Daily Readings

The archbishop of Berlin has condemned the deadly attack on an LGBT “Pride” event in the German capital after a minivan was driven into a crowd on Saturday evening, killing one woman and injuring at least 29 people, some of them seriously.“How terrible! To brutally destroy such a joyful and moving celebration. In our prayers ... read more

Today the Roman Martyrology commemorates Sts. Nazarius and Celsus (d. 68), first century martyrs, whose bodies were found by St. Ambrose in 395. ... read more

French President Emmanuel Macron commemorated Father Jacques Hamel, an elderly priest murdered 10 years ago in his church during Mass by two Islamist terrorists on July 26, 2016, and whose cause for beatification is currently underway.“We have not forgotten Father Jacques Hamel. Ten years ago today, he was cowardly murdered by two Islamist terrorists — ... read more

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a complaint to revoke the U.S. citizenship of a Mexican Capuchin Franciscan friar convicted in 2019 of sexually abusing minors while serving in Washington, D.C.According to U.S. authorities, Urbano Vázquez Ortega, 53, obtained U.S. citizenship in 2017.“Vázquez Ortega was convicted of multiple counts of second-degree child sexual abuse ... read more

The Maronite Catholic Church gathered on the evening of July 25 at the Maronite patriarchate’s summer residence in Dimane, northern Lebanon, to celebrate the beatification of Patriarch Elias Hoyek, marking an extraordinary moment for both the Church and the Lebanese nation.Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, the Maronite patriarch, presided over the official liturgical celebration. Cardinal Marcello ... read more

The Diocese of Christchurch has unveiled the design of its new Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, set to become the first Catholic cathedral built in New Zealand in more than 120 years, and launched the public campaign to fund the 80-million New Zealand dollar (about $46 million) project.The 800-seat cathedral will rise on Barbadoes Street ... read more

Catholic youth and young adult pastoral leaders are juggling more responsibilities and facing new challenges as they accompany young people in the evolving Church ministry, according to research from Ministry Training Source (MTS).The study found that younger generations of ministry leaders are serving in increasingly complex roles and often balancing multiple ministries. They are also ... read more

The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Pantaleon (d. 305), one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, was a physician, who practiced without payment, and who was martyred under Diocletian. His cultus is primarily connected with Bithynia, where Emperor Justinian rebuilt his church at Nicomedia. Churches are dedicated to him in Constantinople and Rome. In the East he ... read more

From Sunday's Gospel: "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl ... read more

A sedevacantist group of monks in Scotland hosted an illicit consecration of a “bishop” on July 25 in spite of repeated warnings that doing so would constitute a schismatic act and a break from the Catholic Church. The Transalpine Redemptorists, or the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, livestreamed the counterfeit ceremony from their monastery ... read more

A Catholic art studio is beginning to blossom in an unexpected place. Cappella Studio in Atlantic City, New Jersey, aspires to be a light in the darkness of the city, reaching out to those on the periphery and centering the art on the good, true, and beautiful.“Atlantic City exists at the edge of the world. ... read more

The Feast of St. James, the Apostle, known as the Greater, is celebrated today. The designation "the Greater" is in order to distinguish him from the other Apostle St. James, and it indicates he was chosen first before the other James. James the Greater was our Lord's cousin, and was St. John's brother. With Peter ... read more

Iran and the United States have faced accusations of strikes on civilian infrastructure and have explicitly threatened attacks on civilian infrastructure going forward, prompting concerns from Catholic moral theologians.“I have deep concerns that the war will widen and the greatest impact will be on the civilian populations of Middle East nations,” Joseph Capizzi, director of ... read more

The U.S. abortion count continues to rise even as travel abortions decrease, a recent study found.The Guttmacher Institute, a data group that openly supports abortion access, documented a decrease in people leaving their own state to get abortions in other states. Instead, abortion seekers turn toward mail-order abortions, which have seen a surge in recent ... read more

Members of the European Parliament are urging Mairead McGuinness, the European Unionʼs special envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, to engage with Pakistan over forced religious conversions as the countryʼs Federal Constitutional Court is due to hear 13-year-old Maria Shahbazʼs appeal on Friday.The calls follow growing concern over reports of the abduction, forced conversion, ... read more