St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church and Divine Infant of Prague Mission

The Texas State Capitol in Austin. / Credit: Gang Liu/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jun 9, 2025 / 16:06 pm (CNA).

A federal judge has overturned the long-standing “Texas Dream Act” in a move the state’s Catholic bishops say undermines “just” immigration reform efforts. 

After the U.S. Department of Justice sued the state of Texas over the matter last week, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor blocked the law, which had enabled some noncitizens living illegally in Texas to qualify for in-state tuition at the state’s public universities and colleges.

Reed ruled that the law was “unconstitutional and invalid” because it applied to those who were “not lawfully present in the United States.”

Enacted in 2001, the law made in-state tuition available for noncitizen students who graduated from a local high school and had lived in Texas for at least three years prior to graduation, including those who weren’t in the country legally. The law required that students pledge to apply for permanent residency at the earliest opportunity.

Most public colleges across the U.S. offer more affordable in-state tuition for students who have lived in that state for a certain length of time, as their families have paid tax dollars to the state over the years. Meanwhile, students coming from out of state pay higher tuition rates to attend the same schools. 

Following the federal lawsuit, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said his office would not contest it and filed a motion in support of the federal government’s position, asking the court to rule that the law was unconstitutional. 

In a statement, Paxton called the law “discriminatory and un-American,” saying that it “allows an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States to qualify for in-state tuition based on residence within the state while explicitly denying resident-based tuition rates to U.S. citizens that do not qualify as Texas residents.”

Federal law requires that no residency-based higher education benefits can be provided to noncitizens that are not also offered to all U.S. citizens, according to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.

Texas legislators recently considered changing the Texas Dream Act though the bill died as the Texas legislative session ended on June 2.

The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops decried the overturning of the Texas Dream Act, saying it “propels our society further away from just and reasonable immigration reform that would foster human flourishing based in the tranquility of order and human dignity.”

“These eligible students were youth who were brought into the United States by their parents as young children and through no fault of their own,” the bishops said in a statement. “Texas became their home.”

“In the years following their entry, they became proficient in English, were educated in Texas schools, were taught Texas values, and became responsible, hardworking members of our local communities,” the bishops stated.  

“Nearly 57,000 undocumented students are currently enrolled in higher education in Texas, and each year, 18,000 undocumented students graduate from Texas high schools,” the bishops continued. “With access to higher education, these students contribute in-demand skills to our state’s workforce and become leaders in their chosen fields.”

In-state tuition in Texas sits at about $12,000 a year, while out-of-state tuition is about $43,000 as of the 2024-2025 school year.

The law’s overturn, the bishops said, “is a move away from the development of an educated workforce required for economic and social stability.”

The bishops expressed concern that the action limits the growth of Texas’ “skilled workforce,” “blocks opportunities” for immigrant students, and “undermines” long-term economic growth “by placing higher education out of financial reach for many low-income students in whom Texas has already invested in educating through high school.”

More than 20 states and Washington, D.C., have similar programs that provide in-state tuition for students who are in the country illegally.

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the U.S. Justice Department will continue to combat these sorts of laws.

“Other states should take note that we will continue filing affirmative litigation to remedy unconstitutional state laws that discriminate against American citizens,” Bondi said.

Statue of St. John the Baptist with golden cross, Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic. / Credit: Oldrich Barak/Shutterstock

Vatican City, Jun 9, 2025 / 15:31 pm (CNA).

How to communicate with hope in today’s Europe? That is the question a group of Church communicators and journalists tackled during a June 3–5 meeting in Prague organized by the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe.

Within the framework of the Jubilee of Hope, experts from 18 European Union countries gathered to reflect on communication that “restores meaning” to people’s lives; that is, communication that speaks of God.

Daniel Arasa, consultor to the Dicastery for Communication and dean of the faculty of institutional social communication at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, opened the meeting with a presentation titled “The Service of Ecclesial Communicators to the Church in the Current Context.”

In a conversation with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Arasa addressed one of the main problems facing institutional communicators: the lack of trust in institutions. In light of this, he emphasized the importance of renewal focused on three lines of action.

