Catholic news today

James Katende reports that Catholic parishes in Southern Africa need to reflect on how to support young people after they receive the sacrament of confirmation.

The Southern Cross reports that Archbishop Emmanuel Gregory Mabathoana, OMI, of Lesotho is being remembered for his sixty-year Catholic legacy.

Priests in the Archdiocese of Sydney are receiving Accidental Counsellor training to help them manage unplanned emotional conversations with parishioners. Rocky Biasi, who delivered the training, stated that the program is not intended to turn priests into psychologists. Instead, it provides practical skills for the first few minutes of an encounter when a person is sharing emotional distress.

The training teaches priests how to remain steady and connect with others before attempting to solve their problems. Biasi identified three common mistakes to avoid during these moments: fixing the problem, offering a silver lining, or providing unsolicited wisdom. He noted that while these responses often come from a good place, they can prevent a person from feeling understood if offered too early.

The program also instructs priests on how to recognize when a person's needs require the involvement of a professional therapist or counselor. This training addresses the spontaneous interactions priests often face, such as conversations after Mass, late-night phone calls, or visits to hospital bedsides.

The essay “Liberty Preserved: The Foundation of Our Freedom” won the 2026 Fidelity Month high school essay contest. The contest asked students to connect themes of Fidelity Month with patriotism as the nation approaches its semiquincentennial.

In the essay, Lara Cratty discusses the historical tension between religious instruction and civil liberties. She highlights a 1784 proposal by Virginia Governor Patrick Henry to use tax money to hire Christian teachers for schools. While Henry argued this would promote piety, James Madison countered in his “Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments” that state-funded religious instruction threatened civil freedom. Madison argued that government interference in religion could lead to the loss of other fundamental rights, such as the right to vote.

The essay also notes the religious diversity among the Founding Fathers, including Episcopalians, deists, and those with varying beliefs. Cratty mentions that figures like Presbyterian minister John Witherspoon also addressed the role of religion within a democracy during that era.

Evelyn Parkin will give a talk in the Blue Mountains regarding the development of an authentic Australian spirituality. During her presentation, titled “Nurturing an Australian Spirituality: Pre-Colonisation, Colonisation and Walking Together,” Parkin will discuss Australia's deep spiritual heritage, the effects of colonization, and the potential for Aboriginal and Christian spiritual traditions to intersect.

Parkin, an Aboriginal Quandamooka woman from Minjerribah/North Stradbroke Island in Queensland, intends to encourage listeners to consider a spirituality that incorporates the ancient wisdom of First Nations peoples and acknowledges historical realities through respectful listening and walking together. Her talk is part of the Stockton Conversation series, which honors the late Fr. Eugene Stockton, a Catholic priest and archaeologist.

Parkin has contributed to theological and liturgical discussions concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander spirituality. Her previous work includes involvement in the liturgical development of the Feast of Creation and the Healing of the Land for this year's Creation Day.

Deacon Enedino Aquino is retiring from the Hispanic Ministry of the Diocese of Charlotte after 28 years of service. During his tenure, he worked within the vicariates of Winston-Salem and Greensboro to serve the Hispanic community.

Sister Joan Pearson, who worked with the deacon for more than two decades, noted his dedication to reaching immigrants. She recalled traveling with him to Forsyth County in his early years to distribute Bibles and holy water to men working in construction and landscaping. Sister Joan said these visits allowed the ministry to reach people where they lived and served as opportunities for evangelization.

Bishop Michael Martin has appointed two priests to lead parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte.

Father Jason K. Barone became the pastor of Our Lady of the Mountains Parish in Highlands on Sept. 8. He has served the parish as parochial administrator since 2019.

Father Augustine O. Ogar, M.S.P., will begin his new assignment as pastor of St. William Parish in Murphy and the Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission in Hayesville on Oct. 1. He currently serves as the parochial administrator for both locations.

St. Andrew the Apostle Parish is providing weekend food bags to more than 60 children facing food insecurity at Mars Hill Elementary School. This program grew from the parish's role as an emergency relief center following Hurricane Helene, when it distributed food, water, and clothing to residents in Madison County.

The Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte Western Regional Office has joined the effort this school year by providing funding, supplemental food donations, and reusable bags. Jesse Boeckermann, a Western Region official for Catholic Charities, noted that partnering with rural parishes helps reach people who may struggle to travel to Asheville for assistance.

