The Knights of Columbus used a paper cover to temporarily cloak artwork created by Father Marko Rupnik at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. / Credit: Christina Herrera/EWTN News

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 23, 2024 / 16:38 pm (CNA).

The Knights of Columbus used a paper cover to temporarily cloak artwork created by Father Marko Rupnik at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., pending the outcome of a Vatican investigation into sexual abuse allegations against the Slovenian artist and priest.

Rupnik’s mosaics line the walls of the Luminous Mysteries Chapel, which contains a first-class relic of St. John Paul II’s blood at the front of the altar, and the larger Redemptor Hominis Chapel, both of which sit inside the shrine near the entrance. The shrine is sponsored and managed by the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization.

The paper cover will eventually be replaced with a fabric canvas while the Vatican continues to investigate allegations that Rupnik spiritually, psychologically, and sexually abused between 20 and 40 adult women, including religious sisters.

Rupnik’s artwork was fully covered on Tuesday, July 23, less than two weeks after Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly announced that the Catholic fraternal organization would cover its displays of his artwork at the shrine and at its headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut. 

Rupnik first faced allegations of sexual misconduct in 2018 and subsequently faced numerous allegations of past sexual abuse in 2021 and again in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Kelly said in a statement on July 11 that the Knights of Columbus would cover up the artwork “because our first concern must be for victims of sexual abuse, who have already suffered immensely in the Church, and who may be further injured by the ongoing display of the mosaics at the shrine.”

The Knights of Columbus consulted with sexual abuse victims and those who minister to them, art historians, pilgrims to the shrine, bishops, and moral theologians before making the decision.

“While opinions varied among those consulted, there was a strong consensus to prioritize the needs of victims, especially because the allegations are current, unresolved, and horrific,” the statement read.

The Vatican investigated Rupnik in May 2019 for violating canon law by providing absolution during confession to an accomplice in sin — a woman with whom he had sexual relations. After the investigation, the Vatican confirmed in May 2020 that Rupnik had incurred an automatic excommunication, which the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) lifted two weeks later.

New sexual abuse allegations against Rupnik came to light in June 2021 from the Loyola Community in Slovenia, where he is accused of abusing nuns. The CDF stated in October 2022 that the statute of limitations had expired and Rupnik could not be investigated. However, in December 2022, he faced new allegations of abuse from his time at the Aletti Center in Rome. 

In October 2023, Pope Francis lifted the statute of limitations and ordered the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to begin a judicial process to investigate the claim. More allegations have come to light following that announcement. 

Rupnik was expelled from the Jesuits in June 2023 but is still a priest and a consultant to the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Rupnik’s artwork is still displayed around the world, including in the Vatican’s Redemptoris Mater Chapel.

Katie Ledecky visits students at Stone Ridge of the Sacred Heart School following the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic games / Credit: Stone Ridge of the Sacred Heart School

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 23, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Katie Ledecky, an Olympic athlete considered to be one of the best female swimmers of all time, often speaks about her faith and experiences of attending Catholic schools.

After winning her first Olympic gold medal in 2012 at age 15, Ledecky has gone on to become one of the best female swimmers of all time. With 10 Olympic medals and 21 world championship titles under her belt, Ledecky is poised to be one of the top competitors in the Paris Olympics later this month.

While her swimming feats have brought Ledecky accolades worldwide, those who knew the Maryland native in her youth while she attended Catholic schools describe her as being a bright, kind, and faithful student.

“She’s not only a wonderful athlete, but she is also a role model that you would want a young, Catholic woman to be,” Sister Rosemaron Rynn shared with CNA. “She’s grown into this wonderful person because of her great parents, her family life, and also the fact that she keeps herself close to God.”

Sister Rosemaron, who served as Ledecky’s principal at the Little Flower School in Bethesda, Maryland, said Ledecky attended the school from pre-K to eighth grade. “Her mom was a part of the Mystical Rose Society that takes care of the altar and other things in the church,” she added.

“Katie used to help her mom now and then with that, and I know from reading stories about her that she continues to say that her faith is very important,” Sister Rosemaron continued. “She has said that she prays before each event, and I believe that the Lord has really blessed her.”

In a 2016 interview with the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, Ledecky shared that she often prays a Hail Mary before each of her races, stating: “More than anything, praying just helps me to concentrate and let go of things that don’t matter in that moment. It gives me peace knowing I’m in good hands.”

“I think our devotion to Mary is very beautiful,” Ledecky said. “She has a sacred role in Catholicism, and her strong faith and humility are things we can learn from.”

Humility is another attribute that Sister Rosemaron credits Ledecky as having, telling CNA that “[Katie] never touted the fact that she was that good. In fact, it blew our minds when we found out that she was going toward the Olympics.”