A call for ‘cultural reforestation’

First, he called for “cultural reforestation,” a metaphor that refers to the replanting of core values ​​in society “that give meaning and unity to coexistence.”

He specified that the loss of these values ​​has not only been due to religious ignorance or de-Christianization but also the process that began in the 1960s “with gender theories, radical feminism, the exacerbation of individualism, and relativism.”

Arasa explained that these phenomena have emptied concepts such as man, woman, family, and love of anthropological content. Such concepts “until recently were shared worldwide and allowed for dialogue and social coexistence. Now they have been emptied of content,” he pointed out.

When these “trees” are removed, the communications expert added, “the mountain collapses.” Therefore, he emphasized the responsibility of ecclesial communicators to “culturally reforest society.”

In his presentation, Arasa also emphasized the need to foster creativity and empathy in communication.

Finally, he cited four qualities that a religious communicator must possess: “a desire for ongoing formation, service, unity with the Holy Father, good humor, and joy.”

In the face of wars and secularization in Europe, he clarified that giving hope is not only about communicating good news but also “being able to talk about negative things in a context of faith; that is, of hope.”

He also emphasized that people “want to hear stories,” so institutions are best presented through stories.

Italian Alessandro Gisotti, deputy director of the editorial department of the Dicastery for Communication and former Vatican spokesperson during the pontificate of Pope Francis, reflected on the topic of “Communication from Pope Francis to Pope Leo.” He said that to understand Pope Leo, “you have to know St. Augustine.”

The final session addressed the topic “Journalists and Vatican Communication,” with talks by Javier Martínez Brocal, Vatican expert and correspondent for the Spanish newspaper ABC, and Josef Pazderka, editor-in-chief of Český rozhlas Plus, a Czech radio station.

Brocal emphasized that those who have lost the sense of meaning in life or who are despairing find that answer in the Church, even if they are not directly seeking it.

Arasa echoed Martínez-Brocal’s words, emphasizing that “the Church is one of the few, if not the only, institution that can give meaning to many of these questions.” In this regard, he emphasized that the same people who tend toward “Orientalism, mindfulness, etc., were very attentive to what was happening during the conclave.”

“The very beauty of the rites, the prayers, the sense of joy that permeated the people, in the squares… these are things that show there is a spiritual dimension behind it; it is what truly fills people with meaning,” he added.

In this context, he recalled that Leo XIV seeks to “recover the primacy of Christ,” a theme on which Francis also insisted greatly. “People need answers, and only God is the answer, and we must not be afraid to present it in a very positive, non-imposing way. It’s about giving a message of joy,” Arasa indicated.

Witness of life and consistency

Finally, he insisted on the importance of consistency: “We cannot speak of Christ and present Christ without giving testimony with our lives. Everything we say must have that evangelizing spirit, something the pope constantly emphasizes.”

The meeting also included various cultural activities, including a Mass in the St. Wenceslas Chapel of Prague Cathedral, presided over by Bishop Josef Nuzík, president of the Czech Bishops’ Conference.

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

Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm at the consistory in St. Peter’s Basilica on June 28, 2017. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Stockholm, Sweden, Jun 9, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

The conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV was first and foremost a unifying experience, despite the frantic pace and intrigue, said Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius.

“The conclave was a wonderful experience of unity in the Church and openness to the voice of the Spirit,” Arborelius told CNA on June 5. “It was also very well organized.”

However, one of the primary challenges for the cardinals at the conclave was getting to know one another, especially those from faraway countries.

During the general congregations prior to the conclave, when cardinals discussed the challenges that the Church and the new pope would face, Arborelius told the New York Times that the “cardinals don’t know each other so well” and that he himself felt “lost all the time.”

The cardinal explained to CNA that the College of Cardinals got “an overview of the universal Church but not so much guidance for electing a pope.”

“It was interesting to meet all the cardinals and listen to them but also a bit tiring to listen for hours,” he said.

Nevertheless, despite constant media speculation, the surprise election of then-Cardinal Robert Prevost as the 266th successor to St. Peter was welcomed by the Swedish cardinal who, as a member of the Dicastery for Bishops, knew him well.

