Catholic News

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=288893&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

CNA Staff, Oct 4, 2025 / 13:05 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday attended the swearing-in of the Swiss Guard at the Vatican, the first time a pope has attended the pomp-filled ceremony since the pontificate of Pope Paul VI in 1968.

The event took place in the Vatican's San Damaso Courtyard. The Holy Father was joined by a crowd of spectators watching as the 27 new members were sworn into the ranks of the papal guard.

The swearing-in ceremony, when the new guards promise to protect the pope, if necessary with their lives, was postponed from the traditional date of May 6 due to the conclave that saw Leo elected.

The pope met the recruits and their families at the Apostolic Palace on Oct. 3, ahead of the swearing-in ceremony.

"From the first steps of my pontificate, dear Swiss Guards, I have been able to count on your faithful service," the pope said on Oct. 3.

"The successor of Peter can fulfill his mission in service to the Church and the world in the certainty that you are watching over his safety," he added.

He encouraged the new guards to draw inspiration from the stories of the first Christian martyrs in Rome to deepen their relationships with Jesus and to cultivate their interior lives "amid the frenzy of our society."

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=288892&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

CNA Staff, Oct 4, 2025 / 14:39 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Oct. 4 signed the first apostolic exhortation of his pontificate, the text of which is expected to be released next week.

The Vatican said in a press release that Leo signed the exhortation "Dilexi te" in the library of the Apostolic Palace. The Holy See did not reveal the text of the document, which it said will be presented on Oct. 9 by the Holy See Press Office.

The focus of the document was also not officially announced, though it is reportedly expected to focus on the poor. It was signed on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

The signing of the document took place in the presence of Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, the Vatican said.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=288888&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

CNA Staff, Oct 4, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Francis of Assisi every year on Oct. 4. Known as the patron saint of animals and ecology, the 13th-century Italian friar is often remembered for his deep humility, his life of prayer, and for founding the Franciscan order.

Here are seven things to know about this beloved saint:

1. Francis was a party-loving rich kid before his conversion.

Before giving his life completely over to the Lord, Francis lived a life of luxury. His father, Pietro di Bernardone, was a wealthy silk merchant in Assisi, and Francis lived a carefree, pleasure-seeking life in his youth. He was known for partying, fine clothes, and his dreams of glory on the battlefield. It wasn't until he was captured during a war between Assisi and Perugia — and spending nearly a year in prison — that he began to reflect on a different path.

2. Francis voluntarily gave up his wealth.

After hearing God's call to "rebuild my church," Francis renounced his family's wealth in a dramatic and public fashion. In front of the bishop and townspeople, he stripped off all his clothes — literally — and gave everything back to his father. He declared that from that point on, he would have no father but "Our Father who art in heaven." It was at this moment that he completely rejected worldly goods and embraced a life of poverty.

3. Francis never became a priest.

Many assume that St. Francis was a priest, but he was never ordained beyond the role of deacon. Due to his great reverence for the Eucharist, he felt unworthy to become a priest. Therefore, he remained a friar and lived a life of poverty, charity, and devotion to God. 

4. Francis was the first recorded person to receive the stigmata.

In 1224, while on retreat at Mount La Verna, Francis experienced a vision of a seraph bearing the image of Christ crucified. When the image ended, the wounds of Christ appeared on his body — piercings in his hands, feet, and side. 

5. Francis wrote one of the first known works of Italian literature.

Francis' "Canticle of the Sun," written around 1225, is considered one of the earliest works in the Italian language. At the time, most literary pieces were written in Latin. However, Francis chose to write it in his native language so more people could understand it. "Canticle of the Sun" is a poem in which Francis encourages all of creation to praise the Creator and consists of 23 verses dedicated to different aspects of creation. 

6. Francis created the first living Nativity scene. 

In 1223, Francis staged the first-ever live Nativity scene in Greccio, Italy. He used real people and animals with the hope of helping people connect more with the birth of Christ. To this day, the people of Greccio stage a live, historical reenactment of St. Francis and the first Nativity scene every year at Christmas. 

