bill or medicine? 

Laurel Harrell, left, participates in an interactive exhibit at the “People of Hope” museum. Her husband John Harrell reads alongside her. The museum was built into a retrofitted tractor trailer and visited the archdiocese for two days, parked near Blessed Trinity High School in Roswell. Photo by Julianna Leopold

Alison Hernandez, a Catholic Charities senior staff member working with refugees, said challenges faced by the poor can be hard to resolve because they are caused by a web of overlapping issues touching their lives.  

Catholic Charities Atlanta is focused less on financial assistance as “case workers educate to empower individuals,” she said. The work covers a range of challenges that make life hard based on people’s unique circumstances, from lowering medical debt and working with housing counselors to registering for federal aid programs, she said. 

Part of the museum is dedicated to hearing video testimonials from volunteers who accompany people facing dire situations. A small library allowed visitors to get a list of books and other resources to improve communities and strengthen connections between neighbors and serving the poor.  

In 2025, more than 10,000 women and men in the Atlanta area were served by the nonprofit Catholic Charities. Some 631 volunteers contributed to the effort. Russell said additional volunteers will be vital to assist people as the federal government reduces its financial support for these types of services. 

“This is taking the numbers and giving you the story behind the numbers,” Russell said. “That helps them grow a little bit in their compassion but also on the other hand to really inspire them to action.” 

In the following Q&A, both principals discuss their path to leadership and goals for the year ahead. The following responses have been edited for length and clarity: 

Breanna Johnson-Anderson

A full-circle moment

Breanna Johnson-Anderson, an Atlanta native, attended St. Peter Claver as a preschool student before continuing at St. Thomas More and St. Pius X High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Alabama. Johnson-Anderson has served at St. Peter Claver for 10 years, teaching students in third through sixth grades. She said her passion for Catholic education was inspired by her grandmother, who taught elementary school for 35 years. 

How do you feel having the opportunity to serve as interim principal of St. Peter Claver Regional Catholic School?  

It feels incredibly surreal and truly like a full-circle moment in my life. I attended St. Peter Claver for pre-K, and now, years later, I have the privilege of returning to serve the very community that helped shape who I am today. This was my first teaching position after graduating from college, so to now step into a leadership role at the school that gave me my start is an incredible honor. 

St. Peter Claver is known for its diverse student body and school community. What excites you most about leading a school where students and families come from so many different backgrounds and cultures? 

Leading a school with such rich diversity is exciting because it gives our students the opportunity to learn from one another every single day. They don’t just read about different cultures in textbooks, they build friendships, celebrate traditions and gain an appreciation for perspectives that may be different from their own. 

When you’re not at school, what are some of your favorite hobbies? 

I’m a big sports fan, especially when it comes to University of Alabama football. Fall Saturdays are often spent cheering on the Crimson Tide, and during football season you’ll also find me rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sundays. 

Who has had the greatest impact on your life as an educator, and what did you learn from them? 

Patty Childs, our current superintendent. Childs was actually my first-grade teacher many years ago. To now serve as an educational leader alongside my former teacher, who continues to guide and support me as my superintendent, is truly a full-circle moment. 

As you begin this new role, what are some of your priorities for students, families and faculty during the coming school year? 

I want every student who walks through our doors to know they are loved and have been given unique gifts and talents by God. I hope our families continue to feel that SPC is truly a partnership. I want our faculty and staff to know how much I value the incredible work they do every day. Teachers are the heart of our school, and my goal is to support them with the tools they need to continue providing an exceptional education for our students. 

Cynthia Launay-Fallasse

Serving a school that has become home

Cynthia Launay-Fallasse begins her new role after serving St. Mary’s Academy since 2002. She studied English and theology in college before serving in a L’Arche community in France. She joined SMA as an English and French teacher and has since worked as a varsity coach, theater director, director of enrollment and advancement and assistant principal. Launay-Fallasse said her experiences in Catholic education and school leadership have prepared her to continue the school’s mission and support its community.  

After spending so many years serving this community, what does this new chapter as principal mean to you personally?  

I feel a profound reconfirmation of my calling. I am humbled to serve this community. As I begin my 25th year at SMA, I am most excited to build on our strong foundation of being a community firm in faith, joyful in hope and strong in knowledge. I am optimistic about guiding this school that has truly become my home.  

As a parent of St. Mary Academy graduates, you have experienced the school both as an educator and as a parent. How has that influenced your understanding of what families are looking for in a Catholic school?  

My daughters are who they are today in large part because of the dedicated faculty, staff and peers who surrounded them. Both have chosen vocations in healthcare centered on serving others. One is completing a master’s degree in speech-language pathology at Loyola University, and the other is in her final year at Georgia Tech, currently applying to medical school. Experiencing this growth in my own children while simultaneously working at SMA has given me a distinct understanding that parents want academic rigor, but more than anything, they are yearning for an environment that forms the heart as much as the mind.  

You have seen generations of students walk through St. Mary Academy’s doors. What is something you have learned from your students over the years?  

I’ve learned unconditional joy from my pre-K and kindergarten students. I’ve learned to remain curious from my elementary school students. I’ve learned compassion from my middle school students (and gen-alpha slang). I’ve learned the power of authenticity from my high schoolers. While every age group brings a different gift, each student who walks through St. Mary Academy’s doors has left a lasting mark on me.  

