Category: Diocese of Scranton News

ORLANDO, Fla. (OSV News) – Headlining the June 10 public session of the U.S. bishops’ spring plenary in Orlando were addresses by the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the new apostolic nuncio to the United States, along with a preliminary presentation on proposed updates to the bishops’ landmark document on protection policies for children and minors.

A highlight in the afternoon was a report on World Youth Day 2027, accompanied by a gift of traditional Asian paper fans for each bishop from South Korea — whose capital, Seoul, will host the international event.

In a morning presentation, Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond, Virginia, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People, said the bishops are reviewing proposed updates to the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” seeking to define key terms while balancing care for victim-survivors with accused clergy’s right to a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise.

The suggested changes would keep the charter focused “exclusively” on clergy abuse of minors, with a new document being developed to address abuse involving vulnerable adults, Bishop Knestout said. Voting on the agenda item was scheduled for June 11.

He said the revised text includes a glossary of terms in response to diocesan requests, and — drawing on canon law — the integration of the right of an accused to the presumption of innocence.”

Following the presentation, Archbishop Shawn McKnight of Kansas City, Kansas — citing several factors, and calling for a “more synodal approach” — asked if it would be possible to suspend the vote on the revisions pending further consultation among presbyteral councils and diocesan review boards.

At the start of the public session, Msgr. Michael J.K. Fuller, the USCCB’s general secretary, read a message from the U.S. bishops to Pope Leo XIV thanking him for his new encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” and for shining “the light of the Gospel and the tradition of the Church on the new opportunities and challenges posed by the rise” of artificial intelligence and “emerging technologies.”

The bishop said the pope’s teaching is a timely reminder that human life and dignity must remain at the center of technological development. Marking the first year of Pope Leo’s pontificate, they prayed that he would continue to be a guiding light for both the Church and the wider world.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City gave his first address to the body of bishops as USCCB president, having been elected during the conference’s annual fall meeting in November 2025.

The Church must “put out into the deep” and “create hope in Christ,” he said. He told the bishops he was “especially pleased to recognize the impact” of the USCCB’s special message on migration, released during the conference’s November 2025 plenary assembly amid the Trump administration’s hardline crackdown on immigration, which has seen sweeping mass detentions and deportations.

The USCCB message “demonstrated our united concern as pastors for the dignity of every person, especially our migrant brothers and sisters,” said Archbishop Coakley.

Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia gave his inaugural address to the bishops as nuncio to the U.S.
He was named to his new post in March, after having previously served as the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations.

In his remarks, he highlighted the consecration of the U.S. Church to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, urged the bishops to fulfill their mission as missionary disciples by welcoming immigrants in their midst, and reminded his brother bishops he is there for them, especially in moments when their responsibilities as episcopal shepherds leads them to feel isolated.

“My service here is one of listening, trust, and shared discernment within the Church that we are all serving together,” Archbishop Caccia said.

In the late afternoon, as chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, Bishop Edward J. Burns of Dallas gave a report on World Youth Day 2027, which is to take place Aug. 3-8 in Seoul, and he introduced Auxiliary Bishop Paul Kyung Sang Lee of Seoul, general coordinator for WYD 2027, who brought traditional Asian folding fans as a gift to the bishops.

Bishop Burns said some 10,000 to 15,000 young pilgrims will travel to South Korea, a number he said would be comparable to the U.S. presence at WYD in Brazil (2013) and in Panama (2019).

Bishop Lee said he hopes all U.S. bishops will inspire young people of their dioceses to participate in the global event. The bishop detailed how the Catholic Church of Korea began in the hands of the laypeople, became strengthened by the blood of 10,000-plus martyrs, and served as a sanctuary for democracy and human rights.

“I have a simple hope that by the end of this presentation, Seoul will feel a little less far away,” Bishop Lee said. After the Korean War (1950-1953), he said, “Korea was one of the poorest countries of the world. In 80 years, Korea moved from devastation to renewal. The hardships did not have the final world. Hope can renew and heal a nation.”

Bishop Lee also spoke about three special WYD events that are to take place with Pope Leo XIV — a meeting with people facing hardships, interreligious dialogue, and prayers for world peace.

World Youth Day promises to be a “powerful opportunity” for young people from across the globe to witness how “God’s love never ceases, regardless of circumstances,” the bishop said, adding that three special events with Pope Leo XIV are planned — a meeting with people facing hardships, interreligious dialogue and prayers for world peace.

The bishops also heard from mathematical biologist Santiago Schnell, a Catholic scientist and provost of Dartmouth University. He was invited to speak June 10 by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, USCCB secretary and chair of its Committee on Priorities and Plans.

The talk anticipated the bishops’ discussion of the 25th anniversary of the USCCB’s implementation of “Ex Corde Ecclesia,” St. John Paul II’s apostolic constitution on Catholic universities.

The Catholic imagination needs to be reawakened in academic life to nurture leaders who can become “voices for the Catholic Church,” Schnell advised the nation’s bishops.

During his presentation, Schnell — formerly dean of the University of Notre Dame’s College of Science — warned that Catholics were, as his presentation title asserted, “educated, yet absent” from American intellectual life.

“The Catholic paradox is that we have a massive infrastructure of higher education with average outcomes,” said Schnell. “We are not educating sufficient Catholics in our Catholic higher educational system. And we’re not educating them, actually, to become leaders.”

