Catholic news today

Bishop Joseph L. Coffey, auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, received the Saint John Neumann Award during the 22nd annual Catholic Charities of South Jersey dinner on Oct. 22. The event, held at the Resorts Hotel in Atlantic City, brought together 550 attendees to support the organization's programs and recognize service to vulnerable populations.

The dinner also presented Disciples of Mercy awards to several individuals and groups from across the diocese. Recipients included Lorna Davis of Sacred Heart Parish and School in Camden; Rich and Carol Purcell of Christ the King Parish in Haddonfield; Jamie Graiff of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Newfield; Matthew Simons of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Absecon; and the Saint Damien Parish Nurse/Helping Hands Ministry in Ocean City.

Bishop Joseph A. Williams, executive director Maria Elena Hallion, and vicar general Father Jon Thomas attended the gathering alongside clergy, religious, and parishioners. This year's event placed a special emphasis on the work Catholic Charities performs for veterans and their families.

Dave Hrbacek, a reporter and photographer for The Catholic Spirit, plans to publish a book of essays connecting his faith to hunting and fishing. The manuscript consists of a compilation of stories written in a column style, allowing readers to read chapters in any order.

During an upcoming episode of Practicing Catholic on Relevant Radio, scheduled for 9 p.m. Oct. 23, Hrbacek will discuss how fishing trips with his father and four brothers on lakes in western Minnesota shaped his love for the outdoors and his faith.

Hrbacek previously wrote an award winning outdoors column for The Catholic Spirit in 2005. His writing career includes freelance work for Outdoor News and a fishing column for Sun newspapers in the western Twin City suburbs.

A Milwaukee theology professor connects the Milwaukee Brewers' World Series run to the encyclical Fratelli tutti, noting that the team's journey reflects the importance of putting God and neighbor first.

Archbishop James Golka of the Archdiocese of Denver led a group of bishops in prayer over President Donald J. Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office on Thursday, October 22.

The meeting included other bishops from across the United States. Archbishop Golka led the intercessory prayer during the session at the White House.

Chicago iconographer Joseph Malham created an icon of Our Lady of Good Counsel for Pope Leo XIV. The Pope received the artwork during a private audience in his library and intends to keep the image in his bedroom for personal prayer.

Chicago attorney Michael Airdo commissioned Malham to produce the icon as a gift for a planned trip to the Vatican. Airdo chose the subject of Our Lady of Good Counsel to honor the Pope's Augustinian roots, as the devotion is central to the Augustinian tradition. The Pope previously traveled to the Basilica Sanctuary of Our Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, to pray before the original image.

Malham completed the icon within a one-week timeframe following Airdo's request. Airdo later shared a photograph of the Pope holding the finished work during their meeting in Rome.

Fifty-six children graduated from St. Francis of Assisi Academy in Marereni, Kenya, on Oct. 21. The ceremony marked the school's official registration as Marereni Catholic Primary School, a change intended to create new opportunities for its students.

Families, community leaders, and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth attended the celebration, which included music, poetry, and a traditional Giriama dance. Father Dennis Nyagwencha, the education director for the Catholic Diocese of Malindi, was among the guests. The graduates will enter first grade next year.

Father Stan Chu Ilo, a professor of Catholic studies at DePaul University, expressed support for a changing approach within the Church of Rome.

Speaking earlier this month, Ilo noted a shift in how the Church operates. He shared these observations while attending an encounter regarding the document Amoris laetitia held in the Paul VI Hall.

U.S. bishops are calling on the government to maintain immigration protections for Ukrainians and Salvadorans to prevent deportations and the separation of families. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) stated that approximately 170,000 Salvadorans and 100,000 Ukrainians hold Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a designation for people from countries deemed unsafe due to conflict or disasters.

The bishops urged the administration to evaluate the threats to human life in these countries of origin and requested meaningful notice regarding future designation changes so that families, employers, and communities can prepare.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an alert on Oct. 19 stating that Ukrainian TPS beneficiaries will keep their protections and employment authorization until a future announcement is made. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed on Oct. 22 that both Ukrainians and Salvadorans will retain their protections until the agency reaches a final decision on the status of these designations.

Pope Benedict XVI canonized St. Theodora Guérin on Oct. 15, 2006, in St. Peter’s Square. During the ceremony, the pope noted that she overcame numerous challenges through her trust in divine providence while persevering in her religious work.

Born Anne-Thérèse Guérin in 1798 in the Brittany region of France, she entered a convent in 1823 to become a Sister of Providence. As a missionary, she moved to Indiana in the mid-1800s, where she established a religious community and several schools.

St. John’s University freshmen taught visiting high school students how to use artificial intelligence ethically during an AI College Day event in Jamaica. The students, who are enrolled in adjunct professor Omar Lopez’s First Year Seminar 1000 course, led presentations on various aspects of the technology.

The presentations covered topics such as identifying AI bias, fact-checking AI output, protecting personal information, and preparing for the job market. One group, led by freshman Benjamin Shakov, focused on how applicants can use AI to improve resumes as employers increasingly use the technology to screen candidates.