“It was really an experience of God’s grace to see a cardinal who suddenly became the vicar of Christ, and I could feel that he was the right person, chosen by God,” the cardinal told CNA.  

He also said he was “struck” by Pope Leo’s “humility and simplicity” when addressing the thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square after his election, which he said was “a sign of the Holy Spirit and his guidance.”

Within the first month of his pontificate, Pope Leo set about visiting officials from the Vatican dicasteries and offices. For Arborelius, the many meetings show that “he is a person eager to establish dialogue on so many levels.”

“I am very grateful for Pope Leo, and it is extraordinary that he has been able to achieve so much in a short period,” the cardinal said.

His election, he added, “means that we enter a new chapter in the history of the Church and we have to be open to divine providence and how Pope Leo will guide us to holiness in a secular and divided world that badly needs the Gospel.”

Arborelius said that, although he would appreciate a papal visit from Pope Leo XIV, he hopes that the new pope will be able to visit Catholics in the neighboring countries of Scandinavia.  

“I am sure he will visit many countries. Maybe it is now time for the other northern countries to have a papal visit!” he said.

Over 10,000 pilgrims joined together at the national Marian shrine in Knock, Ireland, to mark the 40th anniversary of the All Ireland Rosary Rally on June 8, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of All Ireland Rosary Rally

Dublin, Ireland, Jun 9, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

This past weekend, over 10,000 pilgrims joined together at the national Marian shrine in Knock, Ireland, to mark the 40th anniversary of the All Ireland Rosary Rally.

Since the rally began in 1985, it has attracted increasingly larger crowds. This year’s rally included a youth conference and a prayer vigil in the basilica to welcome the feast of Pentecost. Hundreds of rally-goers joined together to create a huge human rosary outside. On Sunday morning, attendees climbed Croagh Patrick holy mountain where Mass was celebrated at noon at the summit. 

“We are inspired in our efforts by the rallies of Father Patrick Peyton, a [County] Mayo native who inspired millions around the globe,” event organizer Father Marius O’Reilly told CNA. “We aim to spread Father Peyton’s timeless message that a world at prayer is a world at peace.”

He added: “In today’s climate of conflict, people increasingly recognize the importance of this simple yet powerful message.”

Monsignor Steve Rossetti, an exorcist and priest from Syracuse, New York, was in Ireland for the rally and echoed O’Reilly’s message, warning the thousands of faithful gathered in Knock that the battle against evil and the forces of darkness in our world has never been clearer.

“I believe that the holy gathering at Knock will be a powerful force for good in Ireland and indeed the entire world,” he said.

Stressing how prayer can help us to overcome evil in the world, he added: “God is by nature merciful; God cannot not be merciful; even hell is a mercy.”

Rosetti went on to explain: “We see this in an exorcism. When we simply sprinkle a little holy water or hold up a crucifix, the demons scream in agony. Could you imagine the incredible torment it would be for demons or the unclean damned to be thrust into the direct all-presence of our infinite holy God? The radiance of God’s holiness would be beyond suffering for them. Hell is the only place they can exist, and they have willingly chosen it.”

In his homily during a Mass of healing at the rally, Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry highlighted the rosary as a transformative tool for profound spiritual renewal and missionary engagement in the modern world. He reflected on the challenges of contemporary life.

“We live in a frenetic age. Speed is of the essence. Attention spans are increasingly brief. Listening is in short supply.” He urged the faithful to embrace the rosary as an antidote to this cultural haste, describing it as “rooted in the wisdom of the ages that can free us to be, like Mary, open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.”

Christine O’Hara, a teacher from County Cork, shared her experience at the rally with CNA.

“I attended the rosary rally the past two years with a group of students from Coláiste Chríost Rí,” she explained. “Students felt the presence of Christ at holy Mass in the basilica and in the Apparition Chapel. All the students got confession. The atmosphere was amazing. It was wonderful to see thousands of people in Knock.”

O’Reilly reflected on the success of the rally. “There is a lot of anxiety and uncertainty in the world, and we believe this event and events like it can help people as they join together in solidarity and prayer and ultimately in hope,” he said.

