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

Smoke from incense drifts in the air at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, California, where the 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage concluded on June 22, 2025, / Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/EWTN

Los Angeles, Calif., Jun 22, 2025 / 23:23 pm (CNA).

The 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage completed its 3,300-mile journey across the western United States Sunday, having traversed 10 states, stopping in 20 dioceses and encountering thousands of enthusiastic parishioners.

The trek started May 18 in Indianapolis, the site of the 10^th National Eucharistic Congress in 2024, and concluded 35 days later at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. The pilgrimage was an outgrowth of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) three-year Eucharistic revival designed to promote belief in and devotion to the Eucharist among Catholics.

“We’ve had a wonderful reception, and the pilgrimage has borne much good fruit,” remarked Jason Shanks, president of the National Eucharistic Congress (NEC).  “The pilgrims who have turned out have been in good spirits.”

The culminating event at the Cathedral included Mass celebrated by U.S. apostolic nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre, a homily by Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez, and a procession through the Cathedral plaza.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, who led the USCCB’s Eucharistic revival program, and the auxiliary bishops of Los Angeles participated. The Cathedral, which seats 3,000, was full, and the procession ended with Archbishop Gomez blessing the City of Los Angeles in four directions, Shanks said, “which I hope will bring hope and healing to the city,” the scene of recent civil unrest.

The pilgrimage visited multiple sites of prominence in the archdiocese, including Corpus Christi Parish in Pacific Palisades and Sacred Heart Parish in Altadena, both of which are in the zones of wildfire destruction in Los Angeles’ Jan. 7 Palisades and Eaton fires (Corpus Christi was destroyed, Sacred Heart survived). The pilgrimage also stopped at the first and the last missions established in the Los Angeles area by St. Junipero Serra, Mission San Gabriel (founded in 1771) and Mission Basilica San Buenaventura (established in 1782.)

Father Parker Sandoval, vice chancellor and senior director of ministerial services for the Los Angeles Archdiocese, was the main point of contact for the archdiocese and coordinated Los Angeles events with the NEC. He noted that each site at which the pilgrimage stopped was significant, such as of historical importance because they were 18^th century missions, or because they were in the wildfire disaster zones.

 “The archdiocese has been pleased to participate in the pilgrimage, and our hope and prayer is that the Eucharistic revival spreads far and wide,” he said.

Archbishop Gomez, Cardinal Pierre, Bishop Cozzens and the auxiliary bishops participated in other events Friday through Sunday, including the events in the wildfire areas.

“We were there to pray for people and be part of the revival of life in those areas,” Cozzens said. “The people I spoke to told me that they were grateful of God’s presence in the midst of tragedy, and for their faith which has help sustain them in this time of trial.”

Pilgrims reflect on their journey

The pilgrimage traveled with eight young adults, known as perpetual pilgrims, traveling in a van with a trailer. Each diocese in which they made their stops acted as host, offering housing and food. The pilgrims found themselves spending the night in parishioners’ homes, retreat centers, religious houses, and hotels.

Ace Acuna, a perpetual pilgrim active in campus ministry with The Aquinas Institute on the campus of Princeton University in New Jersey, said he became passionate about the Eucharistic revival after attending the Indianapolis Congress last year. 

“Everywhere we go people are excited to see us and give us a warm welcome,” he said. “They’re elated that Jesus is coming.”

Like Acuna, perpetual pilgrim Leslie Reyes-Hernandez was moved by her experience at the Indianapolis Congress.  Her experience on the pilgrimage this year has been “transformative,” she said, adding that she believes that Eucharistic adoration has the power to draw many young people like herself to the Lord.

“Young people are hungry for an encounter with God, and we’ve been blessed to meet many during this pilgrimage,” she said.

Activities at the diocesan stops included Mass, adoration, talks about the Eucharist, and processions. Many also took the opportunity to go to confession.  

Pilgrims had to deal with protests

Attendance has been strong at many stops, Acuna related, including a Eucharistic procession to Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa which drew 1,800.

The spiritual journey was not without controversy; as many as 50 protestors from the Church of Wells protested the pilgrimage along the route, with their biggest turnout in Oklahoma City.