High school students attended the event to learn how to use AI as a tool for learning rather than a replacement for their own work. Tenth grader Adalin Dominguez noted an interest in using the technology for good, while 11th grader Xavier Martinez from Bedford-Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School expressed a desire to use AI more effectively in his schoolwork.

The Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) will hold a benefit gala in Ottawa on Nov. 6 to celebrate 100 years of humanitarian service.

A historic Spanish-mission style home in North Arlington serves as the U.S. provincial headquarters for the Missionhurst-CICM priests and brothers. The estate, located on 25th Street near Marymount University, has housed the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for 80 years.

The congregation, which includes 841 priests and brothers from various nationalities, operates in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. About 30 members are currently in active ministry within the United States, serving locations such as St. Ann Church in Arlington, Maryland, Texas, New York City, and North Carolina.

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge and CICM Superior General Father Charles P. celebrated a Mass at St. Ann Church on Oct. 8 to mark the congregation's eight decades of service. Originally built in 1907 by Frank Lyon and known as Lyonhurst, the property was later renamed Missionhurst.

St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Gilbert opened Magdala Coffee on October 22 to create a space for community gathering and hospitality. The new shop brings the total number of parish-based cafes in the Diocese of Phoenix to at least six.

These cafes use the names and identities of canonized saints to shape their menus and gathering spaces. In Avondale, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish operates The Dumb Ox Cafe, named after a nickname for the patron saint. Approximately 50 volunteers of all ages staff the cafe, which is located near the parish gift shop and office reception window.

The cafes serve as outreach tools to increase hospitality and engage both parishioners and visitors. At St. Thomas Aquinas, the cafe is part of an outreach comprising the parish welcome center.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels held its annual White Mass on Oct. 11 to honor healthcare professionals.

Luke Stocking writes in The Catholic Register that loving the sacred includes a love of space, noting that the church serves as a sacred space.

An editorial from The Catholic Register suggests that efforts are being made to reveal the reality of medically assisted death.

Peruvian Catholics in Los Angeles held a Mass and procession on Oct. 18 to honor El Señor de los Milagros, the Lord of Miracles. The event began at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and concluded at La Placita Church in Olvera Street.

The La Hermandad del Señor de los Milagros ministry organized the procession. More than 50 men wearing purple habits with white cords took turns carrying the anda, a religious float bearing the image of Christ. Participants, including Abraham Villalobos, who has carried the float for 15 years, use the physical weight of the procession as a form of personal prayer for family and health.

The celebration coincides with the traditional Purple Month in Peru, where the faithful participate in daily prayers and processions through Nov. 1. The devotion centers on a mural of Jesus on the cross, which tradition says was painted by an enslaved African man in Peru and survived a major earthquake in 1655.

The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays feature several players with Catholic ties during this year's World Series, including an outfielder who studied theology and a pitcher whose mother teaches at a Catholic school, according to the National Catholic Register.

Cardinal Fernando Filoni has authored a new book, "My Days Are in Your Hands: Men and Women in the Footsteps of Jesus," which analyzes how God interacted with various biblical figures and saints over the last 4,000 years.

The book examines the personal relationships between God and individuals ranging from Abraham to contemporary figures such as Mother Teresa and Edith Stein. Filoni told EWTN's Mitch Pacwa that the work is not a series of biographies, but rather an analysis of how God worked through the specific sufferings, problems, and difficult lives of these people. He noted that the text explores how these individuals, whom he described as normal people, became extraordinary by responding to the grace of God.

During a visit to the United States, Filoni, who serves as the grand master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, discussed the book on EWTN. He explained that the writing addresses the personal traumas faced by figures like Abraham, including his anxiety regarding his inability to have children before receiving his calling.

The drama Whalefall follows a teenager named Jay Gardiner, played by Austin Abrams, who becomes trapped inside a whale while scuba diving. Kurt Jensen of the Catholic Review notes that while the film's premise has never been documented in real life, experts suggest the situation is barely possible.

The story begins with Jay's father, Mitt, played by Josh Brolin, a tour boat operator in Monterey, California. After receiving a terminal mesothelioma diagnosis, Mitt commits suicide by jumping into the ocean with weights. Following an empty-casket burial, Jay dives into the deep to search for remains of his father. During his search, Jay witnesses a fight between a sperm whale and a giant squid. He becomes entangled in a tentacle and is swallowed by the whale along with the squid.

With only one hour of oxygen remaining in his tank, Jay must rely on his father's past life lessons to survive. Jensen describes the film as containing disturbing imagery.

The action film The Fate of the Furious is currently available to stream on Netflix.

The movie follows a team of car racers, led by Vin Diesel, who face a criminal mastermind played by Charlize Theron. The plot involves the team hunting an opponent who uses advanced cyber skills and a specialized airplane to pursue world domination. While the film features humor and resourcefulness, John Mulderig of the Catholic Review notes that the story contains questionable ethics and frequent gunplay and hand-to-hand combat. Mulderig adds that the film includes some Christian detailing despite its dicey moral values and suggests it is not suitable for young viewers.