7. Francis' order continues his legacy over 800 years later.

The Rule of St. Francis was approved in 1223, which marked the beginning of the Franciscan order. The order has three main branches: the First Order (Friars Minor), the Second Order (Poor Clares), and the Third Order (Secular Franciscan Order for laity). Franciscans take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Today, Franciscans are active in over 100 countries and have roughly 650,000 members across its various branches.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=288887&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Houston, Texas, Oct 4, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

After years of boys (and their parents) repeatedly ignoring the rules, a private boys school in Houston is taking a novel approach to its smartphone and digital device policy: Bring it to school, and "we will destroy it."

Western Academy, an independent, liberal arts school that states its goal is to educate young men "in the good, the true, and the beautiful," has never allowed students to bring electronic devices to school.

In the past, if a boy was caught with a phone or other device at the school or a school-sponsored event, faculty would confiscate the device, which would be returned to the parents only after they had met with headmaster Jason Hebert. He would explain the harms to boys caused by smartphone use and why parents "should not put the phone back into your son's hands."

Under the new policy, which Hebert laid out in a four-page letter to parents last month, after the device is discovered and destroyed, the boy will be suspended. If it happens again, the boy will be automatically expelled. 

Along with its singular smartphone policy, the school, which has 230 students in third through eighth grade, takes a unique approach to education. The boys are free to play throughout the park-like, rambling grounds, where they climb and swing from trees, build forts, shoot Nerf guns, and care for (or chase) chickens before and after school and multiple times throughout the school day. 

The all-male faculty expects respect and responsibility from the boys at a young age, according to Hebert. The teachers have the boys rise when an adult visits a classroom and encourage parents to let their sons learn to endure hardship and experience natural consequences when they forget their homework or their lunch at home.

A Catholic priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei serves as chaplain to the school, which was founded in 2010, and oversees the religious education program.

The model is popular: Even with middle-school tuition close to $28,000 a year, every grade has extensive waitlists, and the school may start wait-listing boys beginning as early as kindergarten. 

At the beginning of each school year, the boys are sorted into one of four houses that compete throughout the year in games such as capture the flag and "The Hero's Race," where the boys in each house choose one boy to race across campus, climbing over obstacles and crawling through mud. There is also a poetry recitation competition known as "The Bard." One mother, Stephanie Creech, told CNA her sons are so happy at the school they "beg to get to school early and to stay afterward to play."

Hebert sat down with CNA and discussed what brought about the change in the smartphone policy, saying he chose the words in his letter very carefully. 

Witnessing the damage 

"Smartphones are causing significant, unimagined damage to the students who have them," Hebert wrote in his letter to parents, "as well as to the sons of those parents who have chosen not to give phones to their sons." 

"The damage these phones have caused to our children," he told CNA in the interview, "it literally has never been imagined." 

"It's not just pornography," Hebert continued. "YouTube actors and other characters just trying to get clicks perform the most shameless actions on video. They just have zero respect for the dignity of their bodies and for life, zero. And these boys want to emulate these people."

Hebert said the last straw came after a mother called him complaining her son saw a graphic, violent video on a smartphone at a school event. 

After that, Hebert said he and the other administrators agreed: "That's it. We're done." 

Asked why the school did not just consider automatic expulsion after the first offense rather than the destruction of the devices, Hebert said with a laugh: "To be perfectly candid, I want to destroy the phone. I want to give the boys an opportunity to have life without it."

He ordered a metal grinder for the purpose.

"Look, I am not an alarmist. I am not reactionary. But the bottom line is this: These devices are not neutral. The research is definitive: They are bad for our kids. I have dealt with hundreds and hundreds of boys over two decades in education and I have yet to see an exception to this," he said.

Hebert said that over the years, he has noticed a degradation in the quality of the boys' conversation. "You can't imagine the level of shamelessness" among some of the boys," many of whom are generally considered "good kids."

"This type of behavior is unprecedented in my tenure as an educator, and even as a professional athlete," he said. 

In the early 2000s, before beginning his teaching career, which included teaching at The Heights School in Maryland, he spent one year as a professional football player on practice squads for three NFL teams: the Chargers, the Titans, and the Raiders. 

"I never played in a regular-season game. This is what I tell people: I made it to the NFL. I did not make it in the NFL," he said, laughing.

"Let me make it clear: I was an athlete around some of the most earthy human beings on the planet," he said. "These men were not ashamed to say anything in the locker room. Yet these same men would have blushed if they heard some of the things these boys talk about! This is so unimaginable. Yet it is becoming more common now, thanks to these devices."

