Arthur Brooks at SEEK26: 'Your job isn't to win arguments, it's to win a soul'

Arthur Brooks gives a keynote address at SEEK 2026 on Jan. 4, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. | Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNAJan 6, 2026 / 12:29 pm (CNA).New York Times bestselling author and Harvard professor Arthur Brooks encouraged attendees at SEEK 2026 to resist the temptation as missionaries to "fight fire with fire."In his Jan. 4 keynote speech in Columbus, Ohio, Brooks said the world "is not just a cold world" but "a world that attacks you." In this context, he said, it can be challenging not to fight back.However, he said, "your job isn't to win arguments, it's to win a soul."Brooks teaches at the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School and has written multiple books on finding happiness and meaning in life, including "From Strength to Strength" and "Build the Life You Want," which he coauthored with Oprah Winfrey. He also writes a column for The Free Press.Some 26,000 attendees have gathered through Jan. 5 in Columbus, Denver, and Fort Worth, Texas, for the SEEK ...

St. John Neumann, promoter of Catholic education in the U.S., is celebrated today

The National Shrine of St. John Neumann at St. Peter the Apostle Church in Philadelphia. | Credit: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsJan 5, 2026 / 04:00 am (CNA).Every Jan. 5 the Church celebrates the feast of St. John Neumann, Redemptorist missionary, fourth bishop of the city of Philadelphia, and organizer of the first Catholic education network in the U.S.John Nepomucene Neumann was born in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic, in 1811. He attended school in Budweis and years later, in 1831, entered the seminary in that same city. Upon completing his preparation for the priesthood, he presented himself to his diocese but suffered an unexpected setback. The local bishop had fallen ill and priestly ordinations in his diocese were suspended until further notice.Neumann, eager to serve the Lord, wrote letters to the bishops of the neighboring dioceses, but none of them wanted to accept him. Despite the obstacles, the saint was not discouraged.To earn his living, he went...

Nearly 2 million people to march in Poland for Three Kings Procession

Thousands of participants with paper crowns gather on Castle Square in Warsaw during the Three Kings Procession on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2025.Credit: Pawel Kula/Fundacja Orszak Trzech KróliJan 5, 2026 / 05:00 am (CNA).Nearly 2 million people will parade through streets Tuesday in one of Europe's largest Catholic public celebrations, as the Three Kings Procession marks Epiphany across 941 cities and towns nationwide.The annual event, known as Orszak Trzech Króli (Three Kings Procession), draws participants who dress as biblical characters, wear paper crowns, and sing Christmas carols while following figures representing the Magi to nativity scenes set up in public squares. EWTN Poland will broadcast the main Warsaw procession live in English for the first time, beginning at 11 a.m. local time.Last year, an estimated 2 million people participated in the processions across 905 locations in Poland and abroad, according to Vatican News. This year's event expands to ...

A look ahead: 2026 U.S. midterms hinge on key races in Maine, North Carolina

Republicans presently control the White House and both chambers of Congress, but their majorities in both legislative chambers are narrow. | Credit: roibu/ShutterstockJan 5, 2026 / 06:00 am (CNA).Key elections in November 2026 could reshape the balance of power in the U.S. government, potentially upending the current Republican trifecta in Washington and offering a referendum on President Donald Trump's second term in office.Thirty-three seats in the U.S. Senate are up for election, while two states will hold special elections. All 435 districts of the U.S. House of Representatives, meanwhile, are holding elections.Republicans presently control the White House and both chambers of Congress, but their majorities in both legislative chambers are narrow; Democrats need only a net gain of four seats to flip the Senate and a net of three districts to take control of the House.As is often the case, many of the races are seen as foregone conclusions, with Republican and Democratic can...

Arthur Brooks at SEEK 2026: 'Your job isn't to win arguments, it's to win a soul'

Arthur Brooks gives a keynote address at SEEK 2026 on Jan. 4, 2026. | Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNAJan 4, 2026 / 23:20 pm (CNA).New York Times bestselling author and Harvard professor Arthur Brooks encouraged attendees at SEEK 2026 to resist the temptation as missionaries to "fight fire with fire."In his Jan. 4 keynote speech in Columbus, Ohio, Brooks said the world "is not just a cold world," but "a world that attacks you." In this context, he said, it can be challenging not to fight back.However, he said, "your job isn't to win arguments, it's to win a soul."Brooks teaches at Harvard's Kennedy School of Business and has written multiple books on finding happiness and meaning in life, including From Strength to Strength and Build the Life You Want, which he co-authored with Oprah Winfrey. He also writes a column in The Atlantic called "How to Build a Life."Some 26,000 attendees have gathered through Jan. 5 in Columbus, Denver and Fort Worth, Texas for the SEEK 2026 confe...