The bishops also heard a preliminary presentation on portions of two texts for consideration: a new edition of the Lectionary for Mass, which provides the Scripture readings and psalm for each day’s liturgy; and the 2025 Roman Missal-Liturgy of the Hours Supplement.

In a voice vote they showed support for the local advancement of two separate American canonization causes: Bishop Daniel J. Felton of Duluth, Minnesota, gave a presentation on the cause opened in his diocese for pioneer missionary priest Msgr. Joseph Buh and Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami presented the cause of entrepreneur-turned-evangelist John Rick Miller.

The consultation of a body of bishops — at either the regional or national level — is required by Church legislation governing the canonization process as a cause gets underway.

TRENTON, N.J. (OSV News) – As the U.S. prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, faith leaders and others working to prevent human trafficking are seeking to raise awareness to prevent such abuse during the international soccer tournament.

During a June 9 webinar, “Human Trafficking and Major Sporting Events,” hosted by the New Jersey Catholic Conference in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, panelists noted that venues for the upcoming matches include MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Philadelphia Stadium, also known as Lincoln Financial Field, in Philadelphia.

“As we prepare for the start of the 2026 World Cup that will draw millions of visitors, athletes, media representatives, and support personnel to our region. It’s important to understand both the opportunities and challenges these events can bring,” James King, NJCC executive director, said during the discussion.

Felicitas Brugo Onetti, the anti-trafficking education and outreach coordinator for the USCCB’s Migration and Refugee Services, said “the full continuum of the pro-life ethic” upholds “the dignity and rights of every person.”

“Combating human trafficking is a vital part of this continuum, protecting individuals from exploitation, ensuring their freedom and well-being throughout their lives,” as well as part of a call to care for God’s creation, she said.

“Catholic social teaching urges us to see trafficked persons, not as strangers, but as brothers and sisters, whose suffering is our shared responsibility,” she said.

Pennsylvania State Sen. Cris Dush, chair of that chamber’s Anti-Human Trafficking Caucus, said lawmakers are “trying to provide tools for the prosecutors, (and) the police officers, so that the prosecutors and the police officers can actually become trauma-informed,” and try to prevent victims from facing criminal charges themselves.

“One of the survivors that I spoke to, she’d been pulled over. She was with her trafficker, and there were drugs in the car as well, and she was made to take the fall for it, because he had other girls that could work — but he was the one that bailed her out. They get their victims caught up in law enforcement, and then they come and bail them out,” Dush said. “They’re seen as the savior of these people there. And the things that they do — to isolate the folks that they’ve got caught up in what’s called ‘the life’ within the community — they’re experts at manipulation.”

In a similar message issued May 19, the Commission for the Protection of Minors of the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico urged the faithful to take preventive action against crimes of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, particularly before and during the World Cup.

In the statement, the commission expressed its “deep concern regarding the risks” that major events and associated travel and mass gatherings can pose for “children, adolescents, women, migrants, and people in vulnerable situations.”

“Major international sporting events are an opportunity for encounter, coexistence, fraternity, and cultural exchange,” the statement said. “However, they can also be exploited by criminal networks that operate through deception, manipulation, coercion, exploitation, and abuse of vulnerable people. Faced with this reality, as the Church we cannot remain indifferent. Human dignity cannot be bought, sold, or exploited. Every person, especially children and adolescents, must be protected, cared for, and accompanied. Human trafficking constitutes a grave violation of human rights and a deep wound to our society.”

ORLANDO, Fla. (OSV News) – The U.S. bishops in a message to Pope Leo XIV June 10 thanked him for his new encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” and for shining “the light of the Gospel and the tradition of the Church on the new opportunities and challenges posed by the rise” of artificial intelligence and “emerging technologies.”

The message to the pope about the first encyclical of his pontificate, which was released May 25 and addressed the rising era of AI and “new forms of dehumanization,” was read aloud as the bishops opened the first of two public sessions during their spring plenary in Orlando.

“You remind us that we must never lose sight of the life and dignity of the human person amid these profound developments,” the bishops said in their letter. “May we never lose sight of the inherent dignity of all human life as we strive to ensure that technology serves the common good.”

The bishops assured Pope Leo “of our prayers and our communion with you in the ministry of Peter.”

“As your papacy marks its first year, we pray that you continue to be a guiding light for the Church and for the world,” they said.

The U.S. bishops told the pope they joined him “in prayer for peace in our world as we continue to call for the defense of the most vulnerable, especially in areas of turmoil.”

“In this month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we humbly pray for the protection of all in harm’s way,” they continued, “and that through Jesus’ perfect and overflowing love, there may be peace in Iran, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Ukraine, Myanmar, Sudan, Nigeria, and all the areas of the world torn by conflict and strife.”

The bishops thanked Pope Leo for the teaching of his first encyclical letter.

“At a time of rapid cultural and technological change, when the world is asking pertinent questions about the role and value of the human person … you remind us that we must never lose sight of the life and dignity of the human person amid these profound developments,” the bishops said. “May we never lose sight of the inherent dignity of all human life as we strive to ensure that technology serves the common good.”

The bishops pointed to the Church’s “longstanding educational mission” as one example of those “areas for action” the pope wrote about in “Magnifica Humanitas,” where each person in their own way “can cooperate in building the civilization of love.”