Parents on board 

Asked if he was worried parents would leave over the school's new policy, Hebert said if parents are not on board with the school's values, it might be better if they left and one of the many others on the waitlist could take their spot.

In his letter to parents, Hebert wrote that the "school is a true partnership with parents. We say this not for poetic effect, but because it must be so for the authentic growth of your sons to become a reality."

He told CNA parents should ask themselves: "How valuable is the phone to you? Are you willing to leave this place for it? This place where your son is so abundantly happy? Is your phone worth that? And if it is, well, it's a mismatch of vision."

Since the change in policy, however, Hebert said parental response has been "100% positive."

After hearing about the school's new policy, a mother whose son graduated from the school several years ago dropped off a financial donation at the front desk recently "for the phone grinder."

"Everybody just knows it's right. Parents might be frustrated because saying no to their sons makes their lives harder, but they know it's right," he said.

Hebert, a father of seven, said he and his wife do not allow their children to have smartphones or social media. "My children may not know a lot of the lingo or some of the jokes or about all the parties. They're on the outside, to a degree."

"And even though that's a big deal," he continued, "the alternative overrides that. It's a bigger deal."

"The alternative is not worth it," he said.

"We all want the truth," he said, "and the truth is these devices are severely hurting kids. I'm not a doomsday guy, but some day these kids will be in charge of society. Think about that."

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=288886&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

CNA Staff, Oct 4, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Daniel Whitehead knew it was time for a change when his wife told him she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him smile. With the strain of constantly meeting with people who were struggling, the Christian pastor said he had "gone numb."

"I realized in that moment, it had been well over a year that I'd felt any emotion," he told CNA. "No laughter, no tears, just numbness."

Then he discovered Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries. At the time, it was a small, local ecumenical group creating resources for mental health in pastoral ministry. Nine years later, Whitehead has become its leader and Sanctuary has become a large-scale resource operating across the world. 

Working through burnout "was really confusing," Whitehead said of his own experience.

"I didn't have language, or self-permission, or a framework to really understand what I was going through," he said. "But how I would describe it was a feeling of fear, anxiety, and feeling trapped."

Looking back at his challenges in ministry, Whitehead said he was experiencing "emotional overwhelm" from "moving from meeting to meeting, feeling the weight of people's expectations, having to be there for people when they're at their worst, and not really having an outlet to process that with." 

This experience helped him "realize the great need that exists in the church for support in this area," he said. 

"From that moment throughout my recovery journey I was looking for a cause to give myself to, and Sanctuary was that cause," he said. "I very much felt called to the work." 

Reaching young people 

Whitehead told CNA that amid an ongoing mental health crisis, the church can be a great resource. 

"The church is so perfectly placed to offer hope, belonging, community, and purpose to people in crisis — all of which are vital components of a person's recovery and all of which are areas that the church has a monopoly on," Whitehead said.

In the United States, depression and anxiety rates rose by more than 50% from 2010 to 2019 and suicide rates for adolescents ages 10 to 19 rose 48%. 

"It really is an opportunity for the church to step in and offer Christ's hope to people in crisis," Whitehead said. 

Sanctuary's resources guide both the church and people struggling with mental health. 

The ministry "creates high-quality resources that anyone anywhere can access," which Whitehead said "makes us quite a unique proposition globally speaking."

Resources include video courses designed to be taken in small-group settings.  

Since its launch, more than 365,000 Christians in 102 countries have participated in the Sanctuary Course, according to the organization. 

Sanctuary's work "allows people who are experiencing crisis to feel seen and gives the church more confidence to know what its role is and what its role isn't when walking with a person in crisis," Whitehead explained. 

This year, the organization is developing resources to reach young people. 

It recently launched "The Sanctuary Youth Series," which is all about starting "important conversations" with youth in youth ministry, explained Bryana Russell, Sanctuary's director of engagement and interim director of development.

The series, Russell told CNA, "targets the pressing questions young people are asking about mental health" and is designed "to raise awareness and reduce stigma" about mental health. 

"We know young people want to talk about the intersection of faith and mental health," Russell said. "This series is one of the few resources available to help faith communities do so."

"Our hope is that the next generation will experience the Church as a supportive place and that youth ministry leaders, parents and caregivers, and youth will all be equipped to have conversations about mental health," Russell said.