What excites you about the school’s STEM initiatives, and how do you hope to continue building on that foundation?  

I can brag about our state-of-the-art STEM labs, our initiatives and our commitment to excellence in STEM, but what excites me most about St. Mary’s Academy’s program is the opportunity to teach at the natural intersection of faith and science. By confronting the difficult ethical questions surrounding new technologies, we challenge our students not only to master technical skills, but to use them with moral discernment.   

Dr. Allen Hunt

On Sept. 11-13, Hunt will lead “The Power of Forgiveness” at The Retreat at Heritage in Crawfordville. He will provide tools and concrete ways to help those attending forgive themselves, let go of past hurts inflicted by others and to embrace God’s forgiveness and mercy. Hunt is author of “No Regrets” and is a former mega-church pastor who joined the Catholic Church. 

Although he has spoken and written about forgiveness, this is the first time he’s put the subject into a retreat format. Hunt is familiar with the healing that forgiving can bring. 

“I’m a really bad forgiver. I come from a long line of grudge holders,” he said. 

This retreat will offer Mass and the sacrament of reconciliation.  

“You’ll have a lot of time for silence,” said Hunt. “It’s not your everyday retreat experience.” 

As the leader, he will be equipping participants with “a real path” and not just talking. 

“It’s about the nature of God,” and merging with him to learn to be forgiving and to seek redemption. 

Hunt said the peaceful setting of Heritage and the inspiring sacred art it showcases will lend to the experience. 

“It’s a place that’s really conducive to this type of spiritual healing,” he said. 

The four programs, spread over three days, are: “The Most Powerful Word in the English Language,” “Giving and Receiving Forgiveness,” “How to Forgive Yourself” and “The Immense Ocean of God’s Mercy and Love.” Sunday Mass at the Church of the Purification will conclude the weekend retreat.  

For more information on the retreat, visit https://www.heritagega.org/events or email retreat@heritagega.org. 

“Everybody needs to forgive somebody,” Hunt said. 

The pope offered prayers “for the eternal rest of the deceased and raises his prayers to the Lord for the speedy recovery of those affected by this tragedy,” said a telegram to Archbishop Francisco Javier Múnera Correa of Cartagena, president of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference, signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state.

The earthquake struck in the morning Aug. 10, with hundreds of videos posted online of people fleeing outdoors as the ground below them violently shook.

The Colombian Association of Capital Cities reported that the death toll rose to 132, with more than 570 injured. The association, which is a network of Colombia’s major cities, said the number is expected to change as damage assessments continue in the affected areas.

In his message, which the Vatican published Aug. 11, Cardinal Parolin conveyed the pope’s condolences “to the families who, in this hour of deep sorrow, mourn the loss of their loved ones.”

“In the same way, he assures his spiritual closeness and expresses his gratitude to all those who, with generous dedication, are working in the search, rescue, and assistance efforts for those affected,” the message read.

“Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he asks the Lord to pour out upon the beloved Colombian people the gifts of spiritual strength and Christian hope,” said the message.

According to Colombia’s Geological Service, the quake’s epicenter was the northwestern department of Chocó, and the intense magnitude made it “the strongest earthquake felt in Colombia in the last decade.”

The Geological Service also reported that, as of Aug. 10 in the afternoon, the country has recorded 18 aftershocks with magnitudes between 1.4 and 4.8 since the initial earthquake.

In a message published Aug. 10, the Colombian Bishops’ Conference expressed its closeness to the victims of the deadly 7.4 magnitude quake, as well as those who have been displaced.

“We pray for those who have lost their lives, that God may grant them eternal rest; for the persons who are still missing; for the injured, and for the affected families,” the bishops said.

The bishops also prayed for relief and medical personnel, as well as military and government authorities, “and all those who, with generosity and courage, are working in search, rescue, and care efforts for those affected.”

“This painful moment reminds us that no one can face an emergency of this magnitude alone,” the statement read. “Colombia is called, once again, to recognize itself as one family and to respond to the suffering of its brothers and sisters with generosity, responsibility, and solidarity.”

Among the videos of the destruction wrought by the earthquake were that of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Manizales, as well as several churches that were heavily damaged in the aftermath.

The Archdiocese of Manizales also shared a 10-second video showing a Mass taking place as the earthquake struck in the morning.

In a video message to the city’s faithful, Archbishop José Miguel Gómez of Manizales said that while the archdiocese continues to assess the damage to churches, “the most important thing is you, the faithful, the priests, and all our neighbors who suffered the same.”

“God, our Lord, never abandons us, and it is in these moments when, lifting our eyes to Him, we must all, with humility and simplicity, ask Him for the graces we need to live through these difficulties,” Archbishop Gómez said.

The archbishop also invoked the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary, asking her to “console and comfort” those affected by the natural disaster. He also urged people to follow guidelines given by the authorities.

“And, following those instructions, always seek to be attentive to those who suffer the most, so that no person is left without care in these difficult times,” he said before imparting his blessing.

The Colombian bishops’ conference said dioceses across the country are setting up collection points to ensure food distribution to shelters, hospitals and communities in the affected areas.