Mass in a Catholic church in Cotia, Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Jan. 25, 2020. / Credit: wtondossantos/Shuttestock

Sao Paulo, Brazil, Jun 9, 2025 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

The percentage of Brazilians who identify as Catholic fell to 56.75% in 2022, a reduction of 8.4% compared with 2010, according to data from the 2022 demographic census released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.

Despite the reduction, Catholicism remains by far the largest religion in the country, followed by evangelicalism and Brazilians who identify as having no religion, whose percentage has grown by 1.4% since 2010, accounting for 9.28% of the population. Evangelicals posted growth of 5.2% during the period, comprising 26.9% of the country’s population of just over 203 million people.

The trend of increasing numbers of people without a religious affiliation was discussed by the bishops during a January meeting in Rio de Janeiro. The archbishop of Porto Alegre and president of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, Cardinal Jaime Spengler, referred to this population as “dechurched.” Spengler said “there is an urgent need to invest in initiation into Christian life and the valorization of small communities of faith so that Catholicism can grow in Brazil.”

Other religions account for 4.01% of the population. Spiritists represent 1.84%, while followers of Umbanda and Candomblé account for 1.05%.

Catholicism is the most prevalent religion in the five regions of the country, with the highest concentration in the northeast with 63.9% of the population, followed by the south with 62.4%, the central-west with 52.6%, and the southeast with 52.24%. The north has the lowest proportion of Catholics, 50.48%.

Conversely, the north has the most evangelicals, with 36.79% of the population, followed by the central-west with 31.39%, the southeast with 27.96%, and the south with 26.66%. The northeast is the region with the fewest evangelicals, with 22.47%.

Followers of Umbanda and Candomblé rose from 0.3% in 2010 to 1% of the country’s population in 2022. They have the most followers in the south, with 1.6% of the population, followed by the southeast with 1.4%, the central-west with 0.57%, the northeast with 0.56%, and the north with 0.3%.

The southeast is the region with the most people who declared themselves to have no religion, with 10.5% of the population, followed by the central-west with 8.94%, northeast with 8.85%, north with 8.19%, and south with 7.13%.

The number of followers of spiritualism fell from 2.2% in 2010 to 1.8% in 2022 and its largest concentration is in the southeast with 2.7% of the region’s population.

This story was first published by ACI Digital, CNA’s Portuguese-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Three teen brothers from Ireland have turned their admiration for Blessed Carlo Acutis into a movie called “Lego Movie — The Incredible Life of Carlo Acutis.” / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Flynn family

Dublin, Ireland, Jun 9, 2025 / 12:22 pm (CNA).

Three teen brothers from Ireland have turned their admiration for Blessed Carlo Acutis into a Lego movie about the life of the soon-to-be canonized teenage Italian Catholic who died from leukemia at the age of 15.

The short film called “Lego Movie — The Incredible Life of Carlo Acutis” is now available on YouTube under the name Fiontar Floinn.

Brothers Louis, Iosaf, and Oliver Flynn, ages 16, 14, and 18, from Kilcornan in County Limerick, Ireland, have been making Lego movies since 2015 when they got their hands on an iPad mini. Youngest brother Iosaf’s job is to build the sets and narrate, while Louis and Oliver plan, animate, and do the filming.

Ten years into their efforts, they have now created a movie made with Lego about Blessed Carlo Acutis that dovetails perfectly with the interests and appeal of the young Italian blessed, whose canonization date was delayed because of the death of Pope Francis.

The Flynns told CNA that they found in Acutis a young person whose life and interests resonated deeply with their own.

“We were really inspired by him,” Louis said. “I mean, it’s kind of unprecedented, obviously, that he’s going to be made a saint. He was very unique in the sense that he was very relatable to us.”

In the process of making the movie, which was time-consuming, detailed, and at times frustrating, Louis said he felt the presence of Acutis helping them overcome problems and deal with frustrations.

“Just even with this video, we were having technical problems with it, and we just asked Carlo for his intervention, and I did definitely see a difference when we asked him anything. I can just see things with better clarity,” Louis said.

The release of the short Lego movie is timely as the the rescheduling of Acutis’ canonization is being discussed in Rome. 