The series is "designed to be used in groups" to help "young people connect with trusted adults in their church or school community," Russell said, noting that being in community helps mental health.

"Young people benefit from the support of trusted adults, but few are having the conversations they need to," she said.

Working together

The ecumenicism of Sanctuary is what drew Whitehead to the group nine years ago.

"Our staff represent a range of church traditions, the majority of which are Protestant, but I would suggest that the spiritual practices that many of us draw from both individually and corporately are often more liturgical in nature," Whitehead said. 

"I think we all have a deep appreciation for the richness and vitality that different church traditions and denominations bring to the table," Whitehead said.  

Sanctuary works with various churches, including Catholic dioceses and parishes.  

"Across the United States and Canada, many other dioceses are providing the leadership and support for mental health ministry," Russell said. 

Sanctuary's course for Catholics — designed specifically for Catholic parishes and in use in parishes around the world — features Catholic voices including Archbishop J. Michael Miller of Vancouver and Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver.

"The Sanctuary Course for Catholics plays an important role in opening the conversation and equipping parishes to begin such a ministry," Russell said. 

This year, Sanctuary officially teamed up with the Archdiocese of Vancouver, which is formally launching a Mental Health Ministry with the help of Sanctuary. 

"We are delighted that our resources will be a part of their designed reach to build this ministry of presence," Russell said. 

To kick off the event, Sanctuary and the archdiocese hosted Matt Maher, a Catholic contemporary Christian worship musician and Sanctuary's ambassador.

"Through stories, conversation, and song, themes of psychology, theology, and lived experience were introduced, offering an accessible and inspiring call to this ministry," Russell said of the launch event.

"What makes Sanctuary unique is our ability to bring psychology and theology together to really validate and sanctify peoples' stories," Whitehead said. "Which means that in order to hold mental health well we have to really take each of these disciplines seriously."

He added: "I'm inspired to continue this work when I look at the great need and also the great opportunity we have for the church to step into a gap that exists in society."

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=288885&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

CNA Staff, Oct 4, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Kevin Matthews was at the top of his game as one of the most famous on-air radio personalities in Chicago in the 1980s and '90s. He was partying with professional athletes and celebrities and posting 10 million listeners a week at the peak of his popularity. 

All of that changed when he received a life-altering medical diagnosis. Yet the biggest change in his life happened when he found a broken Virgin Mary statue in the trash. 

"Broken Mary: The Kevin Matthews Story" is a new documentary recounting Matthews' true story of fame, brokenness, and finding redemption in Jesus Christ thanks to his devotion to the Blessed Mother. The documentary will be in theaters for one night only on Oct. 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Matthews was born and raised in Pontiac, Michigan, in a Catholic household. As a child he struggled to read and write, though it wasn't until he was an adult that he discovered he was dyslexic.

In order to prevent himself from getting beaten up by both kids in his neighborhood and his physically abusive father, he used comedy and making others laugh as a shield he could hide behind.

In college Matthews was first introduced to radio through his roommate's hosting of a show at the student station. In 1987, he began his career with "The Loop" AM 1000 in Chicago. It was here that he rose to fame and became known for his edgy humor, sharp wit, and comedic characters — the most popular being "Jim Shorts."

Yet after years of mega-success, his life began to unravel when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2008. It became more difficult to be on-air and new radio personalities were on the rise. But it wasn't until 2011 that he had a life-changing experience.

Matthews told CNA in an interview that while driving on his way home from just having been fired from his job, he "heard the Holy Spirit say, 'Go and get your wife some flowers.'" He pulled into a flower shop he happened to be passing at the time. 

"I got out of my car and I'm starting to walk towards the door and over by the dumpster, I see a statue of the Virgin Mary," he recalled. "I walked over to it and there she is on the ground broken in half. She's looking up at me. Her hands are broken. She's sunk in the mud, so she's been there for a while, she's got garbage on her." 

"And I'm a zombie Catholic at that point, I'm not religious," he said, "but I knew at that moment, no one treats our Blessed Mother like that."

"I just was appalled, but then I heard the voice of Christ say to me, 'Will you deny me? Will you deny my mother?' And I was like, 'What do I do?'"

Matthews entered the store and told the store clerk that he wanted to buy the broken Mary statue out by the dumpster. Though the store clerk said it was not for sale, he recognized Matthews' voice from the radio and allowed him to take the statue. 