“She’d come in during the morning before school started, her hair all wet because she had been out swimming before school,” she said. “But she never bragged about anything, ever. She was truly humble.”

Upon entering Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart for high school in 2011, Ledecky continued to remain “extremely grounded” and “humbly gracious” amid her rise to fame, according to Stone Ridge Principal Catherine Karrels.

“On our swim team, there were students of all levels. We had Katie who was an Olympian and students who were just learning how to make their way across the pool,” Karrels told CNA. “One of the things I admired about Katie was that she was so inclusive and celebratory for the other kids and all that they were able to accomplish.”

In addition to being a member of the Stone Ridge swim team and setting numerous records, Ledecky also participated in many of the school’s service opportunities. She volunteered as a teacher’s aide in her former elementary school, served meals to homeless people at the Shepherd’s Table soup kitchen, and helped lead Stone Ridge’s campus ministry program among others.

“Katie really cares deeply about other people and is very focused on community and family. I think a lot of that comes from her faith in that she sees the dignity in everyone around her,” Karrels said. “All of these things fit in with a faith life that is grounded in strong values that come from her family and that were also expressed in her education here at Stone Ridge.”

Ledecky has kept her Catholic formation and roots close to her, often making stops to see both the Little Flower School and Stone Ridge following her Olympic feats and accomplishments. As Sister Rosemaron recounted, Katie would visit her and the other sisters, “bringing her medals, letting us each wear one to take pictures with her.”

Karrels echoed this, sharing with CNA that Ledecky has done “a great job in keeping in touch with us, frequently coming back to campus when she’s in town.”

“She will often come and talk to our student body and engage with the kids. Usually when she does that, she wants it to be very informal,” Karrels continued. “She likes to come back and check in with her teachers and coaches, roam the halls, and see how everyone’s doing. I think she also knows how much we like for the young girls to be able to see and get to know her because she’s such an inspiration and a great role model for them in so many different ways.”

Set to compete in the upcoming Olympic games’ 200-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1500-meter freestyle events — two of which she currently holds the record for — the 27-year-old Ledecky is favored to win the gold for several of these events.

Sister Rosemaron and her fellow sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary plan to watch Ledecky and cheer her on, and the priests and congregation at the Church of the Little Flower expressed their prayers and well wishes for the athlete as she competes in Paris.

Stone Ridge will be hosting an Olympic Pep Rally on July 25, where more than 500 are expected to celebrate not just Ledecky but the school’s other two alumni competing for Team USA in swimming — Phoebe Bacon and Erin Gemmell.

Karrels, who will be traveling to Paris in order to cheer on her former students and report back to the Stone Ridge community, shared that “it’s astounding to have such high representation from our alumni.”

“I am thrilled to be going to watch Katie, Phoebe, and Erin compete,” she stated. “Hopefully when they get back from the games, we’ll be able to find a time for them to come to campus and tell their stories to our students, and to celebrate again all that they’ve accomplished and all the lessons they learned.”

Steven and Joelle Schlotter, from Louisville, Kentucky, created special homemade T-shirts for their children in honor of the National Eucharistic Congress. / Credit: Jonah McKeown/CNA

Indianapolis, Ind., Jul 22, 2024 / 17:52 pm (CNA).

The 10th National Eucharistic Congress concluded Sunday in Indianapolis with a clarion call for participants to share with others the love and joy of the Catholic faith that they just experienced. 

For the many parents who brought their young children to the historic July 17–21 gathering in Indianapolis, the congress was an inspiring confirmation that the Catholic Church is alive and well and that other families across the country are working hard to raise their kids in the faith. 

The McKenzie family — Brendan and Laura and their eight children — made the trip to the congress from Evansville, Indiana, a few hours south of Indianapolis on the Kentucky border. 

Brendan said for his older kids, he hopes that seeing the large numbers of priests and religious present at the congress will be something of a “normalizing” experience, helping to expose his children to those kinds of vocations as a possibility for their lives. 

For the younger of his children, Brendan said he appreciated the efforts made by organizers to engage with the children and make it a fun and memorable experience. 

“The musicians and the emcees did a great job interacting with the kids, getting them up and dancing and singing, which was good for the little kids,” Brendan said.  

“I think the speakers help infuse the faith and make it more real and personal for the kids. I think the environment has been very conducive, too — allowing kids to participate and not feel like they’re an annoyance. Even the speakers have been very good about welcoming the noise of the children, to put parents at ease.”

The congress featured numerous opportunities for Eucharistic adoration and Mass as well as workshops and educational sessions. 

Numerous families attended a family-focused session on Saturday presented by Damon and Melanie Owens, Catholic speakers from Philadelphia and parents of eight children. The Owenses said it was difficult early on in their marriage to find other families who shared their values. 

Damon and Melanie spoke about the “communal dimension of marriage” and the importance of Catholic couples with children seeking out other like-minded families to “do life with.” They encouraged the families in attendance to make building a community around themselves a priority.