“They were using megaphones to tell us Catholics were wrong in their beliefs and confronting our participants individually about Catholic practices such as the Rosary,” Shanks recounted. “They said they were looking to put the ‘protest’ back in Protestant.”

While additional security was added to protect perpetual pilgrims and surround the Blessed Sacrament, Shanks believes the group’s hostility did not adversely affect the pilgrimage.

“For us, this persecution was our Way of the Cross,” he said. “We were allowed to experience in a very small way the suffering of Christ.”

The pilgrims took side trips to sites of service or suffering along the route, such as a soup kitchen or to participate in prison ministry, and to the site of the Oklahoma City bombing. Other stops included a visit to the tomb of Bishop Fulton Sheen and the Shrine of Blessed Stanley Rother.

Although the pilgrimage has ended, the work of the National Eucharistic Congress continues, Shanks said. He hopes to do more annual pilgrimages, as well as an 11^th National Eucharistic Congress in 2029. The NEC is also working to train Eucharistic missionaries who can return to their parishes to share their enthusiasm for Christ in the Eucharist.

Bishop Cozzens believes the USCCB’s Eucharistic revival program has been “a beautiful evangelistic moment,” adding that he hopes “the essential work of Eucharistic revival will continue through the Congress movement.”

The revival has exceeded his expectations for success, he said.

“I said we wanted to start a fire, not a program,” the bishop said. “And, today that fire of the Holy Spirit is burning brightly.”

Pope Leo XIV leads a eucharistic procession in Rome on June 22, 2025, for the feast of Corpus Christi . / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN

Rome, Italy, Jun 22, 2025 / 13:21 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called on the faithful to “share the bread”— a sign of the gift of divine salvation — to “multiply hope and to proclaim the coming of God’s Kingdom” as he presided for the first time as pope over Mass for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.

On the feast when the Catholic Church especially celebrates the mystery of the Eucharist —namely, the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the consecrated bread and wine — the pontiff declared: “Christ is God’s answer to our human hunger, because his Body is the bread of eternal life: Take this and eat of it, all of you!”

The pope traveled from the Vatican to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, his cathedral as bishop of Rome, to celebrate the Mass on Sunday afternoon. The Mass was followed by a eucharistic procession along the city’s streets.

In his homily, Leo XIV reflected on the meaning of the Eucharist and the value of sharing. The celebration took place outside the basilica.

Commenting on the day’s Gospel, which recounts the miracle of the loaves and fishes, the pope noted that by saving the crowds from hunger, “Jesus proclaims that he will save everyone from death.”

In doing so, he established the foundation of the “mystery of faith, which we celebrate in the sacrament of the Eucharist,” the Holy Father said, adding, “Just as hunger is a sign of our radical needs in this life, so breaking bread is a sign of God’s gift of salvation.”

Leo said that Jesus’ compassion for the suffering “shows us the loving closeness of God, who comes into our world to save us.”

He added: “Where God reigns, we are set free from all evil.”

In the face of human finitude, he said, “when we partake of Jesus, the living and true Bread, we live for him.”

Referring again to the Gospel miracle, Leo said that the people’s hunger is a profound sign, because “at that hour of need and of gathering shadows, Jesus remains present in our midst.”

When the apostles suggest sending the crowd away, the pope pointed out, Jesus teaches a contrary logic, “because hunger is not foreign to the preaching of the Kingdom and the message of salvation.”

The pope continued, “He feels compassion for those who are hungry, and he invites his disciples to provide for them.”

The disciples offered only five loaves and two fish — a seemingly reasonable calculation that in fact “reveal their lack of faith, he said. “For where the Lord is present, we find all that we need to give strength and meaning to our lives.”

Jesus’ gesture of breaking the bread, the pope explained, “is not some complicated magical rite; they simply show his gratitude to the Father, his filial prayer and the fraternal communion sustained by the Holy Spirit.”

“To multiply the loaves and fishes, Jesus shares what is available. As a result, there is enough for everyone. In fact, more than enough,” he said.

The pope denounced current global inequalities and criticized “the accumulation by a few” as a sign “of an arrogant indifference that produces pain and injustice.”

“Today, in place of the crowds mentioned in the Gospel, entire peoples are suffering more as a result of the greed of others than from their own hunger,” he stated.