The statue weighed 73 pounds and due to his MS and a recent snowstorm, it took Matthews nearly an hour to get the broken Mary statue from out of the ground and into the back of his car. 

"I remember I turned the heat up and I said, 'Mary, I will take care of you for the rest of my life,'" Matthews shared.

He called a priest friend and told him about the broken statue. The priest told him about a sculptor who could fix her. Matthews took the broken Mary and was told that she could be completely restored.

"That was the first time I really cried in front of a total stranger and said, 'Don't you dare touch her.' I said, 'That is me.' And I said, 'She's broken like me. Just keep her broken. Just put her together, keep her hands broken, don't paint her — she's broken Mary," he said.

From then on, Matthews began to go back to Mass, he learned how to pray the rosary, and he completely left his life of luxury to instead take his broken statue of Mary to parishes across the country to share how his life was radically changed by the Blessed Mother. 

Matthews said he hopes the film will show "that we're all broken, but we're loved by God and just go to him … I've never been happier in my life."

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=288874&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 3, 2025 / 12:32 pm (CNA).

The president of the National Association of Black Catholic Administrators (NABCA) decried the "loss of civility and respect" in public discourse after the assassination of Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk and said Black bishops received death threats. 

"It is with sadness that we acknowledge the death of Charlie Kirk. Regardless of our individual opinions about his work or words, every life is sacred," Father Reginald Norman said in a statement. Kirk was shot dead while speaking at a Utah Valley University event Sept. 10. 

"In the days following his death, however, we have seen something even more tragic than the loss of one life: the loss of civility and respect for one another," he continued. "Threats against Black bishops and Catholic leaders are deeply troubling. Such behavior has no place among people of faith or in a society rooted in justice."

The NABCA leader emphasized in the statement that Catholics "are called to honor the dignity of every person — even those with whom we disagree" — and respect each other's freedom of expression "without fear of retaliation and intimidation." 

"The Black Catholic community, in particular, continues to feel its contributions overlooked or erased," Norman wrote. "While some public figures are allowed to disparage Black people without consequence, when Black voices rise in defense of their contributions or offer differing perspectives, they are too often silenced or threatened. This imbalance is unjust." 

Norman told CNA in an interview that Black Catholics voiced concerns about some of Kirk's statements.

"I sit in a lot of meetings and committees on the local and the national level," Norman told CNA in an interview. "And every single meeting that I've gone to since this incident, Black people are very upset by some of the comments that have been made for him."

For example, Black Catholics expressed discomfort with the TPUSA founder being cast as "a martyr," though Kirk's death is a tragedy to be mourned, Norman said.

Some of Kirk's comments hurt Black people, Norman said, such as comments made by Kirk during a July 14, 2023, episode of "The Charlie Kirk Show" mentioning four Black women: Michelle Obama, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, television host Joy Reid, and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas.

Kirk said: "If we had said [those women] were affirmative action picks, we would have been called racists. Now ... They're coming out and saying 'I'm only here because of affirmative action.' We know. You do not have the brain processing power to be taken really seriously."

Norman said the comments were offensive toward Black people.

"I don't know [Kirk] personally," Norman said. "I only know what the media reports, and I've seen some great things that he said, but I've also seen some negative things that he said. And in this day and age, we should be trying to pull together, not separate."

Threats to clergy

Norman said that "one of our bishops wrote something on DEI, which wasn't even [related to the assassination] and it went out there, and then the article was pulled." 

"He's been getting death threats ever since," Norman said, noting the authorities are investigating the threats. 

Norman did not confirm the identity of the bishop, but a Sept. 8 article by Washington Archdiocese Auxiliary Bishop Roy Campbell titled "DEI Means God" was taken down by the USCCB on Sept. 12, two days after Kirk's death, according to the Black Messenger. The USCCB told the publication at the time that the article had not undergone the proper internal review and was taken down as a result. 

Campbell serves as chairman of the USCCB's Subcommittee of African American Affairs, part of the Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church. He and the Archdiocese of Washington did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

This incident, Norman said, "relates to the fact that just as [Kirk] was free to say whatever he wanted to say, other people who might have contrasting views should also be able to be free to say what they want to say without being threatened or harmed." 