Caritas Colombia, the conference said, activated its National Emergency Service “to raise funds to directly help the jurisdictions and communities that were most affected by this tragedy.”

The humanitarian program known as Temporary Protective Status (TPS) allows people to live, raise a family and work in the country legally, giving an umbrella of protection to roughly 350,000 people.  

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services set late July as the deadline to lift the protected status from people from Haiti and Syria. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled President Trump had the authority to remove the designation after a legal fight.  

With the court decision, Haitians and Syrians who lose TPS and do not qualify for another immigration status face an uncertain future. After more than a decade in the country, they could face deportation proceedings. 

The state has one of the largest Haitian communities in the country. Advocates for immigrants estimate some 7,000 Haitians with TPS live in Georgia. 

At Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Decatur, people are missing from the pews during the Haitian community Mass out of fear of leaving their homes, said worshippers. The community gathers every Sunday for Mass in French and Creole. 

Edmond Fetiere is a 64-year-old transportation inspector. Although a U.S. citizen, he is active in the community and is highly concerned for his fellow Haitians. Fetiere said vulnerable people are at grave risk if they must return to the island because of the instability and violence plaguing the country.  

He pointed out how the U.S. government has told Americans to avoid traveling to Haiti, so he thinks it cruel to force people to return to dangerous situations where they can be victims.  

Maestro Dario Clena, left, conducts the Symphonie de la Foi Haitian choir during the weekly Haitian Community Mass. The choir sings at Mass once a month. Photo by Julianna Leopold

Alberta Therlonge, 48, sings with the choir at Mass, and she’s a special education teacher in Cobb County schools. People protected with TPS accepted it out of fear, not to take advantage of the United States, she said. Haitians work hard to provide for their families and community, she said.   

They are afraid because some of them own homes here and some of them “don’t know what will happen if they do go back to Haiti because of the situation of gangs taking over people’s houses and other properties or businesses,” she said.  

Kevin Borgella, a 33-year-old medical student and first-generation Haitian American, said there is a “palpable sense of urgency” within the community. He said political decisions seem to have specifically targeted Haitians. 

Immigrants who are protected by TPS feel drawn to the freedom America has long offered hardworking immigrants, he said. They are inspired by the foundational values of the country that allowed America to become what it has been for 250 years, he said.  

Dancers from left, Darianna Q. Clena, Wesnie Abbie Volatire and Arshell Palomino, use their gifts to glorify the Lord during the Kyrie, Gloria and Offertory while the choir sings in Haitian Creole at the Haitian community Mass on July 19 at Sts. Peter and Paul in Decatur. Photo by Julianna Leopold

The concerns expressed by the worshippers after a recent Sunday Mass are mirrored by Georgia’s bishops. 

The religious leaders wrote to members of Congress, urging a reprieve for the affected people.  

“So many of these families will imminently be left without any legal status or a way to support themselves, all while returning to their country of origin remains unsafe, impractical and unreasonable because of the ongoing conditions there,” wrote the bishops. 

They urged the passage of Senate Bill 4814 “to offer a measure of stability to our Haitian brothers and sisters in the short-term.” It would prolong TPS status to 2029.  

The letter was signed by Atlanta Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., Bishop Joel M. Konzen, SM, Bishop John N. Tran, Bishop Bernard E. Shlesinger III and Savannah Bishop Stephen D. Parkes. 

In 2025, 17 countries were covered by TPS designations: Afghanistan, Burma, Cameroon, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Lebanon, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen.  

As of March 31, 2025, approximately 1.3 million people in the United States from these countries were protected from removal by TPS, according to federal reports.  

Haiti was initially designated for Temporary Protected Status on January 21, 2010, following a major earthquake. The TPS program is a humanitarian initiative that allows people from countries undergoing crisis to remain in the United States and work. The program does not provide a direct pathway to permanent residency or citizenship. 

Authorities have extended the designation multiple times during the 16 years. But in 2025, the Trump administration reported “it is contrary to the national interest of the United States” to continue the program for people from Syria and Haiti. The Supreme Court affirmed the authority of the president to remove the designation.  

The state has one of the largest Haitian communities in the country. The Migration Policy Institute reported 731,000 Haitian immigrants in the United States in 2022, with between 40,000 and 60,000 people of Haitian origin living in Georgia. 

I stood in front of the Cobb County monument for nearly 10 minutes.

Cobb County is where I drive to church on Sunday mornings. It is where I stop for coffee before work. It is where my family and I go to an Atlanta Braves baseball game.

Standing in front of that memorial, I found myself asking questions I had never considered before. What roads do I travel that once carried people living in fear? What buildings have I stepped in that stood witness to hatred? What stories remain buried beneath my daily routine?

These questions echoed in my head throughout the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s pilgrimage to Montgomery July 1-2.

Led by Ashley Morris, the director of Black Catholic Affairs in the archdiocese’s Office of Intercultural Ministries, the two-day experience was a historical immersion into the city that shaped both the legacy of slavery and the Civil Rights Movement.

We visited the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the Harris House and the Freedom Rides Museum.

I arrived in Montgomery with 15 other attendees as a journalist, someone who spends my days asking questions and telling stories. But I left with a deeper understanding of how many stories remain unheard, and how much responsibility comes with bringing those stories into the light.