Louis said he now has a clear and positive commitment to his own Catholic faith. “Definitely, over the last year, I have made a commitment to go to Mass every single day as a bare minimum. I don’t have to have that much discipline to do it, but it means one personal prayer to God every day, which is great, a real blessing.”

The brothers’ previous Lego movies included one on Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe as well as one on St. Patrick. They learned from that production how to make their sets more advanced and detailed. 

But Louis said it was a challenge to write the Carlo Acutis script because the Italian teen is so well known and his life has been heavily documented.

“You have a lot of creative license with St. Patrick, which isn’t there with Carlos, because everything is so much more recent,” he said. “So that was, that was a bit more, that was a bit of a challenge, but we just really wanted to share with fellow young people his message and just his way of life.”

Louis explained to CNA the level of detail involved in creating such a movie with Legos.

“Yeah, it generally starts completely off our own minds. We don’t have any screen involved until we actually start filming. So that would involve piecing together the story on each individual movement, for a shot, and that we break that down into figuring out how many Lego sets we’d need to make, or which characters to include.”

Each individual movement for each character or element in a scene has to be moved, shot, and moved again, a time-consuming and laborious process. The creative production process over their short filmmaking career has been one of discernment and learning, Louis said. 

“We have a clear picture of what we are going to produce. And what you’re going to see on screen before we do any actual physical work, and then we start building the sets, and over time, it’s got much more advanced, the techniques for building sets. But the end product is more impressive,” he said.

His personal admiration for Acutis is clear: “I just think he is very inspiring. His faith, his age, the fact he had an interest in kind of spreading good news stories via technology.”

Louis said he drew strength from Acutis as the brothers tackled the project. “You know, nowadays, so much of technology is not being put to good use by people, and Carlo just knew exactly what it was made for by God and all the good it could get.”

Father Marko Rupnik in an interview with EWTN in 2020. / Credit: EWTN

Vatican City, Jun 9, 2025 / 11:08 am (CNA).

The Vatican on Monday removed artwork by former Jesuit Father Marko Ivan Rupnik from its official websites.

Digital images of the Slovenian priest’s sacred art, which were frequently used by Vatican News to illustrate articles of the Church’s liturgical feast days, are no longer found on the digital news service.

Catholic writer Amy Welborn took to X to show screenshots of Vatican News’ “Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church” article before and after Rupnik’s accompanying artwork was removed from the website on June 9.

Rupnik, who was expelled by the Society of Jesus in June 2023 for his “stubborn refusal to observe the vow of obedience,” is accused by about two dozen women, mostly former nuns, of spiritual, psychological, and sexual abuse they allege has occurred over the past three decades.

The recent changes to the Vatican News and the Dicastery for Communication websites came soon after Pope Leo XIV met with members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on June 5.

Within the first week of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV met with Cardinal Seán O’Malley, OFM, archbishop emeritus of Boston and president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, on May 14.

Several Church leaders and Catholic groups around the world have increasingly called for the removal of sacred art created by the former Jesuit.

On March 31, the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France announced its decision to cover Rupnik mosaics found at the entrances to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Cloistered monastic nun Sister Maria Gloria Riva of the Nuns of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament addresses Pope Leo XIV, cardinals, bishops, and other employees at the Vatican for the Jubilee of the Holy See on June 9, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Vatican City, Jun 9, 2025 / 10:08 am (CNA).

Sister Maria Gloria Riva of the Nuns of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament spoke on the importance of working with eternity in mind during a talk delivered Monday morning at the Vatican, a highly unusual case of a layperson publicly addressing the pontiff on spiritual matters.

The 66-year-old nun, part of a cloistered, contemplative monastery in the small state of San Marino in Italy, was the invited speaker for the Jubilee of the Holy See, part of the Catholic Church’s wider 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.

“Eternity is before us. If we work for short-term and mediocre horizons, we work in vain,” Riva said in her June 9 meditation to Pope Leo XIV, cardinals, bishops, and other employees of the Vatican and Roman Curia. 

The nun’s participation was planned by the Dicastery for Evangelization with Pope Francis before his death. Francis had expanded women’s leadership roles in the Church, including opening the ministries of lector and acolyte to women.