In this light, he called on the faithful to follow the Lord’s example and to live out this teaching with concrete actions, especially during the Jubilee of Hope.

“Especially in this Jubilee Year, the Lord’s example is a yardstick that should guide our actions and our service: We are called to share our bread, to multiply hope and to proclaim the coming of God’s Kingdom,” he said.

The Augustinian pope also quoted St. Augustine’s description of the Eucharist as “bread that restores and does not run short; bread that can be eaten but not exhausted,” observing that the Eucharist “in fact, is the true, real, and substantial presence of the Savior, who transforms bread into himself in order to transform us into himself.”

The pope referred to the existential root of communion with Christ, saying, “Our hungry nature bears the mark of a need that is satisfied by the grace of the Eucharist.”

Leo reminded the faithful that “Living and life-giving, the Corpus Domini makes us, the Church herself, the Body of the Lord.” Quoting Lumen gentium, the dogmatic constitution of the Second Vatican Council, he added: “All are called to this union with Christ, who is the light of the world, from whom we come, through whom we live, and towards whom we direct our lives.”

Before beginning the eucharistic procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, the pope explained its spiritual and missionary meaning.

“Together, as shepherds and flock, we will feed on the Blessed Sacrament, adore him and carry him through the streets,” he said. “In doing so, we will present him before the eyes, the consciences and the hearts of the people.”

Leo concluded with an invitation to all the faithful: “Strengthened by the food that God gives us, let us bring Jesus to the hearts of all, because Jesus involves everyone in his work of salvation by calling each of us to sit at his table. Blessed are those who are called, for they become witnesses of this love!”

Pope Leo XIV speaks to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Sunday Angelus on June 22, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Jun 22, 2025 / 08:22 am (CNA).

Reacting to what he called the “alarming news” of U.S. airstrikes on nuclear facilities in Iran, Pope Leo XIV on Sunday pleaded with the international community “to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss.”

“Today more than ever, humanity cries out and pleads for peace,” the pope said in remarks following his Angelus reflection June 22, adding that the cry “must not be drowned out by the roar of weapons or by rhetoric that incites conflict.”

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday night that the U.S. had “obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites with massive bunker-busting bombs. Iran responded by launching a volley of missiles at Israel. Scores of civilians were wounded in a missile strike in Tel Aviv, Reuters reported.

Speaking to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square from a window in the Apostolic Palace, Leo framed the attacks, which have escalated the conflict between Israel and Iran, within the broader context of regional conflicts.

“In this dramatic scenario, which includes Israel and Palestine, the daily suffering of the population — especially in Gaza and other territories — risks being forgotten, even as the urgency for proper humanitarian support becomes ever more pressing,” he said.

“There are no distant conflicts when human dignity is at stake,” he said. “War does not solve problems — on the contrary, it amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds on the history of nations that take generations to heal.”

The pope also evoked the most heartbreaking human toll of violence. “No armed victory can make up for a mother’s grief, a child’s fear, or a stolen future.”

Finally, he renewed his call for diplomacy and commitment to peace: “Let diplomacy silence the weapons; let nations shape their future through works of peace, not through violence and bloody conflict.”

In his catechesis prior to the Angelus on Sunday, the feast of Corpus Christi, Pope Leo XIV focused on the deep meaning of the Eucharist and the value of sharing.

Reflecting on the day’s Gospel, which recounts the miracle of the loaves and fishes (cf. Lk 9:11–17), he said that “God’s gifts, even the smallest, grow whenever they are shared.”

Pope Leo XIV noted that the supreme act of sharing was “God’s sharing with us.”

“He, the Creator, who gave us life, in order to save us asked one of his creatures to be his mother, to give him a fragile, limited, mortal body like ours, entrusting himself to her as a child,” the pope said. “In this way, he shared our poverty to the utmost limits, choosing to use the little we could offer him in order to redeem us.”

God’s generosity is especially manifested in the gift of the Eucharist, the Holy Father said.

“Indeed, what happens between us and God through the Eucharist is precisely that the Lord welcomes, sanctifies, and blesses the bread and wine that we place on the altar, together with the offering of our lives, and he transforms them into the body and blood of Christ, the sacrifice of love for the salvation of the world,” Leo said.