“In an age marked at times by fragmentation, isolation, and uncertainty among the young, the Church’s educational tradition remains a vital model for authentic human formation,” the bishops said in their message. “Your call to draw ‘new maps of hope’ inspires renewed efforts to accompany young people with confidence in the truth of the Gospel and with trust in their God-given dignity and vocation.”

They said that “as shepherds” of the U.S. Church, they are mindful “of the responsibility entrusted to us to strengthen the faith of our people, accompany those who are searching for meaning, and bear witness to the enduring truth of Christ in every aspect of society.”

They acknowledged the challenges “that test our witness,” including “the growing influence of secularism,” the struggles families and young people have “to live the faith, “the need for renewed vocations, and the call to protect the dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death.”

The bishops’ message to the pope also recalled their special pastoral message on immigration issued at their last fall general assembly, assuring Pope Leo that “we remain vigilant in calling our nation ‘to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants.'”

Before the bishops’ special message was approved Nov. 12, 2025, with 216 votes in favor of it, it was amended on the floor to clearly condemn “indiscriminate mass deportation” alongside their call to end “dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.”

The bishops in Orlando told the pope that as they stated in that special pastoral statement, and “mindful of our nation’s long history as a place of refuge and opportunity, we remain vigilant in calling our nation to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants.”

“We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict,” they told the pope. “Both are possible if people of good will work together.”

“This week, as we consecrate the Church in the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we entrust our people, our families, and our communities to the Lord’s abundant mercy and healing love,” the bishops said.

In anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. bishops will consecrate the country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus June 11 during their plenary.

“In communion with Your Holiness, we pray that the Heart of Christ may renew the faith of our people, strengthen our charity, and make the Church ever more fully a sign of hope and unity in the world,” they said, concluding the message.

(OSV News) – The simple, rhyming words – both concise and memorable, and first heard in 1947 on the nationwide “Family Theater” radio program – became something of a spiritual mantra for post-World War II Catholics: “The family that prays together, stays together.”

The phrase is forever associated with Venerable Patrick Peyton (1909-1992), the unassuming and humble Irish-born priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross who called himself “Mary’s Donkey.” But Father Peyton was better known to his admirers – from housewives to Hollywood stars – as “The Rosary Priest.”

And with the June 6 grand reopening of the newly renovated Father Peyton Center in North Easton, Massachusetts, the faithful have a revitalized opportunity to again encounter — or meet for the first time — the dynamic Holy Cross Father on track to sainthood who once promised, “If families give Our Lady 15 minutes a day by reciting the rosary, I assure them that their homes will become, by God’s grace, peaceful places.”

Father Fred Jenga, president of Holy Cross Family Ministries, the ministry Father Peyton founded in 1942, told OSV News that Father Peyton’s family- and rosary-centric teaching is as relevant as ever.

“His message has never been needed as much as it is right now — because we know the pressures that are on family life,” said Father Jenga.

And one antidote to those pressures? The rosary.

“The mysteries of the rosary speak to every season of our lives — seasons of joy, seasons of sorrow, seasons of victory and seasons of mission,” Father Jenga said. “So when you pray carefully and intentionally and reflectively and contemplatively the rosary, you have a toolbox that can be able to speak into your life for every season that you are in.”

Father Peyton was a Catholic evangelization pioneer who early recognized the power of mass communication. He began promoting the family rosary in 1942, and eventually staged worldwide more than 540 Family Rosary Rallies attended by 28 million people. Father Peyton also founded Family Theater Productions, which produced 900 radio and television programs featuring star actors and celebrities in more than 10,000 broadcasts.

These global ministries continue today — joined by Catholic Mom, a resource for mothers, and The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life, which conducts research and offers professional training.

The June 6 re-opening event featured a blessing of the grounds; special remarks; the annual rosary and memorial Mass; an opportunity to walk the just-completed Rosary Path and visit the new Lourdes Grotto; as well as a reception, luncheon, tours of the Welcome Center with its immersive exhibits, and children’s games and activities.

In the center of it all — literally — is Father Peyton, whose remains were transferred April 27 from the Cemetery of the Congregation of Holy Cross Religious at nearby Stonehill College. They now reside in the Queen of Families Veneration Chapel in the midst of the Father Peyton Center complex. Plans are to install a marble sarcophagus over the currently pall-draped coffin on Aug. 1.

Pope Francis declared Father Peyton “Venerable” Dec. 18, 2017. The next step toward sainthood is beatification (a miracle attributed to his intercession before Jesus Christ must be verified), and finally, canonization (which typically requires a second verified miracle).

“I think about all the people that will be coming here — we’ve had many through the years, from all over the world — to visit Father Peyton’s grave,” Father David Marcham, vice postulator for The Cause of Venerable Patrick Peyton, told OSV News. “Sometimes in the snow; sometimes in burning heat; sometimes in rain. But they can now easily come and pray with us and Father Peyton — and we’re so hopeful about the number of lives and souls that can be touched.”

Father Charlie McCoy, vice president of Holy Cross Family Ministries, is also encouraged by the prospect of increased numbers of visitors.