Riva’s talk was followed by a procession through the Holy Door, led by Pope Leo, who carried the jubilee cross like an ordinary pilgrim from the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall to St. Peter’s Basilica, where he then celebrated Mass for the feast of Mary, Mother of the Church.

In his homily, Leo emphasized the necessity of bearing one’s cross in order to be fruitful.

“All the fruitfulness of the Church and of the Holy See depends on the cross of Christ. Otherwise, it is only appearance, if not worse,” the pontiff said.

“The Holy See is holy as the Church is holy, in her original core, in the very fabric of her being,” he continued. “The Apostolic See thus preserves the holiness of its roots while being preserved by them. But it is no less true that it also lives in the holiness of each of its members. Therefore, the best way to serve the Holy See is to strive for holiness, each according to his or her particular state of life and the work entrusted to him or her.”

Reflecting on the liturgical feast day of Mary, Mother of the Church, the pope connected the fruitfulness of the Church and the fruitfulness of Mary, which, he said, “is realized in the lives of her members to the extent that they relive, ‘in miniature,’ what the Mother lived, namely, they love according to the love of Jesus.”

The fruitfulness of the Church is also linked to the grace of the pierced heart of Jesus and the sacraments, he added.

According to Leo, Mary, as the living memory of Jesus, also ensures the unity of the disciples’ prayer in the upper room at Pentecost.

In the account of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles, “the apostles are listed by name and, as always, Peter is the first,” the pope pointed out. “But he himself, in truth, is the first to be supported by Mary in his ministry.”

“In the same way, Mother Church supports the ministry of Peter’s successors with the Marian charism. The Holy See experiences in a very special way the coexistence of the two poles; the Marian and the Petrine. It is precisely the Marian pole, with its motherhood, gift of Christ and of the Spirit, that ensures the fruitfulness and holiness of the Petrine pole,” he said.

Riva, an author and prolific spiritual writer, also spoke about the direction of one’s work and life in her reflection. “We need to work for the great horizon of life that does not die: to live by asking ourselves at every moment whether what we are doing connects us firmly to that truth which is charity and eternity; this is hope,” she underlined.

“We, dear brothers and sisters, know where we must run: The race of John and Peter towards the tomb of Christ is the only race that the Church and the world can run without fear. It is the race of those who know that hope lies in true life, eternal life.”

The meaning of a jubilee, she continued, is to help us think about the last things, the brevity of existence, and the meaning of our lives.

The nun, who founded her monastic community, which educates Catholics about Eucharistic adoration and “the passion for the beauty that saves,” recalled an oft-repeated line from the Russian author Dostoevsky that “beauty will save the world.”

This quote is incorrect, she said, because Prince Myshkin, in the novel “The Idiot,” actually asks: “What beauty will save the world?”

“The prince,” Riva explained, “is confronted with a terrible image,” a painting by Hans Holbein, “The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb.” The painting, also referred to as “Dead Christ,” “is a life-size Christ with sunken eyes and limbs already showing signs of necrosis,” she said.

“So the question is serious. What beauty will save the world? Will the beauty of the cross save the world? The beauty of defeat? The beauty of humiliation? Yes, the cross can still save us,” the nun emphasized. “In 2025, in postmodern man, the great salvation of the cross still exists. The cross will save us.”

Brothers Father Joseph Wahlmeier (pictured on the left) and newly-ordained Father Isaac Wahlmeier (on the right), with their parents and Bishop James D. Conley after the ordination Mass May 24, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Lincoln

Lincoln, Neb., Jun 9, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

For parents, having the opportunity to see their children embrace the vocation to which God has called them marks the culmination of years of prayer and sacrifice. While most will see their children married, a smaller group will get to celebrate calls to the priesthood and religious life. 

Even more rare, though, is the opportunity to celebrate multiple ordinations from the same family, let alone among siblings. But as of Saturday, May 24, with the ordination of Father Isaac Wahlmeier, six families in the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, can celebrate such a blessing.