“Marriage is not private — our family life is not meant to be private. It’s personal, but it’s not private,” Damon Owens said. “I want to encourage and exhort you to honor that, to reverence that, and also to lean into it, to do the hard work of drawing even closer to one another.”

Paolo and Jessica Laorden from Mishawaka, Indiana, near South Bend, attended the talk with their five children. The Laordens said the Owenses’ talk about the importance of finding like-minded families resonated with them, especially since their family dynamic is different from many of their peers — Jessica is a family physician, while Paolo is a stay-at-home dad to their five children.

The talk, as well as the experience of seeing so many other families at the Congress, reminded Jessica that “there isn’t a perfect Catholic family and that we’re meant to share what we have, to support each other and find support, to depend on other people instead of turning in,” she said. 

Treating the congress as their “family vacation” for the summer, Paolo said a highlight has been the opportunity to take their kids to say “good morning” and “good night” to Jesus each day of the conference at the adoration chapel.

“They have gone above and beyond to make the conference work for families … we were really nervous about how we were going to make this work,” Jessica added. 

Paolo said he and Jessica want to be intentional about continuing the practice of bringing their children to Eucharistic adoration when they return home. Many churches in their hometown offer adoration, and “we want to do it again, on a more regular basis … even if it’s just for a couple of minutes, or an hour.”

“We want to make sure that when we go home, we bring it all home with us and be the life for the area,” he said.

Frannie and Alec Moen made the four-hour drive from Wildwood, Missouri, to attend the Congress with their seven children. Frannie said that although everyone they met was helpful and friendly, the experience was challenging — it was a workout getting the kids and stroller from one place to another, and anxiety-inducing keeping the kids from getting lost in the crowds. 

“But we trusted that God had us there for a reason, and that he’d help us keep track of them. It felt a lot like a pilgrimage,” Frannie said. 

Seeing the diversity of the Church as well as the large numbers of priests and religious “made a huge impression” on her kids, especially during Saturday’s Eucharistic procession. Frannie also mentioned a special moment when one of her daughters, who has a “unique Catholic name, and sometimes feels self-conscious about it,” met a religious sister with the same name who gave her a special handmade rosary.   

“I’d say every five minutes, someone stopped to thank us for what we are doing and for bringing our family,” Frannie said. 

“We do feel a deeper intimacy with Jesus in the Eucharist after going. We go to him every day, and we feel like he saw our loneliness and discouragement in this world and drew us to a place where we could be restored and sent back on mission to raise these children in the faith. It is hard, but we were reminded that it is worth it … The Church is young!”

Peter and Naomi Atkinson, who came from Chicago with their two young children, said the organizers of the congress did a good job of making the event family-friendly. Although they weren’t able to make it to any of the evening sessions because of their children’s bedtime, Naomi said that overall the accommodations to help families — and especially mothers with small children — feel comfortable at the congress were “amazing.” She said the space provided for nursing mothers was especially appreciated. 

“Seeing the other families who brought their kids here is really encouraging — the fact that there are so many families who are in the same boat we are, and trying to make the same sacrifices to bring their kids up with a deep love of the faith,” Peter said. 

“As Catholics, we don’t believe individually. We believe as a community. I think it’s really important for our families to see the strength and diversity and the unity of the faith,” he continued. 

“I think it’s really important for parents to receive that with other parents, and it’s important for children to see their parents receiving that, and to see other children being formed in those communities as well.”

“There is a reason that countries across the world — from Sweden to Norway, France, and the United Kingdom — have taken steps to pause these procedures and policies,” said New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu. / Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, Arizona, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 22, 2024 / 17:22 pm (CNA).

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed into law a bill that restricts sex-change surgeries on minors, along with a bill that restricts access to female athletic competitions in certain grades to only biological girls. 

“As the debate over [these bills] has played out in Concord and throughout the state, charged political statements have muddled the conversation and distracted from the two primary factors that any parent must consider: safety and fairness for their children,” Sununu said in a statement. 

“These two factors have been my primary consideration in reviewing these bills,” the governor added.

Sununu vetoed a third bill related to transgender policies. 

The vetoed legislation would have ended the state’s anti-discrimination protections for people who identify as transgender. This would have permitted public and private entities to restrict bathroom and locker room access based on biological sex rather than self-asserted gender identity.

Banning transgender surgery on minors

House Bill 619, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, prohibits doctors from performing “genital gender reassignment surgery” on anyone under the age of 18.

This includes a ban on internal and external gender transition surgeries. For boys, this ban includes removal of genitals and surgical interventions to make the genitals appear similar to a female. For girls, this ban includes the removal of ovaries or other surgeries that alter the genitals and make the genitals appear similar to a male.