“I really do hope that families who come and visit here — and learn more about Father Peyton’s story and … get the chance to actually pray in his presence — that they will walk away inspired to really cultivate a relationship and a friendship with Father Peyton,” said Father McCoy. “And see him as a kind of advocate for them before the Lord, as someone who’s praying for them and for their families.”

Father Jenga also extended a pilgrimage invitation to see the man they are praying will one day “become a saint for families.”

“They can come and pray at the side of this man,” he said, “who cared so deeply about family life, families in our country, and is a global missionary for family life.”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – While flashy events are planned in the U.S. capital for the Independence Day weekend, a prayerful commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary unfolded June 5-6 as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage came to Washington to renew and deepen faith in Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

The pilgrimage included a special blessing of America near the Washington Monument on the evening of June 5, a Eucharistic procession through downtown Washington the next day, followed by a Vigil Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for the solemnity of Corpus Christi.

“Today we walk with Jesus Christ our Redeemer, our Savior. We walk with him in the streets of our nation’s capital,” Father Charles Trullols, the director of the Catholic Information Center, said in his homily during a June 6 Mass outside the center before leading its fourth annual Eucharistic procession through the city.

This year’s procession was held in conjunction with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s arrival in Washington. An estimated crowd of 1,000 people attended the Mass and then prayerfully processed through the city, following Father Trullols and other priests who held the Eucharist aloft in a monstrance beneath a canopy, passing the city’s office buildings, public squares and landmarks, including within sight of the White House. Hundreds of people knelt reverently on the sidewalk and on closed-off sections of streets.

The 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage — with the theme “One Nation Under God” — began May 24 in St. Augustine, Florida, and will wind through most of the 13 original colonies, traveling about 2,200 miles before arriving in Philadelphia July 4 to commemorate with prayer and Eucharistic devotion the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The pilgrimage’s St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Route is placed under the patronage of the religious sister and Italian immigrant who in 1946 became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized.

In his homily at the Mass, Father Trullols said the phrase “one nation under God” should be more than a patriotic slogan.

“A nation remains ‘under God’ only if its people place God first,” said Father Trullols, a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei.

The priest said that ways Catholics can put God first include through daily prayer, attending Mass, receiving the sacrament of confession, caring for the poor, remaining faithful in marriage and pursuing holiness in everyday life.

“Today’s procession is not a parade,” he said, emphasizing that it would offer a public witness to the Catholic belief in the real presence of Jesus Christ’s body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist.

Father Trullols said early Christians understood that the Eucharist is not just a symbol — it is Jesus, the Bread of Life who transforms people’s lives. He noted how Mother Cabrini worked tirelessly to minister to poor immigrants, drawing her strength from praying before the Eucharist in the tabernacle, and he also pointed out how Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, who evangelized millions through his radio shows and TV programs, prayed before the Eucharist in a daily Holy Hour, no matter how busy he was.

Noting the importance of such Eucharistic devotion, Father Trullols said, “There is where saints are made.”

The evening before, Father Trullols had received the Blessed Sacrament at the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, Virginia. Then he joined the nine young adult “perpetual pilgrims” accompanying the Eucharist in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, as their Ford Transit Van crossed the Arlington Memorial Bridge to Washington.

A press statement from the pilgrimage’s organizers noted that bridge, “long recognized as a symbol of national unity and reconciliation between North and South, serves as a fitting gateway for bringing Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, into the heart of the nation’s capital.”

After the pilgrimage vehicle arrived on the National Mall on the evening of June 5, Father Trullols led a Eucharistic procession toward the grounds near the base of the Washington Monument, and he offered a symbolic blessing for the nation within sight of that illuminated monument and the U.S. Capitol in the distance.

Later that day, the perpetual pilgrims visited the St. John Paul II National Shrine in northeast Washington before attending Mass at the adjacent basilica, where Bishop-elect designate Gary R. Studniewski was principal celebrant and homilist.

By instituting the Eucharist, Jesus “wanted for us to know, to see and to even feel that He is still among us not just a symbol, not just half a locket with the promise we will get the other half when we get to heaven, but his real body and blood right here,” said Bishop-elect designated Studniewski, whose episcopal ordination as an auxiliary bishop of Washington is scheduled for July 7.

“And we do more than just see and touch his body and blood: We take Jesus into ourselves as food for our perilous journey,” the bishop-elect said.

Speaking at the shrine prior to that Mass, perpetual pilgrim John Paul Flynn said, “accompanying Jesus is a one-of-a-kind experience, a really beautiful experience.”

“We are having Jesus in the very center of our nation’s capital,” said Flynn, a native of the Washington area and a student at The Catholic University of America. “We are bringing Jesus to where all the decisions are made.”

(OSV News) – In anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. bishops will consecrate the country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus June 11 during their spring plenary assembly in Orlando, Florida.

The act of consecration is a significant matter. But what does it really mean to consecrate a place – such as an entire country?

For Timothy O’Malley, explaining what a consecration is includes making clear what it is not.

“It is not some sort of magic,” said O’Malley, a theology professor at the University of Notre Dame, where he is also associate director for research at its McGrath Institute for Church Life. “A consecration is actually to make something sacred, quite literally, to bring it to God. And typically there are periods of preparation for various consecrations, to order something toward God.”

R. Jared Staudt, a Catholic educator, also said consecration “orders something to God, to help it to realize its purpose.”

