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Vatican City, Mar 15, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).

Pope Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.

Follow here for the latest news on his health and hospitalization:

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CNA Newsroom, Mar 15, 2025 / 10:15 am (CNA).

The Vatican announced Tuesday that Pope Francis has approved a special ecclesial assembly for October 2028 to evaluate how Catholic communities worldwide have implemented the recently concluded Synod on Synodality recommendations.

Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the synod, detailed the plans in a letter to bishops worldwide, emphasizing that this gathering will not constitute a new synod but rather serve as the culmination of a structured three-year implementation process.

"The goal is not to add work upon work but to help Churches walk in a synodal style," Grech wrote.

The cardinal further said that local Churches would actively receive and apply the synod's final document, which Pope Francis directly approved following the conclusion of the synod in October 2024.

The new implementation timeline begins in May with the publication of detailed guidelines, followed by a "Jubilee of Synodal Teams" in October.

Throughout 2027, evaluation assemblies will take place at diocesan, national, and international levels, with continental gatherings scheduled for early 2028.

Grech highlighted the essential role of local "synodal teams" composed of "priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, and laypeople" working alongside their bishops. These teams, he noted, should be "valued" and, where necessary, "renewed, reactivated, and appropriately integrated."

"This process does not diminish the role of each Church in receiving and applying the fruits of the synod in its own unique way," the cardinal wrote. "Rather, it encourages a great co-responsibility that values local Churches while associating the episcopal college with the pope's ministry."

Grech concluded his letter with an invitation for prayers for Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized at Rome's Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14.

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CNA Staff, Mar 15, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is backing an Oklahoma Catholic school's bid before the U.S. Supreme Court to become the first religious charter school in the country. 

St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School has been battling since 2023 to receive official status as a charter school in Oklahoma.

A charter school is a free, privately managed institution that receives public funding like standard public schools. The school's opponents, led by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, have argued that the state's funding of a religious school would violate both Oklahoma statutory and constitutional law regarding the separation of church and state.

The school last year was dealt a blow when the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled against its establishment, claiming the school constituted "a governmental entity and a state actor." The institution, a joint project between the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa, appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case. 

In an amicus brief this week, the USCCB argued that private schools "have long performed the function of educating students" in the United States and that St. Isidore's participation in the state charter program would "not make it a state actor."

The bishops argued that charter schools "are not operating state-run schools" and are thus excluded from the state Supreme Court's "narrowly defined" concept of what constitutes a state actor.

The bishops further pointed to the Supreme Court's 2020 ruling in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which ruled against a Montana constitutional provision that barred public funding of religious institutions. That rule "plainly exclude[d] schools from government aid solely because of religious status," Chief Justice John Roberts said at the time.

A state "cannot disqualify some private schools" from being subsidized "solely because they are religious," the U.S. bishops wrote, citing the Espinoza ruling. 

"This case presents the question whether states may constitutionally exclude religious schools from charter-school programs open to secular private schools," the bishops wrote. "The answer to that question is 'no.'"

Notre Dame Law School's Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic said this week that fully two dozen amicus briefs were filed at the Supreme Court in support of the Catholic charter school, including from the U.S. Solicitor General's Office and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.

Also backing the school were a dozen states including Ohio, Texas, South Carolina, and Kansas, who argued in a brief that they have "a compelling interest in expanding educational opportunities for their citizens."

Oral arguments over the case will be heard at the Supreme Court on April 30.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 15, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).

Former president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Carolyn Woo is speaking out in defense of the aid organization amid Trump administration funding cuts to its services internationally. 

"International aid was started at first for the benefit of the U.S. even though the aid goes overseas," Woo said during an appearance on "EWTN News In Depth" Friday evening, arguing that international aid to organizations like CRS is important "for two major reasons": security and prosperity. 

Woo led CRS from 2012 to 2016. The organization's current president and CEO is Sean Callahan. 

"Security is achieved when countries are working well," she said. "There are not as many incidences of conflicts or terrorism. In addition to that, it also allows us to have understanding and intelligence from that area."

In terms of prosperity, Woo argued that most economic and population growth occurs in developing countries, which she predicted "will become very important markets for the United States," for exports, precious minerals, food, and other goods. "When we invest in these other countries, we're actually investing in the base that allows all of us to grow," she said. 

Addressing President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Woo argued for the restoration of federal aid to CRS, stating: "It's the best investment you could make in the United States in terms of security, in terms of prosperity, but most important in terms of trust. And trust is a very important capital that we don't have." 

Woo's statements come after the U.S. bishops issued a "very urgent" appeal earlier this week for Catholics to contribute to this year's annual CRS collection. 