“God unites himself to us by joyfully accepting what we bring, and he invites us to unite ourselves to him by likewise joyfully receiving and sharing his gift of love,” he added. “In this way, says St. Augustine, ‘just as one loaf is made from single grains collected together ... so in the same way the body of Christ is made one by the harmony of charity.’”

The pope was scheduled to celebrate Mass for the feast of Corpus Christi at 5 p.m. Sunday followed by a Eucharistic procession through the streets of Rome.

Despite being Yazidi, a religious minority that has suffered persecution in Iraq, Wael Jejo Khdeida, along with his wife, tends to Mar Odisho Church in northern Iraq without pay and treats it as sacred. / Credit: Ismail Adnan/ACI MENA

ACI MENA, Jun 22, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Though Christians left the northern Iraqi village of al-Nasiriya decades ago, the doors of Mar Odisho Church remain open — thanks to the devotion of a local Yazidi family.

Wael Jejo Khdeida, a young Yazidi man, holds the keys to the church and, along with his wife, tends to the building without pay. Continuing a legacy passed down from his parents, Khdeida ensures that the church is clean, accessible, and respected.

In an interview with ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, Khdeida recalled his parents’ unwavering service to the church before they emigrated in 2012. 

“Before they left,” he said, “they gave me one instruction: Take care of the church. ‘The church comes first — before your own house,’ they told me.” He smiled, adding that they still ask about the church in every phone call, jokingly warning that if he neglects it, they’ll come back to resume the duty themselves.

Despite being Yazidi, a non-Christian religious minority that has suffered persecution in Iraq, Khdeida treats the church as sacred. 

“We remove our shoes before entering, we touch its walls and kiss them in reverence,” he said. “This is a place of holy prayer. We respect all religions and will serve this church until our last breath.”

In 2023, for the first time in 22 years, Mar Odisho Church hosted a Mass again, as the Chaldean Diocese of Alqosh marked the feast day of St. Odisho on the Sunday after Easter. Since then, both Christians and Yazidis have resumed visiting the church, especially on Sundays, lighting candles and seeking the saint’s intercession.

Khdeida noted that Yazidis often come to pray as well — many believing they have received miracles. 

“Women with lactation problems used to come here seeking healing with the blessed oil, and many were cured,” he said. “I even saw a Yazidi woman healed from a skin disease after being anointed.”

He continued: “Many couples who couldn’t have children came to ask St. Odisho’s intercession. One family came back from the diaspora after years away just to fulfill a vow — their son, now a boy, walked into the church with them.”

The last Christian residents of al-Nasiriya left in 2003. While the reasons are varied — including security concerns and migration — the exodus mirrors the broader Christian decline in Iraq.

Still, Khdeida holds out hope. “We want the Christians to come back. They are our brothers. We miss their presence, and we invite them to return, to visit the church, and to bring it back to life with prayer.”

Yazidism is one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions, and most of its adherents live in Iraq and Syria. Though not a proselytizing faith, Yazidis have long coexisted with Christians and other religious minorities in northern Iraq.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.

null / Credit: SunKids/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jun 22, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

At 45 years old, Patty Montagno thought she would be married and have children by now, but her journey of learning “how to trust God throughout this process” has led to the founding of a new Catholic matchmaking service called Cana Connections. 

Inspired by the Gospel story of the wedding feast at Cana and grounded in the Dominican principle of “veritas,” or truth, the ministry “embraces God’s vision for marriage as a sacred covenant” and offers a “purposeful and prayerful” matchmaking process, Montagno said.

The native of Manhattan in New York City has always considered herself gifted at connecting people, and not just romantically. She told CNA she has moved a lot during her life and everywhere she has gone she’s been able to form communities. When she heard a homily from popular priest and podcaster Father Mike Schmitz in which he talked about pursuing a job that you’re excellent at not for your sake but for the sake of others, she took it as a sign.

“That homily helped me get over my fear of doing something — even though I haven’t been successful in love in my own journey, that doesn’t mean that I can’t help other people,” she shared.

Montagno described Cana Connections as “more old-school, traditional matchmaking.”

Users first create a free member profile, which includes answering 50 questions that are designed to help Montagno get a deeper understanding of the individual’s background, preferences, values, faith journey, and hopes for the future. 

