Meet the crop of new leaders in Catholic higher education

From left to right: Robert Neal, chairman of Catholic University of America's Board of Trustees; Father Robert Dowd, president of the University of Notre Dame; George Harne, president of Christendom College; Monsignor Joseph Reilly, president of Seton Hall University; and Gerard Joyce, president of Mount St. Mary's University. / Credit: Courtesy of Robert Neal and Catholic University of America; Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame; Courtesy of Christendom College; Courtesy of Seton Hall University; Courtesy of Mount St. Mary's UniversityCNA Staff, Jul 1, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).Of the more than 200 Catholic colleges and universities in the United States, several are in the midst of major leadership transitions. Here's a look at the most recent.New president at America's oldest independent Catholic University Gerard "Jerry" Joyce is set to begin his term on July 1 as president of America's oldest independent Catholic University: Mount St. Mary's University, a liberal arts u...

Pope Francis asks Sacred Heart of Jesus to convert hearts who want war

On the last day of June, a month that the Catholic Church dedicates to the Sacred Heart, the pope asked people to continue praying for Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, and other parts of the world where there is much suffering caused by war. / Credit: Vatican MediaRome Newsroom, Jun 30, 2024 / 09:59 am (CNA).Pope Francis prayed for the intercession of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Sunday to convert "the hearts of those who want war" to projects of dialogue and peace.On the last day of June, a month that the Catholic Church dedicates to the Sacred Heart, the pope asked people to continue praying for Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, and other parts of the world where there is much suffering caused by war.Pope Francis also asked people to remember the suffering of persecuted Christians during his Angelus address on June 29. "Today we remember the protomartyrs of Rome. We too live in a time of martyrdom even more than in the first centuries," he said."In many parts of t...

PHOTOS: A Eucharistic pilgrimage boards a 'sternwheeler' and travels down the Ohio River

Father Roger Landry displays the Blessed Sacrament aboard the vessel "Sewickley" on the Ohio River near Steubenville, Sunday, June 23, 2024. / Credit: Colleen RowanCNA Staff, Jun 30, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).Faithful on the Seton Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage recently boarded an old-fashioned "sternwheeler" and processed down the Ohio River with the Blessed Sacrament.The ship departed from Steubenville, Ohio, on Sunday, June 23, and traveled 30 miles down the river while blessing several groups and locations.Father Roger Landry holds aloft the Blessed Sacrament aboard the vessel "Sewickley" on the Ohio River near Steubenville, Sunday, June 23, 2024. Credit: Colleen RowanAt the National Catholic Register, CNA's sister news partner, photojournalist Jeff Bruno called the event "stunningly scriptural." Religious sisters pray at the Ohio River near Steubenville, Sunday, June 23, 2024. Credit: Colleen RowanBruno described a multitude of pilgrims gathered on the ...

New Hampshire teacher drove pregnant student to get an abortion

The Merrimack County Courthouse in Concord, New Hampshire. / Credit: Warren LeMay from Covington, Kentucky, CC0, via Wikimedia CommonsCNA Staff, Jun 29, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).A private school teacher in New Hampshire faked an illness so she could drive a student to get an abortion without the knowledge of the student's parents.The student was at least 18 years old at the time and therefore under state law did not need the permission of her parents, the teacher says in a lawsuit filed this week seeking to get back her teaching license, which she says the state revoked earlier this month.The pregnant student didn't want to tell her parents and didn't have a ride to the abortion facility, and the abortion could be performed only on a Friday, which was a school day, the teacher says in the complaint.So the teacher faked food poisoning in order to leave school and drive the student to get the abortion, according to a redacted report by the New Hampshire Department of Education publ...

8 ways to grow closer to God this summer

Pilgrims walk the Kansas Camino, which goes from Wichita to Father Emil Kapaun's home parish in rural Pilsen, Kansas. / Credit: Diocese of WichitaCNA Staff, Jun 29, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).Whether you're on break from school or taking a well-deserved vacation, summertime often brings a different rhythm to life and an opportunity to deepen your relationship with God. Without the regular hustle and bustle, there are many ways you can draw closer to him. Here are eight ideas.1. Visit a local shrine or one where you are visiting.If you're taking a trip with family or friends, or even just enjoying downtime at home from school or work, try visiting a local Catholic landmark such as a shrine or cathedral. Seeing as the Catholic Church is universal, you're guaranteed to find a visit-worthy Catholic location just about anywhere. Light a candle or take a little time for prayer. The Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton is located in the Church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary on Oct...