“This bill focuses on protecting the health and safety of New Hampshire’s children and has earned bipartisan support,” Sununu said. “There is a reason that countries across the world — from Sweden to Norway, France, and the United Kingdom — have taken steps to pause these procedures and policies.”

However, New Hampshire’s restrictions do not go as far as many other Republican states. The law still allows other transgender surgeries, such as the removal of healthy breasts in girls and the addition of prosthetic breasts in boys to facilitate a sex change. The state will also continue to allow doctors to prescribe puberty-blocking drugs and hormone therapy to facilitate a sex change in minors.

The ban on genital surgery is enforced through licensing agencies. Minors or parents will also be permitted to sue doctors who perform banned surgery on minors. 

Protecting girls’ sports

House Bill 1205 ensures that only biological girls will be allowed to participate in female sports competitions in grades 5 through 12. The legislation does not affect lower grades or college sports.

The legislation requires that sports competitions for those grades be classified as either “male,” “female,” or “coed.” Only biological males can participate in “male” competitions, only biological females can participate in “female” competitions, and both can participate in “coed” competitions.

Per the legislation, a biological male who identifies as transgender could not participate in a sports competition reserved for girls.

“[This legislation] ensures fairness and safety in women’s sports by maintaining integrity and competitive balance in athletic competitions,” Sununu said. “With this widely supported step, New Hampshire joins nearly half of all U.S. states in taking this measure.”

Any student who is deprived of an athletic opportunity based on a violation of the law or who faces retaliation for reporting a violation will be allowed to sue the school for damages.

This bill goes into effect 30 days following the governor’s signature.

null / Credit: orgarashu/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 22, 2024 / 15:15 pm (CNA).

A coalition of 18 state attorneys general is throwing its support behind a lawsuit from a former Indiana high school teacher who lost his job because he would not use pronouns for students that were inconsistent with their sex. 

The Republican coalition, co-led by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, filed an amicus brief with the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit on Wednesday that asks the judges to rule that the teacher’s religious liberty was violated. 

An amicus brief, also known as a “friend of the court” brief, is a document filed by parties that have an interest in the outcome of the litigation but are not parties in the lawsuit.

Former music teacher John Kluge, who taught orchestra at the Brownsburg Community School Corporation just northwest of Indianapolis, was given the option of resigning or being fired from his job over the pronoun dispute, according to his lawsuit.

In 2017, the school district adopted a policy that forces teachers to use pronouns and names that reflect a student’s self-asserted gender identity, even if they are inconsistent with the student’s sex.

Kluge requested a religious accommodation that would allow him to avoid using any pronouns in reference to students, simply calling them by their last names, so he could avoid using pronouns that are inconsistent with a student’s biological sex.

The school district initially granted Kluge — a Christian — his requested accommodation and he taught for another year, according to the lawsuit. After receiving complaints from a few students and teachers, the school district revoked his accommodation, according to the lawsuit, and then “forced Mr. Kluge to resign or be fired.”

In the amicus brief, the attorneys general wrote that the school district “squandered an opportunity to showcase to students respect for people with different religious beliefs and practices” by forcing Kluge’s resignation. 

“Discriminating against teachers with religious convictions raises serious concerns as to the values taught to students and whether students are truly free to discover, learn, and grow in their own thought processes and beliefs,” the attorneys general added. “Schools should strive to teach respect for all religions instead of uniformity of thought.”

In a statement, Rokita said that Kluge’s compromise to avoid pronoun use altogether would allow him “to treat everyone equally and respectfully while also staying faithful to his own religious convictions.” 

“Kicking this teacher to the curb sends students the wrong messages about America’s heritage of respecting religion,” Rokita added. “And, at a time when teachers are in short supply, this kind of intolerance of faith among faculty members is sure to push additional good teachers out of the classroom.”

Rory Gray, who serves as senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom — the legal group representing Kluge — told CNA that “public schools can’t force teachers to abandon their religious beliefs.” 

“Mr. Kluge went out of his way to treat all his students with respect and care,” Gray said. “Yet the Brownsburg school district violated Title VII by censoring and punishing him for his religious beliefs. The 7th Circuit should … protect the religious convictions of employees, especially for teachers in our public schools.”

A spokesperson for the school district did not respond to a request for comment from CNA.

The school district has argued that the requested accommodation provides the district with an “undue burden” that jeopardizes the enforcement of its policies. 

The district has also argued that refusing to use a student’s preferred pronoun and name could violate Title IX’s prohibition on sex discrimination — a question that is currently before several courts.

In 2021, a Virginia teacher was fired after he criticized a proposed Loudoun County Public School Board policy that would require teachers to use a student’s preferred pronoun and name. The school board ultimately adopted the policy but reached a settlement with physical education teacher Byron “Tanner” Cross that gave him his job back.