A group of approximately 10 parishioners, led by Vicki Fedor, prepares the food bags every Friday. St. Andrew the Apostle is the only Catholic church in Madison County and is led by Father Anthony Mbanefo, MSP, who also leads Sacred Heart parish in Burnsville.

John and Polly Snider spoke with Plough editor Santiago Ramos about their decades-long friendship with Pope Leo XIV, whom they know as Bob. The friendship began in the summer of 1980 during a ten-week Clinical Pastoral Education program at a hospital in Minneapolis.

At the time, Robert Prevost was a seminarian training to become a priest, while John Snider was studying to become a Lutheran pastor. The group of five participants engaged in hospital chaplaincy training that included a practice called a verbatim. This required students to record and report ministerial encounters, such as meetings with people on their deathbeds, to the group to discuss their words and emotions.

Dr. Mike Sirilla discussed tradition, the Magisterium, and modernism during a OnePeterFive podcast episode.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reported a $43.6 million increase in net assets between 2024 and 2025, according to recent financial audits. The conference ended 2025 with $383.9 million in net assets, up from $340.4 million the previous year.

Chieko Noguchi, a spokesperson for the conference, attributed the growth primarily to the performance of a long-term investment pool. This pool earned $16.3 million in interest and dividends and saw $27.2 million in unrealized gains from positive market performance, resulting in a 15.2% total return.

The increase occurred even as funding for refugee programs dropped from $180.46 million to $72.23 million. The conference stated it did not renew refugee resettlement agreements after a federal suspension of grants made the programs financially unsustainable. This contraction led to a reduction in staff and caused total operating expenses to fall by approximately $100 million.

The Archdiocese of Cologne held its annual Dreikönigswallfahrt pilgrimage from September 23 to 27, 2026, to honor the relics of the Three Kings and celebrate the anniversary of the Cologne Cathedral's consecration. Different groups from the Church gathered each day for communal prayer.

On Friday, Bishop Dominikus Schwaderlapp met with religious brothers and sisters following a Mass. The pilgrimage continued on Saturday, September 26, when foreign-language missions and communities gathered in the Cologne Cathedral. Bishop Schwaderlapp presided over a Mass alongside priests from national missions.

The Saturday events included an international Mass at 18:30 for communities serving in various languages. Participants included Sister Krystyna Szychta with parishioners from PMK Düsseldorf, Sister Kinga Kasperek with parishioners from PMK Köln, Sister Janina Koszyk with parishioners from PMK Bonn, and priests from the Missionaries of Christ the King.

Navy SEAL Michael A. Monsoor died on September 29, 2006, after shielding fellow service members from a grenade in Ramadi, Iraq. Petty Officer Second Class Monsoor, a member of Navy SEAL Team Three, was part of a group providing security from a rooftop that included three other SEALs and eight Iraqi soldiers.

According to the book Defend Us in Battle, an insurgent threw a live grenade onto the rooftop. Monsoor, who was positioned closest to the staircase, dove onto the fragment grenade to absorb its impact. His actions saved the lives of the men with him, though shrapnel still struck two of his fellow SEALs. Monsoor was scheduled to return home less than one week after the incident.

Karitas distributed 268,400 EUR to 81 households in Komenda to help repair damage caused by a catastrophic storm in early June 2026. The funds were allocated to repair residential buildings and restore living spaces to ensure families have safe housing.

The relief fund was created through a partnership with Škofijsko karitas Ljubljana and donors. The Tadej Pogačar Foundation contributed 118,100.00 EUR, NLB d.d. provided 50,000.00 EUR, and Karitas collected approximately 100,300.00 EUR from individual donors.

Karitas distributed the total amount based on processed applications and decisions. The assistance follows heavy rainfall, hail, and strong winds that caused significant damage in the Komenda area. Some recipients reported that this storm was their second flood in a short period, adding to their financial and psychological burdens.

The General Secretariat of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) held a hybrid meeting on Wednesday, September 30, with the presidents and advisors of the conference's special commissions.

Bishop Ricardo Hoepers, the auxiliary bishop of Brasília and secretary-general of the CNBB, led the meeting. Participants attended both in person and remotely.

The new apostolic nuncio to Germany addressed the German Bishops' Conference regarding the Synodal Way, a three year reform process. Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, who was named to the post by Pope Leo XIV on April 9, 2026, implicitly cautioned the bishops against diverging from Rome during the discussions.

Gina Hens-Piazza reports that the parable for the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time on October 4, 2026, centers on how tenants care for and harvest a vineyard and the potential harm they face when the owner or his son is absent.