These sets of brothers include Father Isaac Wahlmeier and his brother Father Joseph Wahlmeier, ordained in 2020, and Fathers Matthew and Jeffrey Eickhoff, who were ordained in 1989 and 1995, respectively,

For Father Isaac Wahlmeier, the opportunity to see his brother begin his journey to the priesthood was a major factor in discerning his own vocation. He said that visiting his brother Joseph when he was attending St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, Nebraska, brought the seminary that much closer to his purview, and getting to visit Joseph while he studied in Rome was a huge “trust booster” for him. 

Likening it to the communion of saints, Father Isaac said: “Where you see the witness of one person, it’s an instrument for God to increase the trust in your own life, and the confidence you have in his will and his love for you.” 

Father Joseph was studying as a seminarian in Rome when he first heard his brother Isaac planned to enter into the seminary as well. He described his reaction to the news as being “both surprised, and not” at the same time. 

“It kind of felt like my own vocation,” he said. “I didn’t really think about being a priest, especially until college, but when the call came, it just made so much sense.”

Looking back, the brothers can see how the example that their parents, Patrick and Debbie, set for them led them to where they are today.

Married more than 45 years, Patrick and Debbie Wahlmeier are parents to 15 children and grandparents to 29 grandchildren. When Debbie donned her wedding dress all those years ago, she didn’t know that one day her son Isaac would have lace from her dress included in the albs that he would wear for his diaconate and priestly ordinations. 

“It makes me feel like a part of his dad and I will be with him at every Mass,” Debbie said. “As he does the Lord’s work, we can be with him.” 

Debbie said she’s been asked if she knew that her sons had a calling to the priesthood when they were young. Her response is that she didn’t know what God’s plan was for any of her children, but she prayed that they would find it.

As for the prayer she would pray as the mother of a seminarian? Simply this: “May God’s will be done.” 

“I don’t think a parent has the power to make a vocation or make it happen, whatever that vocation is, but let it happen. Let God make it clear to your children,” she said. 

Reflecting on Isaac’s ordination, Debbie said that she and her husband feel very blessed and see it as an affirmation of the power of the sacrament of marriage, how God blesses it and can make so much good come out of it. 

This is something that Father Isaac said he can see play out in the lives of his siblings who are married and embracing their own vocation of self-giving love. 

“That goodness that my parents have is manifested in them too, and it multiplies. By giving themselves away to their children and their families, they just become more of who they are, more of who they’re meant to be,” he said.

Father Joseph said that growing up, his parents “put him and his siblings in the near occasion of virtue,” praying the rosary together often and challenging them to serve the Lord in different ways — whether through volunteer time, attending Sky Camp, or serving at Mass, which taught them to always be ready to give of themselves. 

“I think that probably lends itself to growing in the ability to answer the call to a vocation, to hear it and know that ‘I’ll be able to give of myself in this way as well,’” he said. 

The Eickhoff brothers

This family involvement in the Church was something that Fathers Matthew and Jeffrey Eickhoff experienced growing up as well. 

The sons of Larry and Joan Eickhoff, Fathers Matthew and Jeffrey grew up members of Holy Cross Parish in Omaha. The two have an older brother who passed away three years ago and two sisters who are married with children.

“My parents were very involved in the parish and involved us kids as much as was feasible when we were small,” Father Matthew said. Sometimes that meant answering the phone at the rectory for a dollar an hour or serving as substitutes for the priest’s cook. The family always attended Mass, participated in Stations of the Cross, parish missions and retreats, and prayed the rosary together regularly. 

In addition to their shared childhood experiences and priesthood, Fathers Matthew and Jeffrey share some unique skills and interests as well. The two have a music and juggling act that they’ve performed in 20 of the diocese’s schools over the years, and they’re known for their six-course gourmet Italian meals, which have brought in thousands of dollars at auctions for Catholic institutions over the years. 

The two had the opportunity to study in Rome, where they walked to class together once a week, and they have shared in travels throughout Italy. 

Both celebrate the anniversary of their ordination on the same day, May 27, and Father Matthew said he enjoys getting to share the simple joys of the priesthood with someone as close as a brother. 

“We’ve really enjoyed sharing all of the family Catholic celebrations, like the sacraments,” Father Matthew said. “We’ve taken turns baptizing our nephews and our niece, we’ve been to their first Communions, confirmations, Catholic weddings, anniversary celebrations of our aunts and uncles, and celebrated funerals.”