According to Norman, "we're not learning from the loss of [Kirk's] life," as "other people who might have a contrasting view are being threatened and harmed."

"That's even more dangerous because it doesn't seem like it's going to stop, and we just seem to continue going forward with more hate, more harm, more crime, more threats," Norman said, adding: "And shouldn't we learn from the example of this life? This man was tragically killed, not by his own fault. Shouldn't we be putting our efforts to stop that from happening rather than allowing it to continue, just because someone has a different opinion?"

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=288873&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 3, 2025 / 13:35 pm (CNA).

Seminaries and their formators are beginning to rethink what formation should look like in the U.S. following reports that enrollment at graduate-level seminaries is continuing to decline. 

The fall 2025 CARA report released by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University found that graduate and college-level seminary enrollment in the U.S. has declined significantly, while high school enrollment has remained steady. 

According to the report about the 2024-2025 academic year, college seminary enrollment went down 6% from 889 to 840 from the previous year. Similarly, graduate-level seminary enrollment dropped 8% from 2,920 to 2,686. 

High school seminary enrollment rose by 2% from 295 to 300. 

'Right-sizing' formation

"Many Catholics, vocations personnel, and seminary officials keep looking for the return to seminary enrollments from the 1950s instead of taking a cold hard look at the facts and how best to 'right-size' seminary programs based on today's realities," Father Phillip J. Brown, president-rector of St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, told CNA.

Departing from seminary models across the country, he explained, St. Mary's Seminary, which is the first Catholic seminary in the U.S., made the decision to cap enrollment at 100 students in order to center its efforts in "focusing on the quality of formation." 

"We believed then and do so now that such emphasis on formation quality will have a positive impact on enrollment," said Brown, who is the longest-serving seminary rector in the U.S. 

"Our research showed that 80-100 is the optimum number of seminarians in terms of personal contact with formators, faculty availability, variety of effective seminary programs, and seminary finances," he said.

Formation at St. Mary's is conducted in the Sulpician tradition founded by Parisian priest Father Jean-Jacques Olier in 1641, according to the seminary's website. Sulpicians are diocesan priests dedicated to priestly formation and seminary work.

According to Brown, "wishful thinking about the return of large seminaries is out of step with demographic reality, to the detriment of seminary formation in the U.S."

He continued: "We need to leave wishful thinking behind, rescale seminary programs, and develop programs that better serve the current reality and the need of the Church for well-formed, healthy, and effective pastors — pastors who will not just function well but who will be an animating, consoling, and spiritual presence in the parishes they serve in."

Another CARA study in September found gaps in evaluations of candidates for the priesthood related to learning disabilities and assessing tendencies toward "activity or inclination towards sexual activity with a minor or other trait that might indicate the person could be a harm to minors."

Hope in spite of numbers 

While the numbers in CARA's latest report appear to reflect the continuation of a trend that has seen college seminary enrollment drop from 7,917 in 1970-1971 to 1,118 in 2020-2021 to the current numbers, Jesuit Father John Horn, who is the program director for the Seminary Formation Council, said he is hopeful.

"I don't see the decline overall as a negative sign," Horn told CNA. Although the report showcases a downward trend in overall enrollment, he pointed out that "there are a good number of seminaries that are bursting at the seams, actually, that are not declining." 

"I'm at one of them now," noted Horn, who also serves as a spiritual director and professor of spiritual theology at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Florida, which draws students from South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. "We've had the highest number of seminarians we've ever had in the history of the seminary." 

"When I read about the decline at another seminary or overall, it's a little difficult to wrap my mind around because I see the new springtime bursting forth," he said, citing seminaries in Denver, St. Louis, Mount St. Mary's in Maryland, and Milwaukee as further examples of flourishing institutions of formation. 

"What I think the statistics show are in terms of seminary formation," Horn said, is "that there are too many seminaries, and there needs to be a reduction of the number of seminaries so that it would be more of a regional service for the Church." 

'Hunger in the culture for silence'

Horn observed a "creative tension" between thriving seminaries and those that need to close due to low numbers, which he attributed partly to a failure to "attend to an effective interiority, and help people identify the everyday experience of the Lord." 

"If they're emphasizing more externals rather than interior catechesis and evangelization," he said, "that type of seminary will be very unattractive to current young men."