In the Legacy Museum, one exhibit displayed newspaper headlines documenting lynchings throughout the country. I found those displays particularly painful as a news reporter. A headline is powerful, tells the readers what matters and frames an event before the rest of the story is told.

Yet those headlines reported horrific acts of violence with a disturbing sense of normalcy, using language that reflected a society desensitized to the suffering of its own neighbors.

But eventually, I found myself asking, how is that different from the way we encounter tragedy today?

Each day, headlines appear on our phones announcing violence, loss and injustice. We read about young lives taken by racism, mass shootings and acts of hatred, and too often those stories disappear with the next news cycle. Names become statistics as we scroll, grieve and then move to the next story.

The exhibit, and the pilgrimage, challenged me to consider what happens when we allow suffering to become ordinary.

As Catholics, we believe every person is created in the image and likeness of God. That belief demands more from us than simply acknowledging tragedy after it happens. It calls us to resist indifference, to mourn with those who suffer and to recognize that no person’s pain should ever become just another headline.

Members of the Archdiocese of Atlanta visited the Freedom Rides Museum during a two-day pilgrimage in Montgomery, Alabama. The museum once stood as Montgomery’s Greyhound bus station. Photo courtesy of Ashley Morris

Standing among those sites in Montgomery, I was reminded that the responsibility of journalism, and the responsibility of my faith, is ultimately the same: to preserve human dignity and to never allow another person’s suffering to become invisible.

The Equal Rights Initiative, a nonprofit organization focused on education, reform and justice, challenges visitors to confront uncomfortable realities, not to assign guilt, but to cultivate necessary conversations.

Because of this, my greatest revelation of the pilgrimage was not what I learned, but what I had never been taught.

Like many Americans, I learned about slavery. I learned about the Civil Rights Movement. But I never knew in 1884, a Black man in Calhoun County was attacked and his home was burnt down with his family inside because he had voted. Or in 1918, a pregnant woman in Brooks-Lowndes County was lynched because she complained about the lynching of her husband.

Anna Fontaine, content specialist for the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s office of Mission Advancement and parishioner of Holy Family Church in Marietta, shared a similar experience. She found herself reflecting on what had been left out of her education during the pilgrimage.

“In having a fuller understanding of the darkness these very real people faced, the power of their courage to work for a better world, at the risk of their own lives, was deeply moving and is something that will always remain with me,” she shared.

Fontaine said the pilgrimage transformed the way she thinks about her vocation, sharing that her job focuses on the experiences of others more than providing her own thoughts.

“The experience emphasized the importance of hearing people in their own words and in their own voice, especially for me as a writer and video creator,” she said. “The pilgrimage underlined the power of direct quotes from people living these experiences.”

For Fontaine, the pilgrimage was “a time of sobering discovery and reflection,” and described the experience as an opportunity to develop a deeper appreciation for the courage of Black Americans throughout history.

“It is essential that we face the brutal and painful parts of our nation’s history,” she shared. “Not only because these violent sins should never again occur, but in understanding the dark aspects of our history, we can better understand the experiences and needs of people in our community today.

Throughout the two days, our conversations returned repeatedly to the Catholic call to recognize the dignity of every human person.

We reflected on the Church’s role in acknowledging painful parts of history, including Pope Leo XIV’s recent acknowledgment of the Catholic Church’s participation in slavery in his latest encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas.”

The Catholic faith is built on compassion, charity and reconciliation. But reconciliation requires honesty. Acknowledging where we have failed is not a rejection of faith, it is part of living it. And once we acknowledge where we went wrong, we can begin to do right.

Breon Haskett, a parishioner of Transfiguration Church in Marietta and a ministry leader who has spent years serving vulnerable communities, brought that perspective to the pilgrimage through his decades of service.

Through his work with young people, parish ministries, mission trips, outreach with Covenant House and efforts to serve people experiencing homelessness, he has spent years recognizing the suffering of others.

“Much of my ministry has been spent walking alongside people who are often overlooked,” he said. “As I walked through the Legacy Sites, I couldn’t help but recognize a common thread that connects all vulnerable populations: every person longs to be seen, valued and treated with dignity.”

Haskett described his pilgrimage experience “emotionally difficult and spiritually enriching.”

“There were moments of sadness as I reflected on the suffering endured by so many men, women and children whose dignity was denied simply because of the color of their skin,” he said. “At the same time, I was inspired by the courage of those who chose hope over hatred and nonviolence over revenge.”

The pilgrimage reinforced a lesson he has learned throughout his years of ministry, that “our first responsibility isn’t to solve every problem, it’s to recognize the humanity of the person standing in front of us.”

For Haskett, the experience offered an opportunity to think about how he can continue building communities rooted in justice. His perspective reminded me that the purpose of remembering is to not remain in the past.

“As Catholics, we speak often about remembering Christ’s passion because remembering transforms us,” he said. “I found myself thinking that remembering our nation’s painful history serves a similar purpose. We cannot reconcile what we refuse to acknowledge.”

In my two days in Montgomery, I learned that history is never as distant as we imagine. Sometimes it is woven into the places we know best, waiting for someone to ask questions that have gone unanswered for too long.

Haskett said a book teaches facts, and a documentary tells a story. A pilgrimage allows us to encounter history, and in doing so it invites “empathy, conversation and ultimately transformation.”