'Two pennies and a bunt': Catholic athletes explore faith at SEEK

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Trevor Williams delivers against the Chicago Cubs at Nationals Park on May 2, 2023. | Credit: Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images.Jan 4, 2026 / 18:00 pm (CNA).Catholic college athletes attending the SEEK 2026 conference in Columbus, Ohio, considered how holiness is built: Not through spotlight moments, but through quiet sacrifice, daily fidelity, and offering what little they have to God.Some 26,000 attendees have gathered through Jan. 5 in Columbus, Denver, and Fort Worth, Texas for the conference organized by  FOCUS, a Catholic group that sends missionaries to college campuses and parishes to invite students and young adults to a relationship with Jesus Christ.The message about holiness anchored a Varsity Catholic event, a branch of FOCUS ministry for college athletes. The session featured Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams and recently retired Atlanta Braves pitcher J.J. Niekro, who shared personal s...

Pope says Christian hope doesn't depend on human calculations

Pope Leo XIV addresses pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican for the recitation of the Angelus on January 4, 2026. / Vatican MediaVatican City, Jan 4, 2026 / 10:20 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV said Christian hope "is not based on optimistic forecasts or human calculations," but on God's decision to share humanity's path so that no one is alone on life's journey.Speaking Jan. 4 from the window of the Apostolic Palace to hundreds of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square despite the rain, the pope said the foundation of Christian hope is "God's Incarnation," pointing to the day's Gospel reading from the Prologue of St. John: "The Word became flesh and lived among us" (Jn 1:14).On the Second Sunday after Christmas, before reciting the Angelus, Leo urged believers to rethink their faith and avoid an abstract or distant spirituality. "He is not a distant deity in a perfect heaven above us, but a God who is nearby and inhabits our fragile earth, who becomes present in...

Ahead of U.N. Venezuela meeting, world powers respond to Maduro extraction

United Nations Headquarters in New York City. - UN Photo/John Isaac.Jan 4, 2026 / 00:15 am (CNA).The U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has drawn divergent international reactions, with European leaders calling for restraint ahead of an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting Monday.Pope Leo XIV has not yet commented on Saturday's operation, though observers expect him to address the situation during his midday Angelus address Sunday. The pope warned in December against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, urging President Trump to seek dialogue rather than force.The Vatican's daily newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, led its Saturday edition with coverage of the "sudden escalation," describing the situation in Caracas as "highly volatile."European leaders stress international lawEU High Representative Kaja Kallas said on X she spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the EU ambassador in Caracas. Ackn...

Vatican newspaper leads with U.S. attack on Venezuela

A highway sits empty in Caracas after U.S. strikes in the area and the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. | Credit: FEDERICO PARRA/Getty ImagesJan 3, 2026 / 11:56 am (CNA).The Vatican's daily newspaper L'Osservatore Romano opened its Saturday edition with news of U.S. airstrikes against Venezuela, reporting attacks in the capital, Caracas, as well as on several military bases around the country.The main image on the paper's front page showed a dense column of smoke rising over an urban area, reflecting what the paper described as the impact of the military offensive and the sudden escalation of the regional crisis.The newspaper said air raids hit Caracas overnight and several military installations, and it referred to a claim by U.S. President Donald Trump that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and removed from the country.The paper said the situation remains "highly volatile," with growing uncertainty about the political,...

Seminarian says 'God will give you the grace to say yes'

Xavier Polisetty, a seminarian for the Diocese of Fort Worth from Grapevine, Texas, attends SEEK 2026 on Jan. 2, 2026. | Credit: Amira Abuzeid/CNAJan 3, 2026 / 12:26 pm (CNA).Xavier Polisetty, 25, a seminarian from Texas, encouraged men considering the priesthood to trust that God will give the grace to continue."I always felt the call at the back of my heart. It never went away," he said with a smile.Hundreds of seminarians are attending the SEEK 2026 conference being held in Grapevine, Texas, this week with thousands of other young Catholics from around the country.As a child, "I played Mass like a lot of other Catholic boys," said Polisetty, who grew up in Grapevine. He also noticed that his parents, whose faith he described as devout, admired the priests they knew, and he felt from the beginning that he wanted to be one of them.While studying computer science at Texas A&M University, he participated in several ministries through St. Mary's Catholic Center, including a w...