In the face of the decline, Horn said, "I'm very hopeful. I think we're on the cusp of a large number of vocations coming in [due to] the great hunger in the culture for silence and contemplative life." 

"As that hunger grows, the vocations will grow."

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=288872&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Ann Arbor, Michigan, Oct 3, 2025 / 14:23 pm (CNA).

Freedom of speech and religion in Spain is in play as Father Custodio Ballester faces a possible three-year prison sentence and fines after a trial this week found him guilty of making allegedly "Islamophobic" statements in print and in an interview. 

Questioned by CNA about his upcoming sentencing, Ballester said: "The survival of freedom of expression in today's Spain depends on the ruling in this case. Otherwise, we'll be headed toward a new Cuban dictatorship. One where you were arrested for what you said as well as for what you thought, if it differed from what [Cuban communist dictator] Fidel Castro decided."

Ballester and two others, fellow priest Father Jesús Calvo and journalist Armando Robles, were accused of making allegedly Islamophobic statements in complaints filed before Spain's socialist government by the Association of Spanish Muslims Against Islamophobia. On Oct. 1, those complaints were examined for several hours at the Provincial Court of Málaga.

Ballester told CNA that his "statements have never been discriminatory or hateful," in reference to an interview he gave in 2017 to online talk show "La Ratonera" and previous writings. 

Speaking to the media after exiting the court, the priest said he is calm, adding: "This is the final hearing, and now we are awaiting the result."

He told CNA: "In the Spanish army's special forces, we used to say: 'Prepare for the worst. The easy stuff has already been planned for.' That's why I'm calm. If everything goes well, I'll be even happier."

The case against Ballester and his co-defendants has sparked considerable debate in Spain and Europe over its perceived threat to free speech and claims that hate-crime laws are selectively applied. 

In 2016, Ballester responded to a pastoral letter from Cardinal Juan José Omella Omella of Barcelona. In his answer to Omella, Ballester wrote that dialogue with Islam is "impossible," despite the prelate's claim that such dialogue is "necessary."

The priest wrote: "This renewed revival of Christian-Muslim dialogue, paralyzed by the alleged 'imprudence' of the beloved Benedict XVI, is far from a reality. Islam does not allow for dialogue. You either believe or you are an infidel who must be subdued one way or another."

In 2017, Ballester appeared in an online interview with Robles and Calvo in which the three discussed the threat of radical Islam to Europe. Robles owns the YouTube channel where "La Ratonera" broadcast the interview in question.

A 'one-way crime': They only charge Christians, never Muslims

Ballester told CNA: "The prosecution demonstrates with its actions that so-called hate crimes exist to restrict freedom of thought and expression. The Hate Law is legally a 'blank law,' or a blank check. Not even the prosecutors themselves know how to define 'hate.' They fabricate the crime in each case based on who allegedly committed it, and it's a one-way crime. They only charge Christians, never Muslims."

Ballester has been criticized also for his advocacy of Catholic doctrine regarding, for example, homosexuality and procured abortion. Leftist LGBTQ activists have accused him of "homophobia." He has said that Spanish justice appears to prosecute supposed Islamophobia and homophobia with rigor but looks the other way when Christians are involved. He has also denounced the persecution of Christians in places like Nigeria, Syria, and Bangladesh. 

A public advocacy law firm, Abogados Cristianos, has gathered more than 28,000 signatures demanding Ballester's acquittal. Outside the courtroom in Málaga on Oct. 1, dozens of the priest's supporters could be seen holding placards demanding his acquittal. Supporters outside the courthouse collected signatures on petitions, which are circulating online. Groups such as HazteOir, the Observatory for Religious Freedom and Conscience, and the Spanish Institute for Social Policy have added their voices to the protests.

Ballester said the threat to free speech is very real. If the court does sentence him to prison, he said he will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

"The ruling from the Málaga Provincial Court could be delayed somewhat. People are very angry about the excessive sentences being sought for 'hate crimes,' which are comparable to those sought for sexual assault or leaving someone paralyzed in a fight. Political pressure may delay the ruling," he said.

The priest was philosophical with regard to a possible prison sentence, reflecting on his military training in special forces. While he never saw combat, he wrote that he experienced everything else, including "training, weapons, hand-to-hand combat, topographical surveys day and night, and obstacle courses," which forged in him "obedience and resignation in the face of adversity, much more than in the seminary."