Their experience might give them a glimpse of what the Wahlmeiers will experience for themselves as they live out their lives as priests and brothers.

“There’s definitely a brotherhood of priests in our diocese,” Father Joseph Wahlmeier said. “The priests are especially close… so to join that with a brother priest I think makes it all the more special. And I think it only helps grow the brotherhood of our presbyterate.”

Additional sets of brothers who have become priests in the diocese are Fathers Andrew and Christian Schwenka, ordained in 2019 and 2022; Monsignor Daniel and Fathers Mark and Leo Seiker ordained in 1987, 1984, and 1991; Fathers Evan and Dominic Winter ordained in 2016 and 2022; and Fathers Matthew and Michael Zimmer, ordained in 2011 and 2012. 

This story was first published by The Southern Nebraska Register, has been adapted by CNA, and is reprinted here with permission. 

Jesuit Guy Consolmagno at the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Vatican City, Jun 9, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A total of 24 fortunate young people from around the world are participating this year in the Vatican Observatory’s summer camp, an exceptional opportunity to see “that science and faith work together.”

The camp is led by the observatory’s director, Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, who during these summer months is teaching the cohort of future astronomers.

“We hope that simply living and working alongside Jesuit astronomers will be the strongest evidence that science and faith work together, and even more so, that this is a very natural collaboration,” Consolmagno told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

The veteran Vatican astronomer, born in Detroit, recalled that Pope John Paul II once described faith and reason “as the two wings that lift us toward the truth.”

“I hear in Pope Leo’s comments an echo of that same intuition,” the Jesuit affirmed, referring to the pontiff’s words at a recent international bioethics conference in which he called for a science that serves the truth and that is “increasingly humane and respectful of the integrity of the human person.”

According to the director of the observatory, which is located in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, the important thing is to remember “that truth itself is the goal” and that understanding “our faith and our science is never complete, never perfect, but always worth pursuing.”

Spreading the joy of discovery

As Consolmagno sees it, astronomers have a responsibility to pass on their knowledge to the next generation.

In this context, he acknowledged that “young, fresh minds are essential to making new discoveries and creating a deeper understanding of what we discover.”

The Jesuit brother highlighted the “special” nature of the camp, as many of the students “come from the less developed world, which means we can spread the joy of discovery to places that too often don’t have the opportunity to experience it.”

He also noted that the best part of the summer school for the young people “is the opportunity to meet both their peers from around the world and to have access to the experts who teach the classes.”

“Astronomy is a small field, and meeting other astronomers personally and professionally enriches both the students and the work,” he added.

Academic ability and enthusiasm

Consolmagno indicated that this year’s 24 students were chosen from among 175 applicants, so “the decisions were not easy.”

“Our only limit is that there can be no more than two students per nation. Beyond that, we choose the students who showed the greatest promise of being able to benefit from a school like this... both for their academic ability and for their enthusiasm for living in this historic setting,” he indicated.

For many of the students, the connections they make at the Vatican Observatory allow them to enter top-tier doctoral programs around the world “and then bring this high level of scientific excellence back to their home countries.”

“We estimate that more than 80% of students continue on to professional astronomy,” he noted, adding that those who pursue other paths still benefit greatly from the experience.

The revolutionary James Webb telescope

The theme of this year’s summer school — the 19th since its first edition in 1986 — is “Exploring the Universe with the James Webb Space Telescope: The First Three Years.”

The James Webb Space Telescope was launched on Christmas Day 2021. Since it began transmitting data the following July, Consolmagno said, it “has revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos.”

Consolmagno explained that this telescope allows students to see firsthand what science is really saying and not just “the results that have been reported in the press.”

“This allows them to appreciate how important — and difficult — it can be to try to explain to the general public what we have learned,” he emphasized.

For the Vatican astronomer, this is “an ideal time to review what the Webb telescope has discovered so far and to teach what we have learned about how best to take advantage of its capabilities.”

He further pointed out that “the combination of theory and practice” is something the observatory has promoted since these courses began almost four decades ago.

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