"Each year the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) comforts and assists people worldwide who suffer from war, natural disasters, violent persecution, or extreme poverty," the bishops said in a Monday statement.

"That work is possible because of contributions to the Catholic Relief Services Collection," they said. 

CRS has been scrambling for funding since the Trump administration in January ordered major cuts to foreign aid and refugee programs. The USCCB previously urged Catholics to take action by asking members of Congress to halt the cuts.

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CNA Newsroom, Mar 15, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople on Wednesday offered a hopeful historical assessment of the traditional 1054 date for the "Great Schism" between Rome and Constantinople, suggesting that tensions developed gradually over time and "are not insurmountable."

"Of course, problems have accumulated over a thousand years. But we are full of hope that they will be resolved in a few years," the patriarch emphasized during an audience in Istanbul on March 12 with a pilgrimage group from the German Association of the Holy Land.

The honorary head of worldwide Orthodoxy made these comments in the presence of Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Emeritus Gregory III Laham, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA's German-language news partner.

The pilgrimage preceded the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea held in 325 A.D.

Rather than a sudden break in 1054 — the traditional date of the separation between the Orthodox and Catholic churches — Patriarch Bartholomew suggested these tensions gradually strengthened over time.

The potential for a historic breakthrough in ecumenical relations has been building for some time. In January, during vespers concluding the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis highlighted the "providential" timing of Easter falling on the same date in both the Gregorian and Julian calendars this year.

"Let us rediscover the common roots of the faith," the pontiff urged. "Let us preserve unity!"

Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, has long supported efforts toward a common Easter date. In 2021, Koch welcomed a suggestion that the year 2025 would be an ideal time to introduce a calendar reform allowing both Eastern and Western Christians to celebrate Easter together.

"It will not be easy to agree on a common Easter date, but it is worth working for it," Koch stated at the time, adding that the initiative was "very dear to Pope Francis and also to the Coptic Pope Tawadros."

Calendar considerations

The First Council of Nicaea, held in 325, decided that Easter would be celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon following the beginning of spring, making the earliest possible date March 22 and the latest possible April 25.

Today, Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar to calculate the Easter date instead of the Gregorian calendar, which was introduced in 1582 and is used by most of the world. The Julian calendar calculates a slightly longer year and is currently 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar, resulting in different dates for Easter celebrations most years.

One possible obstacle to a universal agreement could be ongoing tensions between different churches. In 2018, the Russian Orthodox Church severed ties to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople after Patriarch Bartholomew confirmed his intention to recognize the independence of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

During a meeting with the International Theological Commission at the Vatican in November 2024, Pope Francis confirmed his intention to travel to Turkey in May 2025 to mark this significant anniversary.

"I plan to go there," Pope Francis stated, noting that the Council of Nicaea "constitutes a milestone in the journey of the Church and also of all humanity, because faith in Jesus, the Son of God made flesh for us and for our salvation, was formulated and professed as a light that illuminates the meaning of reality and the destiny of all history."

However, the pope's health situation may affect the planned pilgrimage to modern-day Turkey, as his ongoing hospitalization has raised questions about his ability to undertake the journey.

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CNA Staff, Mar 15, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

This Lent, sales of "The Way" by St. Josemaría Escrivá have skyrocketed thanks to Hallow's Lent Pray40 Challenge, with listeners diving deeper into the writings of the Spanish-born saint in his most well-known book.

"The Way" reached the No. 1 spot on Amazon's "Christian Inspirational" and "Christian Devotionals" lists as well as the "Inspirational Spirituality" list. It was also No. 5 on Amazon's "Religion and Spirituality" list and No. 33 on the general books list.

Hallow is using Escrivá's "The Way" as a companion to its Lenten prayer challenge this year. The book consists of 999 points that aim to help the faithful pray and encourage them to love God, live for him, and converse with him. 

Escrivá founded the personal prelature Opus Dei in 1928. John Coverdale, author of several books on the history of Opus Dei, spoke to CNA about Escrivá's book and why he believes it resonates with so many readers.

"[Escrivá] kept a sort of journal or diary in the early years of the work and wrote down both encounters he had with people and striking things people said to him and also things from his own prayer," Coverdale explained. "So the book, I think, very much reflects his own spiritual life."

He also pointed out the "immediacy" of the book in that it invites readers to grow their life of prayer in a personal way throughout their daily lives — not through complex theology — so that, in turn, they can grow their relationship with God.