“The purpose of everything is to give God glory. We see that Adam is actually given a priestly mission in the garden (of Eden), when he is meant to cultivate and protect. And those are words that were later drawn into the Israelite priesthood: ‘abad’ and ‘shamar,” he said, using Hebrew words that mean “to serve, and protect and defend.”

“And so Adam was placed inside the garden, to order it to God as his temple,” explained Staudt, who oversees content at Exodus 90, a Catholic app that guides men in living out their faith.

“One of the main tasks of humanity is to ensure that everything within creation reaches its ultimate purpose, which is to give glory to God,” he said. “So, when you order something, you are directing it to that ultimate end.”

And this, the theologians said, is what the bishops will be doing once they consecrate the United States.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines “consecration” as “the dedication of a thing or person to divine service by a prayer or blessing.”

“Consecration is something that is first and foremost a sacred act,” said Scott Hahn, a biblical scholar at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. “Secondly, it relates our whole life to our Lord and to the communion of saints. And so it also is something that is rooted and grounded in the notion of covenant. And this is what I think is often overlooked, but highly significant.”

“It seems to me that we’ve got to recover the notion of covenant in terms of the sacred kinship bonds that unite us to God, not just as our creator, but as our father,” he added, saying the concept of “covenant” is significantly different from making a “social contract.”

Hahn pointed to 2 Chronicles 15 for biblical references on consecrating a location, in which the king of Judah turned his land back to God, removing idols and pagan practices.

“King Asa consecrates all of the people of God. … With trumpets, with music and with proclamation, they swear an oath,” he said. “I mean, who would associate a juridical act of oathswearing with consecration, with celebration?”

Catholics may be most familiar with consecration in the Mass, when a priest consecrates the Eucharist through the Holy Spirit by reciting a prayer formula that transubstantiates bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. But the theologians distinguished between consecrating the Eucharist and consecrating a location, in which there is not a specifically worded prayer.

A consecration is distinct from a dedication or a blessing, the theologians emphasized.

Staudt said dedication designates something for a divine purpose, while a blessing asks “God to pour out his favor upon someone or something.” Consecration, he and the other theologians said, is something given to God. It is also more formal than the other two, according to O’Malley. Hahn said all three are “actions of the covenant.”

They also said consecration of a people matters — whether for believers, nonbelievers or those not fully aware of its significance.

“In the midst of a really perilous political situation operative right now, in the midst of war and violence and the terrors of AI, the Church thinks about existing in a particular country, existing in the United States. Her members now should really dedicate themselves anew to the merciful love of Christ,” said O’Malley.

“Any proper act that we perform, with regard to a relationship to God in Christ through his Sacred Heart, is going to have a ripple effect,” said Hahn. “It’s going to impact our own families, our parishes, our neighborhoods, our towns, our cities, our states, more than we can perceive.

“So we do what is right because it’s right,” he continued. “And then we leave in God’s hands the consequences of it, trusting that he’s going to probably bring about greater good than what we could possibly intend or realize.”

Staudt reminded the faithful that “the Church is not a sect” and that it acts for the good of everyone, no matter their beliefs.

“The Church exists to glorify God and to sanctify the world for him. So both the sacrifice of the Mass and other acts of prayer, such as these consecrations, are done on behalf of all, in a way that does benefit them and bless them, even if they’re unaware, unconcerned or even opposed to those acts,” he said.

MADRID (OSV News) – More than 1.2 million people filled the streets of Madrid as Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass and led a Eucharistic procession through the heart of the Spanish capital June 7 for the solemnity of Corpus Christi, the liturgical feast celebrating the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

“We are gathered around the Eucharist, the gift of Christ’s living presence among us. He who wished to offer us his life so that we might enter into communion with the Father and become his children, is here as the living Bread come down from heaven, to nourish us with the very life of God, with a love stronger than death,” Pope Leo said in his homily.

“Just as Christ gives himself as food in the Eucharistic celebration, the procession shows that he is not confined to the church, but comes out to meet us,” he added. “Jesus travels the streets, crosses the squares and visits our neighborhoods, dwelling in the settings of our daily lives.”

— Eucharistic grace to transform people’s lives —

The pope offered Mass in the Plaza de Cibeles, the city’s iconic neoclassical fountain square where several of Madrid’s grand avenues converge, before leading the Corpus Christi procession that wound nearly a mile and a half through streets adorned with elaborate floral carpets crafted by local artisans from more than 30,000 carnations.

Children who recently received the sacrament of First Communion scattered flower petals and religious sisters carried candles near the front of the long procession of priests and bishops, culminating with a golden canopy under which Pope Leo carried the large monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament. People in the crowd knelt down and tossed flowers as the Eucharist passed by.

In his homily, Pope Leo reflected on the power of Eucharistic grace to transform people’s lives.

“It is not merely a matter of bringing out the monstrance, but of allowing ourselves to be brought out of our selfishness and indifference, of a comfortable, private faith, so as to respond to his invitation to conversion, to change our perspective, and to welcome his presence which transforms us,” the pope said, telling Spaniards to live their faith courageously in the public square.

The task of Spain today and in the future, the pope said, is to “ensure that the religiosity which has shaped and defined this country for centuries is not a museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw even today.”