The pilgrimage left me with a greater responsibility to ask the hard questions, to listen more carefully and to acknowledge what has often been forgotten. More than anything, it reminded me that no person created in the image of God should ever be reduced to just another headline.

Of those applicants, 20 have been accepted, a milestone vocations leaders say reflects years of intentional work to cultivate a stronger culture of discernment, strengthen priestly formation and encourage young men to consider the call to the priesthood.

“It’s a product of people’s prayers, a product of a lot of hard work from my team and from the support of the priests and the bishops,” said Father Rey Pineda, director of vocations for the Archdiocese of Atlanta about the record-breaking class. “I think that we’re starting to see the fruit that is being born from saying (the call) is not just an event or a movement or one-off thing.”

The record number is more than a statistic, said Father Gerardo Ceballos, priest secretary to the archbishop, director of the Office of Divine Worship and associate vocations director.

“Numbers are great, but I think the hope is even bigger than the numbers,” he said.

Father Pineda said that all but one of the accepted seminarians grew up in Atlanta. They attended local schools, worshipped in local parishes and were formed within the communities they now hope to serve. For him, this is an encouraging sign for the Church.

“There was a time where it was absolutely necessary … to bring priests from elsewhere because there was a need,” he said.

Now, “the sons of Atlanta are coming forward.”

According to both priests, the increase is not the result of one initiative but of years of growth across the archdiocese, and a combination of multiple changes.

One of the developments has been a renewed approach to seminary formation.

While priestly formation has always included human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral dimensions, recent changes in seminary education place greater emphasis on forming the whole person.

Rather than measuring progress primarily through academic milestones, seminarians now advance through stages of formation that emphasize individual growth, spiritual maturity and readiness for ministry alongside theological study.

“Changing the language of (formation) is changing the culture of how we’re forming men,” he said. “Even though the academics are important, these men notice that they’re being formed entirely. They notice their own gifts and flourish from it.”

Father Pineda said earlier generations often expected much of a man’s human formation to come from his upbringing. Today’s approach recognizes the need to intentionally cultivate those qualities throughout seminary.

“It just sets the tone for the most growth and healing, and for the man to become truly who God is calling him to become so that he can serve,” he said.

Another significant change has been the emphasis on community.

Rather than discerning largely on their own, seminarians now journey alongside one another through the process, building friendships and learning from one another.

Father Ceballos said this approach has contributed to stronger relationships, which he hopes will lead to healthier future priests.

“When you put these guys together, they feel not only that they are not alone, but they feel even more the Holy Spirit working through them,” he said.

Seminarians have also extended their communal approach into the parishes they serve in the summer. Parishioners have become familiar with them, making conversations about priesthood a normal part of parish life.

This “culture of vocations,” has normalized religious life and contributed to its growth, said Father Ceballos.

“It shouldn’t be something surprising for people in their parishes that there are men and women called to religious life and to the priesthood,” Father Ceballos said. “It should be normal, and that is what the culture of vocations should create.”

Father Pineda believes today’s seminarians are entering formation with greater support and resources than ever before, equipping them to become healthy, integrated priests capable of strengthening parish communities.

Looking ahead, both priests hope Catholics see the record class not simply as a milestone, but as a sign of the Holy Spirit’s continued work in the local church.

“I’m just seeing these guys with a different quality that is really beautiful,” Father Pineda said. “And I just can’t wait for the rest of the church to see it as well.”

A crowned Christ was visible now above the altar. 

 The larger-than-life murals featuring the Blessed Virgin Mary beautify the sanctuary of Mary Our Queen Church following the installation.  

“It’s so much better in person than in pictures,” said sacristan Jeannine Baylot, who paused to admire the work while delivering communion wafers to the sacristy.  

Baylot has worshipped at the parish since 1998 when the community prayed in a much smaller and more modest church that resembled an office building. 

“The church was beautiful to start with. But Father Byrd’s enhancements have been phenomenal, is the word I would use,” she said. “He elevates the level of worship we have here.”  

The church was dedicated in 2019, designed in a neoclassical style. Unique in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, it repurposed iron gates, the altar, stained glass windows and other church treasures from a century-old Catholic church in New York that was closing. The curved apse behind the altar was left blank. In response to a 2022 parish survey, the community commissioned Pennsylvania artist Neilson Carlin to design the murals.  

Nathan Taubert unrolls the 22-foot-tall canvas by Pennsylvania artist Neilson Carlin, featuring depictions of Mary. The sacred art was designed to work with the architectural features of the building, using the existing woodwork to give viewers a perspective of “seeing through into another world,” Carlin said. Photo by Julianna Leopold

Carlin painted the images on canvas that would be attached to the walls. The sacred art was designed to work with the architectural features of the building, using the existing woodwork to give viewers a perspective of “seeing through into another world,” Carlin said.  

Painting in a style of classical realism, Carlin said sacred art has a dual role to be educational and contemplative. His goal as an artist is to inspire people to prayer, leading them from thinking about the church building to the spiritual. 

The murals are scheduled to be dedicated by Bishop Joel M. Konzen, SM, on Aug. 23, the weekend of the parish feast day. 