Coverdale quoted his favorite point from "The Way": "'To pray is to talk with God. But about what? About him, about yourself: joys, sorrows, successes and failures, noble ambitions, daily worries, weaknesses! And acts of thanksgiving and petitions: and love and reparation. In a word: to get to know him and to get to know yourself: to get acquainted!'"

"Certainly at least to me, it is a very appealing message and I think to many people when they read that sort of thing say, 'Well, prayer doesn't have to be some complicated exercise, and all these steps and so on, it's to talk with God,'" Coverdale said.

Opus Dei continues to spread this message, "that we are all called to holiness, to sanctity, to actually loving God with our whole heart, and mind, and soul, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves, and that is something that we're called to do in our daily life, an ordinary life," Coverdale explained. 

Coverdale lived in Rome for eight years where he worked very closely with Escrivá, who died in 1975. Describing the now-saint, he said: "When he talked about God or Mary or the angels, he wasn't talking about somebody he read about in a book, he was talking about somebody he knew. And I think that comes across even in the book."

"These aren't just pious reflections, they're something more than that," he added.

Reflecting on his time spent with Escrivá, Coverdale called the saint a "quite remarkable human being" who was "a lot of fun to be with."

"He was also somebody who was exceptionally close to God and that came across," he shared.

In get-togethers with Escrivá, Coverdale recalled his ability to "seamlessly" go from discussing news events to discussing Jesus or the Blessed Mother.

"I think this was because they were equally real to him. It wasn't two different worlds. It was the world he lived in — both the everyday, the funny, Our Lady, St. Joseph, Jesus, God the Father," he said.   

Coverdale said he hopes new readers of "The Way" take away the message that "God is a father who's looking for them to respond to his love in their ordinary, everyday life." 

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Vatican City, Mar 15, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).

Pope Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.

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CNA Newsroom, Mar 15, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

The Catholic bishops of Florida are urging Gov. Ron DeSantis to commute the death sentence of Edward James, who is scheduled to be executed by the state next week for a 1993 double homicide. 

James pleaded guilty in 1995 to the killings of Betty Dick and her eight-year-old granddaughter Toni Neuner in Casselberry, Florida. He had strangled and raped Toni prior to her death before stabbing Betty Dick. He was ultimately apprehended in California. 

In a Friday press release, the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops (FCCB) said it had "implored Gov. Ron DeSantis to stay the execution of Edward James and commute his sentence to life without parole."

FCCB Executive Director Michael Sheedy in a letter to DeSantis noted that the murders were "heinous" and "tragic." 

"It is indeed a duty of the state to protect the lives and safety of its citizens and to impose appropriate punishment for crimes, and we recognize your responsibility in ensuring this duty is carried out," Sheedy said. 

But, he wrote, the "intrinsic dignity and unalienable rights of every human being are not annihilated by even gravely evil acts." 

"It is better for the people of Florida to punish severely without themselves acting to kill a human being," Sheedy wrote, arguing that a life sentence without the possibility of parole "is still a severe punishment which also serves to protect society from further danger." 

The Church "teaches that all human life is sacred," the FCCB said on Friday, writing: "Even people who have committed terrible acts and caused great harm possess a human dignity instilled by God, our Creator."

The modern penal system has rendered executions "unnecessary," the bishops said. 

James is scheduled to be executed on Thursday. The Florida Supreme Court this week refused to block his execution, as did a federal appeals court. 

The bishops' conference said next week that prior to James's execution Floridians "will gather across the state to pray for him and his victims, for DeSantis as he considers the request to stay the execution, and for an end to the death penalty and the cycle of violence in society."

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CNA Staff, Mar 15, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Five years ago this week, public health orders issued amid the uncertainty of the novel coronavirus turned Mass schedules across the country and the world upside down. 

In those early days following the WHO's March 11, 2020, declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic, the bishops of every U.S. diocese issued some form of dispensation, suspending the obligation that Catholics must attend Sunday Mass in person. 

Thousands of parishes and ministries scrambled to develop plans to offer livestreamed Masses, deliver the sacraments in a "socially distanced" manner, and live out the Church's life as best they could under extraordinary circumstances. Public Masses at most parishes were suspended entirely for a time, and those that were able to reopen were subject, in many areas, to distancing requirements and numerical or percentage-based attendance caps.

As Catholics nationwide adapted to the changes — not knowing how long this new reality might last — observers feared that many Catholics, barred from their parishes for so long and now accustomed to attending from the comfort of home, might not return after the parish doors reopened. 

A study from the Pew Research Center found that most Catholics continued participating in Mass throughout the pandemic — but many were only able to do so virtually. In November 2022, when the survey was done, only about 4 in 10 U.S. Catholics said they attended Mass in person as often as they did before the pandemic.