In a country struggling with extreme political polarization and unhealed wounds of the Civil War, the pope said the living faith can transform society as “no one can kneel before the Lord” and at the same time “despise their brother.”

Catholic roots of Spain can be “a school” that “teaches us of the gratuitousness of love that becomes a gift, so that it may flow among us and break the chains of all selfishness,” and one “from which we learn that God is a real presence and that we too are called to be present in the realities and challenges of society, not shying away, but personally committing ourselves to the building of the common good.”

— Silent fidelity to the Eucharist —

As Pope Leo passed by in the procession, he may have recognized one of the faces in the crowd.

Twenty-eight-year-old Erci Torres from Peru, was confirmed by Pope Leo when he served as her bishop at the Santa Rosa de Lima parish in Chiclayo. Today she lives in Madrid and was thrilled to see the pope again.

“It was a very unforgettable experience,” Torres told OSV News. “And to imagine that he is now the pope is incredible.”

During the Mass, Pope Leo invoked St. Manuel González García, an early 20th-century Spanish bishop who passionately urged people to recognize the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Today the saint is known as “the bishop of the abandoned tabernacle” because on his tomb in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of Palencia Cathedral, it is written, “I ask to be buried next to a tabernacle, so that my bones after my death, like my tongue and my pen in life, may always be repeating to those who pass by: ‘Jesus is here! Jesus is here! Do not leave him abandoned!'”

Pope Leo said, “His life reminds us that the Eucharist should be honored not only during great celebrations or on special occasions, but also through the silent fidelity of those who accompany the Lord with a humble and quiet friendship that is nourished day by day.”

The pope also drew on the poetry of St. John of the Cross, who, while imprisoned in Toledo around the time of Corpus Christi in 1578, found the Lord in the darkness of his cell, which the pope described as “a presence from which emanates a light that never fades.”

— Special moment for Madrileños —

Crowds lined the major avenues leading to the plaza for hours before the Mass began, with 2,300 Eucharistic ministers needed to distribute communion to the assembled faithful. About 400 musicians provided music for the liturgy, including an orchestral ensemble.

 

Among the crowd was the Adam family, eight siblings who waited together for hours to take part in the papal Mass. Seventeen-year-old Patricia Adam is the second oldest of the 8 siblings. Her older sister played violin in the orchestra for the papal Mass.

“For me, my Catholic faith is living a relationship with God and with Jesus in intimacy,” Adam said. “Being here with my family means a lot because it is not just a relationship one to one, but all together with God.”

Nearby 23-year-old Lucia waited with her four siblings and 17 cousins as they attended the Mass together.

“Faith has always been so important to me,” she said. “I have an aunt who is a nun. She is from the Missionaries of Charity. She’s my best example of faith.”

— Corpus Christi: a beloved public expression of faith —

The elaborate floral carpets lining the Calle de Alcalá were created by artisans from the Galician town of Ponteareas, working alongside more than 160 volunteers. The 16 large carpets depicting Eucharistic and Christian symbols lined the streets.

“The solemn processions held on this day have for centuries shaped the piety, art, music, architecture and life of the Spanish people,” Pope Leo said. “Even today, they still express and manifest the spiritual sentiments of this country through the beauty and elegance of the floral carpets, the altars erected in the streets, the carefully crafted monstrances and stands, the hymns and the liturgical vestments.”

For Spaniards, Corpus Christi remains one of the country’s most beloved public expressions of faith and an example of how deeply rooted popular piety remains in Spanish culture.

“This is not an exhibition,” the pope said. “It is a profession of faith in the presence of the risen Lord, who is alive and continues to walk among us, who becomes bread to satiate our hunger for life, and visits the recesses of our hearts and history, even those shrouded in darkness.”

“May the Lord Jesus, present in the Eucharist, transform you into bread that is broken, given, and offered, so that a life of fullness may spring forth for you, for your families, and for your country.”

(OSV News) – As the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks captivates basketball fans across the country, one of the most unlikely storylines belongs not to a player or coach, but to a group of Catholic sisters whose devotion extends far beyond the basketball court.

The Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco in San Antonio have become national celebrities during the Spurs’ playoff run, earning the nickname “Spurs Nuns” as videos of their courtside appearances, prayers and enthusiastic support for the team spread across social media.

Yet, Sister Bernadette Mota, director of the Department of Mission Advancement for the Salesian Sisters’ Western province, is quick to put the attention into perspective.

“The goal is not to be ‘Spurs Nuns,'” she told OSV News. “That’s fun and exciting and special right now, but the ultimate mission is to be consecrated women religious dedicated to helping the young and the poor.”

That mission has guided the sisters for generations.

Known formally as the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, the Salesian Sisters follow the spirituality of St. John Bosco and dedicate themselves to educating young people, serving the poor and accompanying women at risk. Their ministries on San Antonio’s West Side focus on some of the city’s most vulnerable residents through schools, youth programs and evangelization efforts.

The sisters’ connection to the Spurs began in the late 1990s as a way to relate to the students they served. What started as a shared interest with local children gradually developed into a tradition that has endured for nearly three decades.

“This is still like rooting for the kids in our schools, only these are much bigger kids,” Sister Bernadette said with a chuckle.

That affection for the team has not gone unnoticed by the players.