“I leave these questions purposely open-ended because it gives the person the ability to really tell their story and it gives me a better sense of who they are and what they’re looking for,” she explained. 

Once Montagno identifies a potential match, she reaches out to both individuals to let them know and shares a summary of the other person’s profile and their photo. If they agree to meet each other, Montagno facilitates the exchange of information. She also pointed out that a criminal background check is performed on each individual, and she conducts a virtual screening to make sure the people are who they say they are.

Montagno shared that as she has gone through profiles that she has received, it makes her “teary-eyed” because she can “hear the longing and the pain, but I can also see the beautiful desire for this sacred love.”

“And that gives me so much hope — that there are people out there who value love in the way that God intended it. That exists. And I’m seeing it from a different lens now,” she added.

For anyone still waiting to find their significant other, Montagno pointed out that this time of waiting is “a great opportunity to focus on deepening your relationship with God — whether that’s reading Scripture or however that works for you.”

When asked what her hopes are for Cana Connections, she shared that it is to be “that instrument in helping Catholics find a spouse who’s going to help them grow in holiness and it’s going to be a relationship in which they’re going to journey towards heaven together and become the people that God created them to be.” 

“And that’s our mission,” she said. “And my vision is that we’ll transform the world through these holy families, ensuring that God’s truth and love continue to shape future generations.”

“I’m really excited to see how God uses both my gifts and my pain for a purpose that’s greater than myself.”

A life-sized statue of Christ is displayed at the site of the Stations of the Cross garden in Maysville, Kentucky, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. / Credit: Tammie Brown Photography

CNA Staff, Jun 22, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Catholics in northeastern Kentucky will soon be able to follow the passion of Christ in life-sized form thanks to the efforts of a longtime state politician.

Jerry Lundergan, a fixture in Kentucky Democratic politics for decades, is aiming to have the Stations of the Cross and meditation garden in Maysville open by Easter of next year.

He told CNA he purchased the property about 15 years ago. The parcel of land is next to St. Patrick’s Cemetery; Lundergan himself attended St. Patrick School in Maysville from first through 12th grades.

“The cemetery’s always been very important to me, because that’s where my great-great grandparents, my grandparents, my parents, all my aunts and uncles — they’re all buried there,” he said. Several members of the Clooney family, including George Clooney’s aunt Rosemary, are buried there as well, he noted.

Lundergan said he had dreams of turning the property into a meditation garden in honor of the Blessed Virgin, to whom he’s always had a special devotion. 

But “I never did do it,” he admitted. “It was my plan, but you get busy doing other things, and a dream you had sort of fades away.” 

Several years ago, shortly after getting out of prison for campaign finance violations, Lundergan said he decided to finally get the property built. He and his wife spoke with others around the country who developed meditation gardens. While speaking to a friend in Ohio who runs a religious goods store, Lundergan said she asked him if he had ever considered a Stations of the Cross installation. 

“In church, they’re little 2-by-2 plaques molded to the wall,” Lundergan said. “That’s not what I wanted to do. I wanted a nice garden where you can walk, with a few statues, and you end up at a grotto for the Blessed Mother.”

His friend suggested the idea that instead of plaques, the stations be made as fully life-sized sculptures. 

“Now, that got my attention,” he said with a laugh. 

Italian-made sculptures on a Via Dolorosa

Armed with that vision, Lundergan said he sought out a sculptor who could bring full-sized depictions of Christ’s passion and crucifixion to life.

“We chose Reto Demetz,” he said. The Demetz Art Studio bills itself as “one of the worldwide leading studios that manufactures ecclesiastical art.” The business is located in Gardena, Italy, though Lundergan said that Reto Demetz has been to Maysville twice. 

In addition to the sculptures, the garden will feature a pathway that imitates the Via Dolorosa, the “Way of Suffering” that Christ walked in Jerusalem while carrying his cross toward his crucifixion. 

“We also came up with the idea that we would build a cross in the center of the garden,” Lundergan said. The cross will consist of “four steel columns, seven stories tall,” with the columns representing the four Gospels.

Notably, the cross will be built and positioned in such a way that, during the Easter season, it will project shadows onto the 13th Station of the Cross depicting Christ’s crucifixion. 