Father Charles Byrd became pastor of the parish in 2021. He found a sanctuary, with historic church furnishings, but with little to link it to the parish patron.  

Shortly after, in response to a parish survey, the community started installing paintings and icons of saints on its walls. The new murals are the next stage of that process, he said. 

“These murals make it abundantly clear that our patron is the Queen of Heaven. And we are so proud to be under her prayerful gaze.” 

A reminder of the ‘Communion of Saints’ 

The parish’s first mural, installed in 2025, depicted five queens, two mentioned in the Bible and three who became saints. The women are Queen of Sheba and Queen Esther, along with St. Clotilde of France, St. Elizabeth of Hungary and St. Margaret of Scotland.   

Carlin designed the murals as trompe-l’oeil (“to deceive the eye”) to suggest marble niches and columns. He even added birds native to the Holy Land in the work to “complete the illusion and connect the artwork to the biblical world.”  

The canvas of Mary being welcomed into heaven lays between pews, ready to be mounted onto the walls of Mary Our Queen Church. Painting in a style of classical realism, artist Neilson Carlin said sacred art has a dual role to be educational and contemplative. He hopes the pieces together lead people to prayerful frames of mind. Photo by Julianna Leopold

The two newest large murals fill the shallow curved walls, floor to ceiling. One shows the Annunciation when the archangel Gabriel announces to Mary that she would conceive and bear a son. The second mural is the coronation of the Virgin Mary by Jesus following her Assumption into heaven. An anonymous donor paid for the work. 

Jeff Armbruster is a parishioner of nearly 30 years who in addition to being a lector and eucharistic minister, takes on carpentry projects. 

There is a “very definite pride of ownership” among the parishioners, said Armbruster. “The beauty is still another way, just like prayer, of praising God.”  

He said another parishioner admitted to him how once she saw the art she felt “uncontrollably in tears.” 

Father Byrd said the church has a legacy of supporting the arts, which both encourages prayer and helps people see themselves in the church’s story and in the saints. 

Decovin Norwood stands next to the tabernacle to prime the walls where the canvas will be installed.Two new murals at Mary Our Queen Church fill the shallow curved walls, floor to ceiling. One shows the Annunciation when the archangel Gabriel announces to Mary that she would conceive and bear a son. The second is the coronation of the Virgin Mary by Jesus. Photo by Julianna Leopold

“Catholics are devotional by nature. Our churches should encourage prayer but also devotion to the saints,” he wrote in an email. “Seeing images of the saints depicted around us reminds us that we are in the Communion of Saints, and moreover, sacred art could and should reflect who we are in the pews.” 

As part of this program, the parish is taking part in a month-long preparation for Marian Consecration. 

In the artist’s studio  

The size of the murals required Carlin to construct false walls in his studio to hang the canvases. Measuring 11 feet wide and 22 feet high, the longtime artist said he had to ensure the paintings looked complete from any spot in the church.  

Carlin has painted for churches across the country, but it is his first work in Georgia. He is known for art in the classical tradition. 

Because of the size, Carlin said there was “no room for error” once the painting was started. He first sketched out the design.  

Workers from Empire Beauty Studios installed the four sections of the mural by applying a special adhesive to the walls and unrolling the canvases to ensure it was lined up correctly.  

Run to Jesus, a program available in English and Spanish, teaches students from pre-K to high school to remain faithful while facing everyday struggles. The program can be offered for archdiocesan schools, retreats, ministries and parish faith formation groups.

Led by Catholic speaker and author Paula Umaña, Run to Jesus combines her testimony with discussions on the challenges young people face today to remind students that “Jesus is not only someone students learn about in religion class, but their closest friend and greatest source of hope.”

“Children and young people make more than 30,000 decisions every day,” Umaña said. “The goal is that, in each of those decisions, they remember to run to Jesus.”

Umaña, a former professional tennis player from Costa Rica, is the host of EWTN’s “Gifts of Hope” television series and spoke at the National Eucharistic Revival in 2024.

After a rare neurological illness left her paralyzed, she began sharing her testimony of faith and perseverance with Catholic audiences throughout the United States and Latin America. Umaña has led Run to Jesus workshops in New York, California and Costa Rica.

Paula Umaña, left, and her daughter Felicitee Sautre hold the tennis balls given to participants of Run to Jesus. Umaña, a former professional tennis player left paralyzed by a rare neurological condition, runs the program to teach children and young people how to face life’s challenges through faith-based decisions. Photo by Julianna Leopold.

Each workshop consists of presentations tailored to the age of the group, with presentations lasting 30 minutes for preschoolers and 45 minutes to an hour for elementary, middle and high school students.

Topics of each presentation include technology, social media, bullying, anxiety, friendship, peer pressure, disabilities, perseverance and making decisions rooted in faith. Students are invited to participate in the workshop through storytelling, music, games, prayer and age-appropriate activities.

“The goal is that, through my personal testimony, they begin to see themselves in the story and recognize the challenges in their own lives,” Umaña said.

At the conclusion of each workshop, participants receive a Miraculous Medal and a yellow tennis ball as reminders that “whenever life becomes difficult, they can always run to Jesus,” said Umaña.

To schedule a Run to Jesus event for your school or parish, visit www.PaulaSpeaker.com, or contact Paula Umaña at paulaumanaspeaker@gmail.com, 404-695-0053.