During the Western Conference championship series, videos of the sisters praying with Spurs players attracted widespread attention. One included a spirited interaction with Spurs center Luke Kornet, a practicing Catholic who has spoken openly about the importance of his faith.

Another involved a friendly encounter with Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama. As players emerged from the locker room, Wembanyama stopped to greet each sister individually.

“We did not talk to Victor,” Sister Bernadette said, “but he embraced each of our hands with his hands, an expression of gratitude for the prayers.”

The relationship between the sisters and the franchise stretches back much further. One elderly sister regularly exchanged letters with Gregg Popovich, former longtime Spurs coach. Popovich not only responded but eventually visited the convent with his late wife, creating a friendship that remained meaningful to the community.

More recently, the Spurs provided tickets that allowed sisters and employees from their ministries to attend games.

“We do not buy tickets to the games, but we are grateful for benefactors who donate them to us,” Sister Bernadette said. “The watch parties that we’ve had with our school kids and families have also been sponsored by benefactors.”

Going into Game 2 in San Antonio June 5, the Knicks were leading 1-0. Games 3 and 4 will be June 8 and June 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York. If a fifth game is needed, it will be June 13 in San Antonio.

At the episcopal level, the championship series has sparked a friendly wager between Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio and Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks of New York — with regional food specialties from both cities on the line.

The two prelates, friends since their days serving together in the Archdiocese of Chicago, made the bet June 3, just hours before the Game 1 tipoff, according to The Good Newsroom, the online news outlet of the Archdiocese of New York.

If the Spurs win, Archbishop Hicks will send his Texas counterpart a box of bagels, cream cheese and Lox from H&H Bagels, an iconic New York bagel company. If the Knicks are victorious, Archbishop García-Siller will send Texas pecan coffee, cowboy cookies, barbecue sauce and other items from the San Antonio-based grocery chain H-E-B.

In a social media post announcing the wager, Archbishop Hicks noted that a trio of Knicks stars — Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and team captain Jalen Brunson — are all alumni of Villanova University, the alma mater of Pope Leo XIV

For the Salesian Sisters, as national media attention to them has grown, they have welcomed the spotlight while remaining mindful of its purpose.

“We’ve experienced media presence before,” Sister Bernadette said. “But this time, there’s definitely a lot more hype going on.”

The attention has also provided opportunities to highlight the sisters’ ministries and the needs of the young people they serve.

For Sister Bernadette, the connection between faith and sports is natural.

“Faith and sports can go hand in hand,” she told OSV News. “Through the correct lens, there is so much we can learn from when done properly.”

Teamwork, perseverance, sacrifice and community are values that resonate both on the court and in the Gospel, she explained.

Yet while fans debate championships and bragging rights, the sisters remain focused on something larger. For the Salesian Sisters, basketball has simply become another way to build relationships, share joy and remind people of the mission that has always come first.

The excitement surrounding the “Spurs Nuns” may fade when the season ends. But their work of serving young people, educating students and accompanying families in need will continue long after the final buzzer sounds.

(OSV News) – As the U.S. bishop prepare to consecrate the United States to Jesus’ Sacred Heart June 11 during their spring meeting in Orlando, Florida, here are six things to know about devotion to the Sacred Heart.

1. The devotion has ancient roots. When the Roman soldier struck the crucified Jesus with his sword, blood and water flowed from his side. That blood and water have long been understood to symbolize an outpouring of God’s grace. Over the centuries, saints and theologians produced writings reflecting on the Sacred Heart, but it remained a personal devotion.

2. The devotion spread due to the visions of a young French nun. Beginning in 1673, Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque of the Visitation order at Paray-le-Monial, France, experienced a series of visions of Jesus over the span of 18 months. In those visions, Jesus displayed his Sacred Heart as a symbol of his love, and he told her to work to universalize devotion to his heart. These visions are the basis for the First Friday devotions and the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus we have today. The image of the Sacred Heart as a wounded heart afire, encircled by a crown of thorns and surmounted by a cross, also came from those revelations. St. Margaret Mary was canonized in 1920.

3. The devotion is rooted in prayer, liturgy and acts of reparation. St. Margaret Mary said Jesus told her that despite loving mankind so much that he gave his life for them, he was being treated with irreverence, coldness and ingratitude. He wanted the world to recognize the love he continually poured out for them symbolized by his Sacred Heart and for mankind to make amends for their ingratitude. Jesus urged St. Margaret Mary to begin a personal devotion to his divine heart by receiving holy Communion every first Friday and spending an hour in prayer the night before, both focused on seeking his pardon and making prayerful reparations for mankind’s desertion of his love.

4. The devotion includes 12 promises. Jesus shared with St. Margaret Mary 12 promises he pledged to those who developed and shared a devotion to his Sacred Heart. They are: I (Jesus) I will give them the graces necessary for their state of life; I will establish peace in their homes; I will comfort them in all their afflictions; I will be their strength in life and especially in death; I will bless their undertakings; sinners shall find in my heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy; tepid souls shall grow fervent; fervent souls shall quickly advance toward perfection; I will bless every place where an image of my heart is honored; I will give priests the gift of reaching even the most hardened hearts; those who promote this devotion will have their names written in my heart; those who receive Communion on nine consecutive First Fridays will receive the grace of final perseverance.