Nine of the stations have already been sculpted and shipped to Maysville, Lundergan said. The aim is to have the facility open by Easter 2026. 

Lundergan acknowledged that he’s “done very well in life, financially.” The property and installation, he said, will be given back to the Diocese of Covington. “My hope is that once we give it back [that] they’ll use that money for the upkeep of the garden and the cemetery, and then the church and the Catholic school.”

He said he aspires for visitors to the installation to “see the torture and the suffering Jesus experienced on this walk, and how he gave up his life for us.”

“It’s my hope that this garden is open to any denomination,” he said. “If you believe in the Crucifixion, you’ll want to come see it. Methodist, Baptist, anybody — it’s not just for Catholics.”

“This is for everybody that really wants to rethink their purpose here on Earth,” he said. “Why we’re here, and why we should be preparing ourselves for life afterward.”

Pope Leo XIV tells political leaders that “natural law, which is universally valid apart from and above other more debatable beliefs, constitutes the compass by which to take our bearings in legislating and acting” at the Jubilee of Governments on June 21, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Jun 21, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV urged political leaders from around the world to promote the common good, warning especially of the threat to human dignity from artificial intelligence (AI).

AI “will certainly be of great help to society, provided that its employment does not undermine the identity and dignity of the human person and his or her fundamental freedoms,” the pope said on June 21 to legislators from 68 countries gathered at the Vatican for the Jubilee of Governments.

“It must not be forgotten that artificial intelligence functions as a tool for the good of human beings, not to diminish them, not to replace them,” Leo said, speaking in English to the international audience.

The pope has quickly made the challenge of artificial intelligence a signature issue of his pontificate, highlighting it at a meeting with the College of Cardinals two days after his election last month.

In his speech to political leaders on Saturday, Leo also urged them to promote the common good in other ways, including by “working to overcome the unacceptable disproportion between the immense wealth concentrated in the hands of a few and the world’s poor.” The pope decried such inequality as a leading cause of war.

Pope Leo stressed the importance of religious freedom and encouraged political leaders to follow the example of 16th-century St. Thomas More as a “martyr for freedom and for the primacy of conscience.” More was executed for refusing to recognize King Henry VIII as head of the Church in England instead of the pope.

Leo also recommended the ethical tradition of natural law, whose roots in classical antiquity predate Christianity, as “a shared point of reference in political activity” and “an element that unites everyone” regardless of religious belief.

Natural law arguments have played a prominent role in several recent legal and political debates over issues including abortion, euthanasia, religious freedom, same-sex marriage, and transgender policies.

The pope told the political leaders that “natural law, which is universally valid apart from and above other more debatable beliefs, constitutes the compass by which to take our bearings in legislating and acting, particularly on the delicate and pressing ethical issues that, today more than in the past, regard personal life and privacy.”

Venerable Enrique Shaw. / Credit: Acdeano, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jun 21, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

The cause for canonization of Venerable Enrique Shaw, an Argentine husband, father, and businessman remembered for his vocation of service and his close ties to the working class, took another step forward at the Vatican this week.

In January, the miracle attributed to his intercession passed a medical review of its authenticity, and on June 17 the commission of theologians also unanimously approved it, the vice postulator of the cause, Bishop Santiago Olivera, confirmed to the AICA news agency.

“The cause of Enrique Shaw has already passed the initial stage of medical consultation, and now the theological experts, who are studying the prayers addressed to the ‘candidate’ and their fruits, have expressed their unanimous opinion this Tuesday regarding the prayer asking for the grace of healing,” the prelate explained, encouraging people to continue praying “with renewed faith and confidence.”

Olivera is in Rome where, prior to the theological commission’s verdict, he had a private audience with the Holy Father, with whom he was able to discuss Shaw’s cause for canonization. In an interview with the program “En Clave Grote,” the bishop for the military diocese of Argentina gave details about the meeting.

“I was able to talk about several of our causes, and I told [the Holy Father] about Enrique Shaw, which gave me great joy. I told him that the theological commission was meeting today ... I told him: Later, God willing, it will go to the ordinary commission of cardinals and bishops, and then you, if you see fit, will have to sign, and we will have a new blessed, and [the pope] smiled,” the prelate recounted.