Indeed, from the start of the COVID pandemic lockdowns in the U.S. to the declared end of the pandemic in May 2023, in-person Mass attendance averaged just 15% — a dismal figure, but not markedly lower than the 24% it was before. (The Catholic Church teaches that Catholics are obligated to attend Mass in person every Sunday, except for a serious reason such as illness or if they've been dispensed from their obligation by their pastor or bishop.)

Some bishops lifted the dispensations they had issued as early as late 2020, while a few held out until 2022. In lifting the dispensations they issued amid the lockdowns, many U.S. bishops implored Catholics to return to Mass in person. 

While Mass attendance today among Catholics in the U.S. remains much lower than among Catholics in other countries, recent data has suggested that U.S. in-person Mass attendance levels have quietly returned to where they were in 2019 after years of uncertainty over whether they would ever rebound. 

For some thriving parishes in the U.S., the lockdowns — while challenging — presented an opportunity to continue sharing the faith in a creative manner and come out even stronger than they were before. 

Father John Mosimann, pastor at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Fredericksburg, Virginia, told CNA that the parish has seen its numbers grow since the pandemic. 

On a typical weekend, Mosimann and his four parochial vicars celebrate 11 total Masses in English, plus another in Spanish at a different parish where they are kick-starting a Spanish Mass ministry. 

All told, roughly 3,800 people attended St. Mary's weekend Masses on a typical week in 2019. According to headcounts, the parish had already exceeded its pre-pandemic levels by 2023, with around 4,300 attendees on average. The parish, which is about 55 miles south of Washington, D.C., has 6,700 registered families and nearly 100 active ministries. 

During the pandemic, St. Mary's added extra Masses — since for a time, Masses were limited to a smaller-than-usual number of attendees — and continued hosting adoration. Like so many other parishes, the parish had to quickly adapt to a livestreaming paradigm in order to stay connected with the community.

"I was in the office and I was looking at Facebook and I said, 'What if I hit this button and go live, what would happen?'" Mosimann remembers thinking as the lockdowns began.

"And so I started streaming on Facebook Live and everybody started jumping in … 'What's going on, Father? What's going to happen?' And I didn't have answers, because I wasn't that great a prophet. But we did immediately start streaming."

He said parishioners were grateful for the effort the priests made to stay in touch, despite the occasional technical challenge — a problem far from unique to St. Mary's. 

"If you want perfect sound and you want a studio, go to EWTN. They've got professional equipment. If you want to see your priests, come talk to us," Mosimann said he told his parishioners. 

"We're not going to be anxious over having studio quality, because what's important is for us to be connected to you. People responded to that. People were very grateful for that. It was very frequently cited by parishioners, how grateful they were for our staying in touch with them during that difficult moment."

The last of Virginia's capacity-restricting public health orders on venues was lifted in late May 2021, and Bishop Michael Burbidge of the local Diocese of Arlington in the following month lifted the dispensation he had issued, inviting Catholics to return to Mass throughout the diocese. So far, as in most U.S. dioceses, Mass attendance overall in Arlington has risen significantly but has not quite returned to pre-pandemic levels. 

Since the pandemic's end, Mosimann said his focus has been on encouraging parishioners to use their time and talents generously to help rebuild and grow the parish community. 

For Mosimann, the pandemic experience was proof that by remaining faithful even through troubling and difficult times, God can and does bring good out of bad situations through his grace. 

"[We] did everything we could to provide the sacraments to God's people and to make it available as much as possible with all the restrictions. That should be the goal of every parish, every day, whether there's a pandemic or not," Mosimann said. 

'We are proud to be who we are'

Father Michael Hurley, OP, pastor of St. Dominic Parish in San Francisco, said his parish, which offers what he believes is the largest young adult presence in the entire archdiocese, regularly sees attendance numbers today that are similar to pre-pandemic levels. 

The parish was able to safely provide the sacraments to those in need during the pandemic and had, providentially, already set up livestreaming for Masses shortly before the start of the pandemic. To this day the parish maintains a healthy online base of Dominican laypeople who tune in for Masses and prayer. 

Hurley said he personally never worried during lockdown about people not returning to Mass, instead trusting that Catholics would return when they could. He said his main concern was keeping the church building open safely during the pandemic — in a state with some of the strictest lockdown measures in the country — to maintain sacramental support. 

California finally lifted all capacity restrictions on religious gatherings in April 2021 after previously implementing a near-total ban on indoor services that was contested all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Though the demographics of St. Dominic Parish has changed somewhat, in-person worshippers, many of whom work in the Bay Area's high-tech sector, have returned in large numbers. 