5. Jesuits helped the devotion gain official approval. When St. Margaret Mary first attempted to explain the visions, many around her were skeptical. It was St. Claude de la Colombiere, her Jesuit spiritual adviser, who recognized her holiness, fervor and sincerity. However, even when she was believed, as a cloistered nun there was little she could do to foster her visions outside of her order. The devotion was also promoted by the non-Jesuit priest St. John Eudes, a former Oratorian who founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary and Sisters of Charity of the Refuge. Universal approval eventually came from the Vatican in August 1856 during the reign of Pope Pius IX. In 1899, Pope Leo XIII, encouraged by Catholics around the world, consecrated the human race to the Sacred Heart. The Jesuit order officially decreed in 1883 that its members had a particular role in promoting Jesus’ Sacred Heart, and in 1915, it linked this work to the Apostleship of Prayer, now known as the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which is entrusted to the order.

6. The annual feast of the Sacred Heart occurs in June. The solemnity of the Sacred Heart falls on the third Friday following the feast of Pentecost, this year June 12. In one vision, Jesus asked St. Margaret Mary to establish a Church feast day to honor his Sacred Heart. On that day, those faithful to Jesus would attend Mass, receive holy Communion, profess their love and offer reparations for the way he had been insulted by mankind. A solemnity is the highest ranking feast on the Church calendar. The Church also dedicates First Fridays and the month of June to the Sacred Heart.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – As international health officials warn the Ebola outbreak in central Africa had a “big head start,” Catholic Relief Services, the overseas relief and development arm of the Catholic Church in the U.S., is among the groups seeking to stop the spread of the highly fatal disease.

The outbreak in Congo, stretching into neighboring Uganda, is the first Ebola outbreak since the Trump administration shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development, folding its remaining functions into the State Department, and withdrew from the World Health Organization last year.

According to the WHO, amid the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola — a variety of Ebola that has no medication or vaccine — they have confirmed 344 cases in Congo, including 60 deaths.

Rafaramalala Volanarisoa, CRS head of office in Congo, told OSV News in a June 3 interview that CRS “mobilized quickly” to help its local partners.

The group, she said, is raising funds for food and medical supplies as well as water.

“There is a huge need for water: water to clean, clean beds, clean wards, clean hands,” she said.

Critics of the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid have said the absence of USAID slowed detection of the virus and led to a more disjointed response among aid agencies on the ground. But during June 2 testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sparred with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., over his argument that the U.S. is now less prepared to deal with disease outbreaks, saying, “I don’t agree with that assessment.”

While praising the efforts of entities on the ground, Volanarisoa said, “There are really some gaps” in the absence of USAID, particularly in disease surveillance data. But she said, despite a delayed start, the distribution of that data has started to improve.

But there are additional challenges to containing the Ebola outbreak, Volanarisoa said. They include cultural practices surrounding burial, as contact with victims’ remains must be limited to reduce transmission of the virus, the reduced capacity of treatment centers to provide routine care with Ebola patients in quarantine, as well as misinformation surrounding the virus and its risks.

An Ebola burial team in Congo’s eastern South Kivu province was attacked June 1, the country’s health ministry said June 4. The attack forced the workers to abandon a coffin, sparking concerns of further transmission.

“Misinformation – the fact that people do not believe that there is an outbreak, they don’t believe that this is deadly,” Volanarisoa said, is among their biggest challenges.

“There’s a lot of mistrust of response actors,” she said. “They believe that it’s a fabricated disease for response actors to get money, and that this results from COVID; there are lots of monies that poured in the region. There are lots of new cars and people moving around, and they did not really see, they did not really have trust in those response actors.”

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a June 3 press conference also stressed that “building trust” is “critical” to bringing the outbreak under control.

“Community mistrust is a serious barrier,” Ghebreyesus said. “Some community leaders told me that they believe Ebola is not real.”

CRS has been in communication with the bishops and priests of local dioceses to ask them “to speak up and (communicate) in church that yes, Ebola is real,” Volanarisoa said.

Meanwhile, plans for Americans exposed to Ebola to be quarantined in Kenya faced increasing backlash in that country.

In an open letter to Congress on June 1, a group of U.S. healthcare officials raised alarm about the plan by U.S. officials to transfer “American citizens with Ebola exposures requiring quarantine, isolation, or medical care” to a facility in Kenya or countries in the European Union rather than “to specialized treatment centers in the United States.”

“This policy raises profound clinical, ethical, operational, and legal concerns,” the letter said, noting that the U.S. has already “demonstrated that safe repatriation is both feasible and effective.” It warned the new policy risked undermining the Ebola response, stating, “If responders believe they may be denied access to optimal medical care should they become ill, many will understandably reconsider whether they can safely serve.”

The U.S. Embassy in Kenya said in a June 2 statement that as “the health security situation evolves, we are working in tandem with Kenya and international partners to enhance protocols for detection and spread of this deadly disease.”

“The bio-isolation facility in Laikipia is part of a holistic response to prevent spread of the disease and lessen health risks for the region as a whole; it does not pose risk to nearby communities,” the statement said.

In a June 3 Ebola Response Update issued by the State Department, a spokesperson said the department “in close coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and in partnership with the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, is continuing to mount a rapid and comprehensive response to the Ebola outbreak.”

“The Department’s highest priority remains protecting the health of the American people and preventing this Ebola outbreak from reaching our shores,” the memo said.