Bishop Joel M. Konzen, SM

A successful life, in our time, might be thought to be one that is lived far away from the pains and the problems of the sort that Jesus heard in the pleas of those who came to him. His words and actions, though, were trained squarely on sinners and on those whom the greater society had failed to serve and certainly would fail to redeem. When he quoted the prophet Hosea (Mt 9:13) in saying, “Go and learn the meaning of ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’” he might have been speaking to us in the present moment. He was clearly throwing his time and ministry in with the forgotten, the lost sheep, reminding us that strength is not the witness he most prized but rather a heart for those who seek to come up, to be elevated in their spirit and in their freedom to live fully in God’s great liberty and dignity.

Exercising solidarity with the shaken is to understand how they have been persecuted or let down or taken advantage of, to where they might have become disillusioned, cast aside because they have neither power nor riches to represent them. Our Church has always sought to minister hope and mercy to those in need, be that spiritual or temporal need. Thus, an appropriate examination of conscience, whether we are engaged in religious ministry or the lay apostolate, might be, “How have I strived to bring hope today to those who need to see and feel it?”

When we bear the sufferings of another, in our prayer, in our charity, in our time spent bearing hope to them, we enter into their reality and we are in solidarity with the downtrodden, the refugee, and the sinner, but also with God. To imagine that we do not share somehow in that person’s pain, that we have safely distanced ourselves from it, is to engage in a fantasy that we can be unburdened, unscathed by the sufferings of others. As the poet John Donne wrote, “Every man’s death [read also ‘suffering’] diminishes me because I am involved in mankind.”

The word “empathy” might have lost some of its force through overuse. But the nature of our person and our society—certainly our Church—does depend on our ability to see ourselves as part of the struggles of those who seek greater experience of freedom from persecution, from want, and from harm. We cannot champion our own liberty without also wanting it for those who are deprived of it and legitimately seek to know its reassurance.

The ways in which people have become shaken are many. We seek to restore their hope and trust, but, if we cannot do that for any reason, we want, in any case, to pray with them, to accompany them in their distress, and to offer whatever aid is in our wherewithal to provide. In the archdiocese, we owe a debt of gratitude to Catholic Charities Atlanta, to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and to the Pregnancy Aid Clinic for doing so much of this work on behalf of us who recognize the solidarity of the shaken and admit we belong to that fellowship of awareness and action.

Marietta Police Department officer Samantha Lutfig was minutes away from the scene. She arrived first and raced to start CPR, so “dialed in” to saving the victim’s life that she hardly noticed the pouring rain or the debris from the tree that covered the parking lot. Within minutes, other police officers arrived, and the Marietta Fire Department was dispatched to the church. Their combined resuscitation efforts helped bring Menna back to life. Almost two months later, Menna returned to the parking lot of St. Joseph Church to meet the first responders who saved her life.

It was an emotional reunion as Jeanne embraced each member of the police and fire departments who were on scene that day. As she faced the men and women who revived her, Menna couldn’t contain her gratitude.

“I’m just so grateful because after doing a little bit of research, so few people survive lightning strikes,” she said. “First responders run to danger; they don’t run away from it. I’m so grateful we have people who are willing to do that. It takes a lot of courage and bravery to do that job. They are truly God’s angels on earth.”

Despite the inherent danger of being struck by lightning, Menna has made a miraculous, near-perfect recovery.

“I’ve been seen by many doctors and specialists,” she said. “They have truly been astonished that I have no lasting effects. I’m astounded by why I’m doing so well, but I’m blessed and I’ll take it.”

The first responders were happy to meet with Menna to witness the uplifting results of their work.

“We see terrible things a lot,” said Marietta Fire Assistant Chief Kevin Gerhard. “So to have a call like this and then get to meet the person is rejuvenating. What we do means a lot, and we’re so thankful she’s here because sometimes maybe it works out this way and we never find out.”

Officer Lutfig was also deeply moved by her role in Menna’s story.

“We do a lot for citizens in the community, and being able to stand next to somebody is a full circle moment,” she said. “A lot of times where we have medical calls, it doesn’t turn out like this, so to have a different end result is amazing.”

Officer Lutfig was awarded the Medal of Merit for her heroic actions.

Menna’s faith has been central to her recovery, and she is surprised and delighted by the number of people who prayed for her after the incident.

“I definitely have a deep appreciation for my children, extended family and church family,” she said. “The number of prayer groups and churches who have been praying for me…it’s been overwhelming because I’m a shy person. I do think prayer works and I think that’s healed me, too. I thank God for saving my life and his healing powers.”

Thousands of members of Atlanta’s Catholic community supported Menna through her recovery. She still identifies St. Joseph Church as the center of her faith life and community. “This is God’s house. I feel very safe here,” she said as she looked around the parking lot. “I feel good being here. I love my church home and my church family.”

There are many questions she will never know the answers to, but after her harrowing experience, Menna has a new lease on life, and she is even more appreciative of her friends, family and loved ones.

“I’m not sure why God saved me,” she said. “I feel like my life still has a purpose, and I hope I can fulfill that. I just feel like we’re all here for a purpose, even if we don’t know what that is. We’re all here to help each other. What else is there?”