The Spanish Observatory for Religious Freedom and Conscience quoted its president, María García, expressing her alarm that Ballester is facing prison "simply for warning, in the exercise of his freedom of expression and conscience, about the threat of radical jihadism. Defending religious freedom also means protecting the freedom of those, like Father Custodio, who warn of realities that have already caused deaths in our country and in Europe." 

García recalled that in January 2023, a Muslim jihadist murdered sacristan Diego Valencia and wounded a priest at a church in southern Spain, asking: "Is the crime committed by those who denounce violence or by those who carry it out?"

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=288871&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 3, 2025 / 15:08 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Friday said that old age is both a gift and a challenge, and in response the Catholic Church is called to develop missionary pastoral care that involves the elderly as witnesses of hope.

On Oct. 3, the pontiff received at the Vatican Apostolic Palace participants in the Second International Congress on Pastoral Care of the Elderly, organized by the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life.

In his address, Leo XIV emphasized that the theme of the meeting, "Your Elders Shall Dream Dreams," taken from the book of the prophet Joel, contains words dear to his predecessor, Pope Francis, who often spoke "of the need for an alliance between young and old."

The pontiff explained that in this biblical passage, "the prophet announces the universal outpouring of the Holy Spirit, who creates unity among generations and distributes different gifts to each person." He also lamented that today, "relationships between generations are often marked by divisions and conflicts that pit them against each other."

Specifically, he referred to two criticisms: that the elderly "do not leave room for young people in the workforce" or that they are "consuming too many economic and social resources to the detriment of other generations, as if longevity were a fault."

In this regard, Leo XIV expressed his conviction that "the elderly are a gift, a blessing to be welcomed," and that longevity "is one of the signs of hope in our time, everywhere in the world."

At the same time, the pontiff emphasized that this is "a challenge, because the growing number of elderly people is an unprecedented historical phenomenon that calls us to discern and understand the reality in new ways."

In this sense, in the face of the current mentality that "tends to value existence if it produces wealth or success, if it exercises power or authority, forgetting that the human being is always a limited creature with needs," Pope Leo XIV emphasized that the fragility that appears in the elderly is "hidden or removed by those who cultivate worldly illusions, so as not to have before their eyes the image of what we will inevitably become."

However, he added, "it is healthy to realize that aging is part of the marvel of creation," as he expressed during the Jubilee of Youth last August.

The pope invited people to stop being ashamed of human weakness so that "we will in fact be led to ask for help from our brothers and sisters and from God, who watches over all his creatures as a Father."

"The Church is called to offer times and tools for understanding old age, so that we can live it in a Christian way, without pretending to remain forever young and without letting ourselves be overcome by discouragement," continued the pope, who recommended the catechesis Pope Francis dedicated to this topic as "very valuable."

Active participants in evangelization

Pope Leo XIV valued the presence of older people who, once their working life is over, "have the opportunity to enjoy an increasingly long period of good health, economic well-being and more free time" and who are often "the ones who attend Mass assiduously and lead parish activities, such as catechesis and various forms of pastoral service."

"It is important to find an appropriate language and opportunities for them, involving them not as passive recipients of evangelization but as active subjects, and to respond together with them, and not in their place, to the questions that life and the Gospel pose to us," he added.

Coming from different life experiences and relationships with the faith, the pontiff noted: "For all of them, the pastoral care of the elderly must be evangelizing and missionary, because the Church is always called to proclaim Jesus Christ the Savior to every man and woman, at every age and stage of life."

This involves, first and foremost, bringing "them the good news of the Lord's tenderness, to overcome, together with them, the darkness of loneliness, the great enemy of the lives of the elderly" in a missionary task that "challenges all of us, our parishes, and, in a particular way, young people, who can become witnesses of closeness and mutual listening to those who are further along in their lives."

"In other cases, missionary evangelization will help older people to encounter the Lord and his word. With advancing age, in fact, many people begin to question the meaning of existence, creating an opportunity to seek an authentic relationship with God and to deepen their vocation to holiness," the pontiff noted.

Finally, Leo XIV recalled that "proclaiming the Gospel is the primary task of our pastoral ministry: By involving older people in this missionary dynamic, they too will be witnesses of hope, especially through their wisdom, devotion, and experience."

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Full Article