The Church of the Rock in Castle Rock, Colorado, is a nondenominational Christian church that was founded in the 1980s. After a legal battle with the town over a short-term homeless shelter, the church was vindicated on July 19, 2024, and permitted to continue its ministry on church property. / Credit: Photo courtesy of First Liberty Institute

CNA Staff, Jul 22, 2024 / 14:45 pm (CNA).

A federal judge sided with a Colorado church Friday in its dispute with a Denver-area town, granting the church the right to offer temporary housing for the homeless on its property.

Beginning in 2019, The Rock Church, a nondenominational church in Castle Rock, a town south of Denver, provided a recreational vehicle (RV) and a camper on the edge of its parking lot to temporarily shelter people experiencing homelessness. The church also provides temporary shelter during emergencies through a partnership with the Red Cross. 

On several occasions, town officials blocked the ministry, saying that housing people on church grounds violated zoning laws.

The Town of Castle Rock first notified the church of a zoning violation in 2021 and charged the church in 2023. 

In the lawsuit, which was filed in May, the church alleged that Castle Rock was “apparently operating on the cynical thesis that they do not want the homeless in their area.”

The lawsuit cited Scripture highlighting that helping the poor is essential to Christianity, arguing that the restriction infringes on the church’s religious freedom. The lawsuit also noted that there had been no safety complaints and that the shelters are barely visible from local residential housing, which is about 300 feet away from the parking lot.

The court ruled against the Town of Castle Rock on July 19, preventing the town from enforcing its land-use laws against the church to block the shelter. Additionally, the judge denied the church’s second and third claims that alleged interference by the town in the church’s Red Cross partnership. 

“We are pleased with the decision of the court that allows the church to carry out its religious freedom on its property,” Jeremy Dys, senior counsel with First Liberty Institute, a Christian legal nonprofit that argued the case, said in a statement shared with CNA.

“The court reopened the door of a caring church whose mission has always been to offer a warm environment for the homeless living on the cold, hard streets,” he added. 

U.S District Judge Daniel Domenico ruled that under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, a 2000 law designed to protect religious organizations from discrimination in zoning laws, the church could practice its homeless shelter ministry on its nonresidential property. 

“The church contends that it carries out these ministries because of its faith and its religious mission to provide for the needy, emphasizing the fact that ‘the Holy Bible specifically and repeatedly directs faithful Christians like the church’s members to care for the poor and needy out of compassion and mercy for those who are experiencing significant misfortune and hardship,’” the judge wrote in the 18-page order.  

When launching the ministry, The Rock Church planned to provide short-term housing for families and individuals in need as well as food, clothing, and other material necessities. The church has since housed several individuals and families, including a single mother and her 3-year-old son, as well as two people recovering from addiction. 

In its suit against the town, the church said the restrictions violated First Amendment rights and religious freedom as well as the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. 

The Rock Church argued that it “has suffered and will continue to suffer irreparable harm, including the loss of its constitutional rights,” and noted in its initial May 13 complaint that the town has no other temporary-shelter alternatives. 

The judge noted that “the church takes a number of precautions to ensure that its temporary shelter is safe,” including background checks by a third party and rules for conduct for RV tenants. 

Domenico found that the town’s restriction was irreparably harmful for the church’s practice of its sincerely-held religious beliefs. 

“The fact that the church has already had to turn away homeless families in need, in violation of its sincerely held beliefs that it must serve and house them on its property, makes this harm all too clear,” he noted. 

Throughout the week, the perpetual adoration chapel at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis has been full to overflowing. / Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

Indianapolis, Ind., Jul 22, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).

It was standing room only at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in downtown Indianapolis for much of the week as a steady stream of Catholics attending the 10th National Eucharistic Congress popped in and out of the church to pray before Jesus in the Eucharist.

The church suspended its regular Masses for the week to serve as the perpetual adoration chapel for the nearly 60,000 Catholics attending the Eucharistic congress July 17–21. Located across the street from the Indiana Convention Center where much of the event’s liturgies, workshops, panels, and exhibits were taking place, the historic church became home base for many attendees. 

Throughout the week, religious sisters stood under a tent outside the church handing out rosaries and slips of paper to attendees, inviting them to write down their prayer intentions for them to take to the Blessed Sacrament.

Sister Dominica, a Dominican Sister of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, an order based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, told CNA on Saturday that the sisters had received at least 2,000 prayer requests.

“We keep having to make runs to Jesus!” she said.

Sister Dominica and several members of her community were taking a shift under the tent in an effort organized by the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious and carried out by several orders of religious sisters. The Eucharistic prayer initiative has a special meaning for their order, she said.

“It’s a real outreach of our own — our own charism of Eucharistic adoration and promoting that devotion in the church. And we’re huge supporters of this Eucharistic revival,” Sister Dominica said. 