St. Clare Church in Staten Island will hold a Young Adult Mass on Sunday, October 4, at 6:30 p.m. to pray for those fighting breast cancer. Participants are encouraged to wear pink to show support.

Fr. Arthur Mastrolia, the pastor, said the Mass gives young adults a place to pray and connect within their parish. He stated that the focus on breast cancer reminds the community to pray for those who are suffering.

The parish is located at 110 Nelson Ave. in the Great Kills section of Staten Island.

Terrance Klein explores whether human desire and the capacity to wish are products of God or could have evolved in an analysis for America.

A Protestant march through a Catholic nationalist neighborhood in Portadown, Northern Ireland, has increased tensions between nationalist and unionist communities.

The Portadown District Loyal Orange Lodge No. 1 march took place on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, following clearance granted during a late-night hearing. This event marked the first parade of its kind in nearly 30 years. Protesters blocked the Garvaghy Road ahead of the procession.

Pope Leo XIV argues in his first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas, that the primary challenge of artificial intelligence is its connection to the technocratic paradigm. In the document, the pope suggests that this paradigm defines human and natural relationships through power, profit, and efficiency, which fosters consumerism and a disregard for humanity.

To address the digital revolution, Leo writes that society must separate technology from this paradigm. For the past year, the pope has maintained that Catholic education serves as an essential tool for this effort.

Gigi Duncan wrote for the National Catholic Register that studying the life of Blessed Fulton Sheen highlights the importance of the discipline of prayer over his personal fame.

Seventeen SCN Associates and three sisters gathered at the SCN Center in Belize City on Friday, September 25, for their annual St. Vincent de Paul retreat. The group, which included Associates from Dangriga and Belize City, met under the theme “Vincent and His Gift of Collaboration” for a weekend of prayer, reflection, and fellowship.

Sister Kerry Rowland, SCH, led sessions during the retreat to help participants understand the history of St. Vincent de Paul and the values of the Vincentian spirit. During the first session, titled “Who Was Vincent?”, Sister Kerry shared the life story of the saint. A subsequent session, “Vincent and His Collaboration with Madame de Gondi,” examined how Vincent worked with Madame de Gondi to serve the sick and the poor.

The retreat began with a check-in session and a group activity where participants reconstructed magazine pictures in teams of three. According to the organizers, the exercise served as a lesson in communication, patience, and cooperation.

Brother Vincent Joseph Vivian, a former director of the Shrine of St. Anthony, died on September 26 at age 78.

A funeral Mass for the Conventual Franciscan brother is scheduled for October 2 at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of the Angels Care Center in Enfield, Connecticut.

Born Theodore Ben Vivian in Jamaica, New York, Brother Vincent joined the Franciscan Friars Conventual novitiate in 1966. He made his first profession of vows on August 15, 1967, and his solemn profession on August 15, 1970. His ministry included serving at Archbishop Curley High School in Baltimore from 1971 to 1974 and directing the Shrine of St. Anthony in Ellicott City from 2006 to 2010. He also served in Ghana, Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut.

Presidential candidates in Brazil are targeting evangelical voters for the upcoming election.

Brazil is home to more than 100 million faithful and has been called the world's most Catholic nation.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell released a report on September 30 stating that more than 270 Catholic clerics abused nearly 1,000 children over a century within the Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester.

The investigation, which began in 2019, analyzed over 300,000 pages of documents and included interviews with more than 100 people, including victims. The report claims diocesan leaders failed to respond to abuse allegations and often transferred accused priests to different parishes instead of consistently reporting the claims to law enforcement.

According to the attorney general, a culture of reverence toward priests contributed to the abuse. The report notes that around the middle of the century, priests were viewed as holy figures, and their close attachments to specific families were encouraged, which gave offending priests easy access to victims. This specific report covers all dioceses in Massachusetts except the Archdiocese of Boston.

Belmont Abbey College rose to the number 10 spot in the Regional Colleges-South category of the U.S. News & World Report rankings. The college also ranked eighth among top private regional southern colleges and third among regional colleges in North Carolina.

According to the college, it is the highest-ranked institution in the region on the Cardinal Newman Society's annual Newman Guide, which ranks Catholic colleges. President Dr. Jeffrey W. Talley said the rankings reflect the quality of education and formation provided to students by faculty members.

The college currently has 1,693 students, marking its second largest enrollment in ten years. Officials noted that the school recently welcomed its largest class of traditional non-athlete students in eight years, attributing this growth to the college's academic programs and its approach to Catholic higher education.