Vatican fireworks: A 500-year-old tradition for the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

A 1775 painting of the fireworks over Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, painted by Jakob Philipp Hackert. / Credit: Public DomainRome Newsroom, Jun 29, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).For the past 500 years, the Vatican has celebrated the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul with a bang with a spectacular fireworks show influenced by Michelangelo and Gian Lorenzo Bernini.While many associate fireworks with the Fourth of July, the Vatican had already been celebrating this week with fireworks for nearly 300 years at the time when Americans were signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776.Each year on June 29, fireworks are launched from atop Castel Sant'Angelo, the papal fortress originally commissioned by Roman Emperor Hadrian, in celebration of the co-patron saints of Rome, St. Peter and St. Paul. The fireworks show, called "The Girandola," has captured the imagination of many artists over the centuries whose sketches and paintings illustrate the event with more pizzazz than the myriad of...

Peter the Apostle and Paul, the teacher of the Gentiles

"Sts. Peter and Paul," Altar of St. Catherine (1465), Schwabach, Germany. Artist unknown. / Credit: Public DomainNational Catholic Register, Jun 29, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).St. Peter was a fisherman. Fishing nets and tilapia were his daily reality. Born without distinction in a backwater of the Roman Empire, he presumably would have lived and died in total obscurity had not Our Lord called him to a higher ministry. The green hills of Galilee might have been his entire world.St. Paul was not a fisherman. He was a man of education and status who was quite possibly being groomed for an authoritative office or distinguished profession. Some speculate that he may have been a relative of Herod the Great. Whether or not that is true, the New Testament clearly presents him as a Roman citizen, well versed in law and philosophy. He spoke at least three languages (Greek, Hebrew, and Latin) and was actively involved in political affairs in Jerusalem at the time of his conversion. We don't kn...

Catholic university grads report high levels of fulfillment, moral thinking, survey finds

null / Credit: wk1003mike via www.shutterstock.comCNA Staff, Jun 28, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).Catholic university graduates are more likely to report higher fulfillment and more emphasis on morality in their decision-making than non-Catholic school students, according to a recent study out of St. Mary's University in San Antonio. The study found that in areas such as life goals, graduates of Catholic universities and colleges had more of a sense of "direction," with 9% more responding to that effect.Catholic university graduates were 10% more likely than graduates of secular universities to report that their life closely matches their ideal. The study also found that Catholic graduates were 14% more likely than secular graduates to report that they are engaged in "a continuous search for purpose." Catholic grads were 17% more likely to say that they are searching for something that makes their life feel significant. Attending a Catholic university has an influence o...

St. Irenaeus of Lyon: the legacy of the early Church father and doctor of unity

St. Irenaeus of Lyon. / Credit: Wolfymoza via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)CNA Staff, Jun 28, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).On June 28, the Catholic Church celebrates St. Irenaeus of Lyon, who as a boy sat at the feet of Polycarp, eagerly listening to the sermons of the early Christian bishop and disciple of the apostle John.The boy Irenaeus grew up to write vastly influential documents that witnessed to the early Church's understanding of topics ranging from the Old Testament to the Eucharist. Though he has long been considered an early Church father, Pope Francis named him the 27th doctor of the Church in 2022, more than 1,800 years after his death, naming him "Doctor Unitatis," or Doctor of Unity.While his work was foundational to the Church, Irenaeus did not consider himself a scholar, and his most famous work, "Against Heresies," written in about 185 A.D., stemmed from a pastoral desire to defend the Church from the rampant heresy of Gnosticism."You will not expect from me … rheto...

At first presidential debate, Biden and Trump spar on abortion, immigration

President Joe Biden, right, listens as Republican presidential candidate former president Donald Trump speaks during a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. / Credit: Gerald Herbert/AP PhotoCNA Staff, Jun 28, 2024 / 09:30 am (CNA).Presumptive 2024 presidential nominees Donald Trump and President Joe Biden sparred at the election cycle's first presidential debate on Thursday, arguing over a wide range of topics including abortion, immigration, and the economy. The two candidates, who have yet to be nominated by their respective parties, took to the stage in Atlanta to present their respective visions for the country. The debate was moderated by CNN anchors Dana Bash and Jake Tapper. In a likely response to the at-times-chaotic debates of the past, the event was marked by several notable rules: The candidates' microphones were muted when they weren't talking in order to curb interruptions during heated moments, and there was no studio a...