On the last full day of the conference, CNA spoke with some of those outside the church about their experience in adoration before the Eucharist and at the National Eucharistic Congress, an event planned by the U.S. bishops to help foster a deeper encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist. 

Andrew Niewald, a theology teacher from Beloit, Kansas, told CNA that he has been inspired by seeing so many other people in adoration share a faith and love for Jesus in the Eucharist.

“I believe that just seeing so many people here that believe in the Eucharist, you go into an adoration like that, where there seems to be hundreds of people just in almost complete silence, praying deeply. That moves your soul. It speaks to your soul a little bit,” Niewald said.

“You know, all of us probably get lost in our own churches where sometimes we feel like we’re battling an uphill battle, maybe because the real world meets our beliefs. And you just think that you’re the only one that stays with the Lord as they did in John 6. It’s very beautiful to be here with the masses that believe,” he said.

After spending time in the adoration chapel, Abigale LaFave, 17, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, told CNA that what she saw in the church also moved her.

“It is striking how there are so many people, and yet it is silent, and everybody’s attention is right on the Lord. I think that is what touched my heart the most, just the magnitude of people, and yet the reverence and the silence before him,” she said.

“It is a gorgeous church. Architecture should glorify the Lord, and this one definitely does it,” LaFave said of St. John’s, which was built in 1867.

“It’s a great community. Everybody is so on fire and so in love with the Lord, and just being in special adoration with those people, it is really moving,” said LaFave, who attended the congress with her family.

Victoria Smith, 20, of Maitland, Florida, upon leaving the church, told CNA that she has felt closer to Jesus after spending time in adoration while at the conference.

“I’ve never been much for adoration before, but you got to let go of all the thoughts like ‘I’m not praying right.’ Because the truth is, when you’re with someone you love, you’re not always talking to them, and not all your conversations are about something so deep. And not all of your conversations are going to change your life, but they’re all beautiful,” she said.

“Like your conversations with your mother, or if you’re just sitting with her at the breakfast table. What’s important is the love there, not always the words that [are] said.”

Nancy Betkoski of Beacon Falls, Connecticut, told CNA that sharing the experience of prayer with so many other Catholics has been “a touch of heaven.”

She said she had been writing in her journal during Eucharistic adoration and was reminded of her childhood desire to be a missionary.

Attending the conference with a friend, Betkoski said: ”We want to be here to be used for good. So we’re open to his mission.”

“I really hope that people will just be renewed knowing that they can have a friendship with Jesus. That’s what I really want, is people to have a friendship with Jesus. I’d say he’s my best friend,” she said.

Dominique Barksdale, 28, of Flossmoor, Illinois, told CNA that she has found her experience a challenging one.

“I was not expecting to go this way. I was expecting just to have fun and fellowship. And now I’m just like, I’m exhausted. I’ve been crying multiple times — it’s just the Spirit is moving,” she said.

Barksdale said that she hopes to develop a deeper awareness of Jesus after this experience.

“I carve out three hours with God every day. But am I being conscious of Jesus Christ? So I’m hoping after this, I’ll have Jesus as a priority, too. I feel like I’ve almost put him on a back burner. So it’s a hard thing to confront,” she said.

“I’m just trying to let the Holy Spirit lead me. And I saw that wonderful artwork that was in the conference room, the exhibit hall, that has Jesus in the monstrance. So that really helped me last night when the procession was happening — to imagine him walking in, not just the monstrance, but Jesus coming in,” she said.

Salvador Cerda of Joliet, Illinois, and his wife, Jenny, told CNA that in the 50 years they have been married, this is the first time they have taken a trip alone. Salvador said he felt called to attend the congress.

“The Lord made it possible. Any other time, I wouldn’t have been able to afford to come. But he made it possible this year. I don’t know why. It just all fell in place,” Salvador Cerda said.

“When I heard about the congress, something hit me. I got to go. I got to be there. I’ve been walking this journey with Our Lord, and more and more, I started attending daily Mass, and I see the Lord. I see him there, and I see him calling me for whatever, to inspire people, to move people, to to work with people. I just wanted to be here to share that love with others,” he said.

“But I’m surprised how many people are here. I just can’t believe it. That’s a feeling that I had before in the liturgies when we have the full choir and meditations,” he said with tears in his eyes.

“I miss that. We don’t have that now. It’s a historic church, but it’s very small. We don’t have that congregation that joins in with the choir and just sings their hearts. I just had to be here. I said, I got to share this with somebody. I got to be with somebody, with others that believe and love Christ. I just had to be here,” Cerda said.

Parishioners attend a July 2024 Mass at St. Peter Church in Quincy, Illinois. This parish is one of many participating in the “Family School Agreement” meant to increase regular Mass attendance and activity among parishioners. / Credit: Randy Dickerman

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 22, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

In an effort to encourage families to “return to the Eucharist and be an active part of the Catholic community,” the Quincy Deanery of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, has implemented a “Family School Agreement” initiative effective July 1.