“I continue to follow with deep concern the ongoing and escalating violence in the Holy Land, where, in recent days, many civilians, both in the West Bank and in Gaza, have once again fallen victim,” the pope said.

“I make a heartfelt appeal for a return to negotiations to achieve a just political solution, founded on the equal dignity and equal rights of every human person,” he continued. “At the same time, I urge the rejection of further military actions and unilateral decisions, especially those that violate the respect for and the status quo of the holy places of every religion.”

Throughout the Middle East, he said, “the intensification of military operations has once again brought violence and destruction, placing the lives of countless civilians in grave danger and worsening the shortages of drinking water and electricity.”

The Associated Press reported late July 25 that the U.S. military “has paused its airstrikes on Iran after nearly two weeks of intensifying bombing, while diplomatic efforts have pushed forward to try to avert a return to all-out war.”

On July 24 in the occupied West Bank, according to Reuters, four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed near a Palestinian village in a confrontation that added to a growing toll over recent weeks as Israeli settler violence has intensified against Palestinians.

“I urge all parties involved to suspend their attacks and urgently reopen avenues of dialogue and diplomacy, so that the peace so greatly desired by the entire region may be achieved without delay,” Pope Leo said.

Pope Leo encouraged everyone to continue praying for all peoples throughout the world who are suffering because of war.

“May the Lord touch hearts and enlighten the minds of those in positions of responsibility, so that reconciliation and peace may soon prevail,” he said.

“The martyrs stood up for the sanctity of marriage,” Bishop Stephen D. Parkes of Savannah, told OSV News of the five Franciscan friars from Spain who died in present-day Georgia in the 16th century. “It gives us an opportunity really to … reinforce the Church’s teaching on marriage.”

The martyrs’ beatification Mass scheduled for Oct. 31 in Savannah is changing spaces within the Savannah Convention Center to welcome roughly 12,000 people instead of the 2,000 originally planned. The move comes as Catholics across the country and from Spain are expressing interest in attending, including some with historical connections to the martyrs. The relatives of one martyr may also travel from Spain.

The Franciscan missionaries’ beatification coincides with the Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi that coincides with the 800th anniversary of his death. It will mark the sixth beatification on U.S. soil and the first in Georgia, according to Jill Parks, managing director of communications for the Diocese of Savannah.

All five Franciscan martyrs traveled from Spain to minister to the native Guale people in present-day Georgia. Venerable Pedro de Corpa, Blas Rodríguez de Cuacos, Miguel de Añon, Antonio de Badajoz and Francisco de Veráscola died for their faith in 1597. The violent murders began after Friar Pedro de Corpa forbade the heir to a Guale chiefdom and a baptized Christian, Juanillo, from following his culture’s custom and taking a second wife.

“Our Franciscans were in those first waves of Catholics coming to what’s now the U.S., which is just amazing,” Parks told OSV News. “Then on top of this, they were martyred for defending Christian marriage.”

She added: “A lot of people have been very inspired by them giving their lives essentially for that and for Christian teaching.”

As soon as the date for the beatification was announced, Parks said calls from across the country started pouring in.

“We figured it was really going to be a local Georgia event,” Parks said. “We did not expect that it would be sort of a nationwide thing.”

Meanwhile, many locals are preparing to attend, including Patrick McMahon from Savannah. He told OSV News that he plans to participate in the beatification as a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus, the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization. As a Fourth Degree member, he belongs to the most prestigious degree of the Knights, which is dedicated to the principle of patriotism.

The Knights’ district marshal for the Diocese of Savannah, McMahon said he looked forward to being a part of history.

Laura Daniel, a parishioner of Nativity of Our Lady Catholic Church, a pilgrimage site for the martyrs in Darien, also plans to attend with her husband. She helps promote the Georgia Martyrs at her parish, which is located by the sites where the friars were martyred. She called the moment exciting for the local Church.

“It’s just a great opportunity to pass on the history of the Catholic Church in Georgia, coastal Georgia, and the start of the Catholic Church in the Americas,” she told OSV News.

Among those from Spain hoping to attend are Archbishop Joan Enric Vives i Sicília, bishop emeritus of Urgell, who plans to serve as a representative of Spain, Parks said. Archbishop José Rodríguez Carballo of Mérida-Badajoz, who leads the archdiocese where Friar Antonio de Badajoz was raised, also expressed interest in attending and bringing the pastor of the friar’s home parish with him.

Parks said the diocese has also received a call from Church leaders from Friar Francisco de Veráscola’s hometown. The pastor and several other people from the friar’s home parish hope to attend. Parks learned from them that the friar also still has relatives in that area.

“We’re hoping that some of them might actually come to attend the beatification, which would be amazing,” she said.

Both Bishop Parkes and Parks emphasized a desire for a venue that can accommodate and welcome everyone who wishes to attend the beatification. Bishop Parkes called the beatification “a new beginning” to continue to learn more about the history of Catholicism in Georgia, and to ask for the martyrs’ intercession for marriage and family life.

He also hoped it encourages every person to seek heaven.

“There’s a human interest in, well, how is the Church recognizing particular individuals for their holiness?” Bishop Parkes said of Catholics worldwide. “I think that it can inspire each one of us personally in our own road to holiness.”