"The Lord is always searching for the strays, right? ... All you have to do is open the doors and do what you're doing, and people will come," Hurley told CNA. 

That said, Hurley said he believes St. Dominic's beautiful church building, welcoming atmosphere, and a strong sense of identity — as a Dominican-led parish that aims to "radiate the joy of the Gospel in the heart of the city" — helps to make it an attractive place for Catholics, especially young adults. They also keep the church building open for personal prayer throughout the day, a rarity in a city that occasionally struggles with crime. 

"We are proud to be who we are as Catholics, and for us as clergy, as Dominicans. And that makes a huge difference," Hurley said.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 15, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Evelio Menjivar came to the United States as an undocumented immigrant in 1990. Today he serves as an auxiliary bishop of Washington, D.C., and is the first Salvadoran U.S. bishop in an archdiocese that is home to over 200,000 of his former countrymen.

In an interview with "EWTN News in Depth," Menjivar shared his conviction that immigrants "make the United States a great nation" and "make society better." 

After years of "blue-collar jobs," upon his arrival to the U.S., Menjivar felt a calling to the priesthood and was ordained in 2004. He served as a parish priest in Washington for almost two decades until Pope Francis appointed him auxiliary bishop in 2022.

"I came here when I was 20 with a great desire to work hard, to go to school, to contribute to the well-being of this great nation that became my home country," Menjivar told Montse Alvarado, EWTN News president and COO.

Menjivar said he attempted to enter the country three times before making it to Los Angeles. He explained: "I don't feel proud that I crossed the border without documents."

"But it is a testimony that many people cross the border with good intentions," he said.

"Most immigrants come here because they do not find any other option in their countries and they put their own lives at risk. But once we enter here, we contribute with our own talents, with our own energy," he told Alvarado.

He described the violence and chaos that led him to flee El Salvador for the United States.

"I was growing up during the civil war that started in … 1977," Menjivar said. "We were forced to abandon our village in 1982. We relocated to another town in the same area, but the whole area was abandoned, left with nobody."

"So the war was there," he said. "That was the situation that I grew up in, and then in 1990 is when I left El Salvador, and the war continued for two more years."

"Religious sisters, even American sisters, were killed. Many priests were killed. Catechists were killed. It was a situation of war that pushed me and pushed so many immigrants to leave their countries," the bishop explained.

Menjivar said immigration is a "journey marked by a lot of uncertainty, fear, but also with hope." 

During Menjivar's episcopal ordination Cardinal Wilton Gregory, then-archbishop of Washington, commended Menjivar's dedication to those who work unfair wages to make a day's living. 

"Cardinal Gregory said very beautifully in the homily that I should never forget my roots," Menjivar said. "And that way people, immigrants, anybody, will be able to be more open to share their own stories, knowing that I'm going to understand them."

"As most immigrants do, I did janitorial work, I did construction, painting, youth ministry, you name it, all kinds of blue-collar jobs. And so that helped me to understand labor, hard labor, to learn to work hard."

He said he is "very proud" of the work he did when he arrived in the U.S. and believes it is a "gift to be able to understand the hardships that people go through."

EWTN's Alvarado and Menjivar discussed a letter he and his brother bishops received from Pope Francis asking them to always remember human dignity when addressing immigration in the political climate today.

"The pope emphasizes the importance, the need, to defend the dignity of human beings, of immigrants," Menjivar said. "His message is a message of concern … for the well-being of everybody."

When asked about the lack of Hispanic bishops in the U.S. Church in light of how many Hispanic Catholics there are in the country, Menjivar said he is seeing progress in that direction, adding that he believes it's very important that "shepherds understand their flock."

"Yes, there are not many Hispanic bishops, but the number [is] increasing. There are more and more, especially during the last years with Pope Francis."

"One of the things that we need to do as a Church is to promote more vocations to the priesthood. We need more Hispanic priests, that's for sure. We need more deacons, we need more religious sisters and brothers to serve the Church." 

Asked to comment on how he responds to people in his community who fear deportation during this uncertain time, Menjivar said that while many "are expressing fear and anxiety" they are turning to the Church and to their faith for consolation. 

"Thanks be to God, we have people that are very hopeful," he said. "And they know that this is the moment when they need the Church the most. That they need to come as a community to pray."

"People don't know what is going to happen to them. But one of the beautiful things that we are seeing here is that people, they continue going to church and celebrating their faith."

Menjivar said he never lost faith on his journey to the U.S. and has been able to continue on that path that led him to become a bishop because he knows "there [are] always people praying for us. There is always a light that is lit."

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