The initiative builds upon a 2015 agreement asking families with children who attend Quincy’s Catholic elementary schools to “commit themselves to the Catholic faith and involve themselves in the practice of that faith” by attending Mass each Sunday and on holy days of obligation.

Now, families who wish to maintain the current Active Catholic Families school tuition subsidy of $3,400 are expected to continue doing so with an added commitment of attending Mass at a minimum of 51% of the time.

“The process is simple: Families receive cards, about the size of a business card, on which they write their family name, their children’s school, and the date of the Mass they attended,” explained Christopher Gill, the chief administrative leader for Quincy Catholic Elementary Schools. “These cards are then dropped in the collection basket during Mass, and we collect the cards and record the information in a spreadsheet. [Families] can attend any of the churches in Quincy for it to be officially counted.”

Active Catholic families who meet these requirements will pay a tuition of $3,400 for one child, $4,975 for two children, and $5,500 for three or more children enrolled in these schools. Meanwhile, those who do not participate in this initiative will pay $4,850 for one child, $8,150 for two children, and $9,250 for three or more.

Parishioners from all of the churches in Quincy and several of its neighboring towns are able to participate in this initiative, which will affect how this active subsidy is allocated for the 2025-2026 school year.

“The reason for this change is to encourage people to return to the Eucharist. We have noticed a steady decline in Mass attendance over the past decade and want to reverse this trend,” Gill stated. “Last year, churches in Springfield, Illinois, implemented this new agreement with the 51% stipulation and reported a 22% increase in Mass attendance. After reviewing their data, we decided to adopt a similar approach in Quincy.”

Echoing this reasoning and support for the initiative was Father Steve Arisman, the current pastor of St. Francis Solanus Church in Quincy. Arisman shared with CNA that this initiative has “nothing to do with any kind of financial aspect in terms of giving.”

“We wanted to form disciples, and that starts with Mass,” Arisman said. “Catholic education starts with Sunday Mass, and that really is the crux of what we are doing and the element of who we are as Catholics.”

Statistics in weekly Mass attendance by Catholics across the United States have shown a decline in the last several decades, most notably dropping from 45% in 2000–2003 to 33% in 2021–2023.

In response to these declining numbers, various dioceses and parishes throughout the country have taken numerous approaches in order to promote regular Mass attendance in the post-COVID years.

For example, the Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Towson, Maryland, applies an active Catholic tuition grant of $1,745 to those who “attend Mass regularly.” While parishioners aren’t asked to keep track of their attendance with a card, they are instead expected to be registered with the parish, complete a verification form, and have their children baptized in the Catholic Church prior to Feb. 1.

Our Lady of Joy in Carefree, Arizona, encourages weekly Mass participation as well as a Catholic tuition discount to those who document their contributions by giving at least two times each month to the parish with family envelopes.

The Christ Our King-Stella Maris School in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, has taken an approach similar to that of the Quincy Deanery, offering reduced tuition to families who meet its requirements for active “parishioner status” in four different parishes in the area. One requirement consists of parishioners attending a weekend Mass 75% of the time throughout the year.

Acknowledging that some “difficult conversations” may arise regarding this initiative from those who are “not living the faith,” Arisman shared his belief that “these will be really great conversations to have.”

“[This initiative] will show how we can truly reach out to these families,” he said. “It asks questions on what we can do to connect them better with Christ, the church community, and the Mass. When we challenge these families and call them to see something more in telling them how important the Mass really is, then they respond to that.”

He continued: “We need to challenge people with love and charity, and the expectation of calling them to something more without making them feel bad. We need to help them see the priority that Mass should be, while also being welcoming and hospitable ourselves.”

Aaron Weiman, whose family of nine consists of four elementary-aged children and are active within St. Francis Solanus, has seen the “fruitful” effects of this initiative so far.

“There is a lot of excitement around getting families back to church who need a little bit more of a push to get there, and then once they’re there to focus on keeping them engaged in their faith formation,” he told CNA. “It’s been exciting to look around and to see so many new faces and families in Sunday Mass this past month.”

Though the initiative still remains in early stages, Weiman expressed his hope for its continued effects throughout the Quincy area.

“[The Family School Agreement] seems to be focused on the spiritual renewal of our families that are involved in the Catholic schools and that we want in the parishes,” he continued. “The hope is that we instill our faith and make our area stronger as Catholics.”

National Eucharistic Congress participants heard the story of St. Manuel González García (1877–1940), a little-known saint who passionately urged people to recognize the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and to never leave him abandoned in the tabernacle. / Credit: CarlosVdeHabsburgo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Indianapolis, Ind., Jul 21, 2024 / 18:20 pm (CNA).

National Eucharistic Congress participants heard the story of St. Manuel González García (1877–1940), a little-known saint who passionately urged people to recognize the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and to never leave him abandoned in the tabernacle.

Bishop Gerardo Colacicco, an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York, shared the story of the passionate Spanish saint who has been called “the bishop of the abandoned tabernacle” during a homily at Mass during the congress.

“The Eucharistic Revival began a few years ago because sadly, some of our Catholic brothers and sisters do not know or believe that our Lord is present, body, blood, soul, and divinity in the most Blessed Sacrament,” Colacicco said.

“Many have been wandering in the desert of despair, preoccupied by self and grumbling because they are hungry and nothing seems to satisfy. … Why? Because we failed to change. We failed to tell them the truth. Worse than that, we failed to fall on our knees in adoration. And many have been lost.”

Colacicco said that the example of St. Manuel, one of the patron saints of the U.S. bishops’ National Eucharistic Revival, can show us “how we move forward to make known the truth of the Real Presence in our midst.”

Born in Seville, Spain, in 1877, González was ordained a priest in 1901. He arrived at his first assignment to find that the tabernacle was ignored and the parish church neglected.

St. Manuel wrote in his journal: “My faith was looking at Jesus through the door of that tabernacle, so silent, so patient, so good, gazing right back at me. … His gaze was telling me much and asking for more. It was a gaze in which all the sadness of the Gospels was reflected.”

“For me, this turned out to be the starting point — to see, understand, and feel what would consume the whole of my priestly ministry. On that afternoon, I saw that my priesthood would consist of a work of which I had never before dreamt. All my illusions about the kind of priest I would be vanished. I found myself to be a priest of a town that didn’t love Jesus, and I would have to love him in the name of everybody in that town,” González said.

González devoted himself untiringly to loving the Eucharistic Lord with such intensity and devotion that others were drawn to that once-abandoned tabernacle, Colacicco explained. He founded schools, an order of sisters, preached missions, and was ordained a bishop.

After his episcopal ordination in Seville, he said: “I desire that in my life as a bishop, as before in my life as a priest, my soul should not grieve except for one sorrow which is the greatest of all, the abandonment of the tabernacle, and that it should rejoice for one joy, the tabernacle, which does not lack company.”

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!’”

First-class relics of González’s bone, blood, and hair were brought to Indianapolis from Spain by several sisters who are members of the Eucharistic Missionaries of Nazareth, the community he founded.

“Bishop Manuel teaches us that the very first thing we do is fall on our knees in front of the tabernacle and simply love Jesus who dwells within,” Colacicco said.

“It is our fervent prayer that our love for Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament will be increased and be strengthened,” he said. “And when we leave this place and return to our homes, please God, may our love ignite a fire in the hearts of others that they may come to know, love, and serve our Eucharistic Lord.”

President Joe Biden waves on stage during the Vote To Live Properity Summit at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 16, 2024. / Credit: KENT NISHIMURA/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jul 21, 2024 / 14:15 pm (CNA).

President Joe Biden on Sunday said he would not seek reelection, conceding to growing calls in his party to bow out of the race after a highly criticized debate against GOP nominee Donald Trump in June.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president,” Biden, the second Catholic president of the United States, said in a July 21 statement posted on X. “And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.”

Biden added that he would speak to the nation later in the week about the details of his decision.

In an X post sent about a half hour after his first announcement, Biden endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, for president in the 2024 election.

“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my vice president,” he said. “And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.”

The Democratic president has since last month been facing growing calls from his party and from supporters to bow out of the 2024 race amid concerns that he will be unable to serve another four years as president.

Democratic officials and major party boosters began sounding the alarm after the first 2024 presidential debate last month when Biden repeatedly lost his train of thought and struggled to articulate his vision for the country.

Multiple Democratic U.S. senators have called for Biden to pull out of the race, as have Democratic members of the U.S. House including California Rep. Adam Schiff. Flurries of media reports have indicated that former Speaker of the House California Rep. Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama have also been pushing Biden to bow out.

High-ranking donors and boosters have also been backing away from the Democratic Party amid fears that Biden remaining in the race could have devastating down-ballot effects for lower candidates. Actor George Clooney, a longtime Democratic fundraiser, said in the New York Times earlier this month that Democrats are “not going to win in November with this president.”

Clooney urged the top Democrats to “ask this president to voluntarily step aside” so the party can mount a last-minute nomination effort for another candidate.

Big donors also pulled their money from Democratic campaigns in the hopes of forcing Biden out. Filmmaker Abigail Disney this month said she would halt all Democratic donations “unless and until they replace Biden at the top of the ticket.”

The New York Times, meanwhile, reported this month that big-ticket donors were holding upwards of $90 million from a Biden super PAC until the president resigned from the race.

This story was updated July 21, 2024, at 2:22 p.m. ET.