Who was Enrique Shaw?

Shaw was born on Feb. 26, 1921. His mother died when he was 4 years old and following her request, his father entrusted his son’s education to a priest.

Shaw completed his primary education at La Salle School in Buenos Aires and then entered the Naval Military School, where he discovered his apostolic vocation.

In 1943, he married Cecilia Bunge, and they had nine children. After retiring from the Navy in 1945, he decided to become a laborer, but a priest advised him and he leaned toward entrepreneurship, a vocation that would bear great fruit.

He was not only the general manager of Cristalerías (glassworks) Rigolleau, demonstrating exemplary concern and closeness to his employees, but he was also one of the founders and the first president of the Christian Association of Business Leaders, which continues to this day, bringing a human perspective to work.

Shaw served on the first board of directors of UCA (Catholic University of Argentina), worked to establish Argentine Catholic Action and the Christian Family Movement, and promoted the passage of the Family Allowance Law, a living wage based on family size or children’s disabilities. 

While still very young, he fell ill with cancer, and when he needed blood transfusions, it was his own workers who offered to donate blood for him. He died on Aug. 27, 1962, at the age of 41.

In April 2021, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the venerable businessman, faithful layman, and father of a large family.

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

null / Credit: Sasapin Kanka|Shutterstock

Brussels, Belgium, Jun 21, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

In an era where mindfulness apps dominate smartphones and meditation studios populate urban corners, a new groundbreaking international study suggests that the ancient Catholic prayer practice of praying the rosary may offer comparable mental health benefits to Eastern-inspired meditation techniques.

The research, published in the Journal of Religion and Health, also challenges assumptions made about traditional practices like the rosary, revealing surprising insights about who is actually praying the rosary in 2025.

Researchers from Italy, Poland, and Spain surveyed 361 practicing Catholics to assess the impact of praying the rosary on well-being and mental health. They found that participants who prayed the rosary reported higher levels of well-being, increased empathy, and significantly lower levels of religious struggle or spiritual anxiety — which research has shown can be benefits of other meditation techniques.

Researchers also found that 62.2% of participants held graduate or master’s degrees, challenging an assumption they say some may hold that traditional Catholic devotions appeal mainly to the less educated. 

“We were struck by how this traditional practice transcends educational and generational boundaries,” said lead researcher Father Lluis Oviedo from the Pontifical University Antonianum in Rome.

Oviedo told CNA that the study originated out of a frustration that a lot of research had been devoted to the benefits of practicing mindfulness and other meditation techniques, but practically nothing has been published about the rosary, despite it clearly being a form of meditation too.

“Our team tried to explore whether we could find similar benefits in this Catholic prayer to those attributed to more fashionable forms of meditation,” he said. “I was convinced that we would find positive results as I knew from personal experience and the testimonies of others what this prayer meant and what they experienced during it.”

Challenging stereotypes 

The research revealed cultural variations across the three countries studied.

Poland showed the highest engagement, with participants scoring 3.70 on rosary practice frequency (compared with 3.38 in Italy and 3.35 in Spain). This aligns with Poland’s reputation as one of Europe’s most religiously observant nations where Catholic traditions remain deeply woven into the social fabric despite decades of communist suppression. 

Italy, despite hosting the Vatican, showed more moderate engagement levels. Italian participants reported the highest empathy scores (4.31), suggesting that the practice’s benefits extend beyond personal spirituality to enhanced social connection — a finding that resonates with Italy’s communal culture. 

Spain presented an intriguing paradox: lower rosary practice frequency but strong well-being outcomes among those who do pray it regularly. This may reflect Spain’s complex relationship with Catholicism, where traditional practices persist alongside rapid secularization. 

The mental health connection 

Perhaps the study’s most striking finding is how praying the rosary functions as a mental health intervention. 

Participants consistently reported that the practice provided “spiritual peace, calm, and confidence” (26.3%), helped with “coping with problems” (10.2%), and offered “protection against evil” (8.6%). 

One participant said: “Praying the rosary saved my life. After my husband’s death, I couldn’t cope with the pain and emptiness. Every day, I reached for the rosary and it gave me the strength to survive these difficult moments. Without it, I don’t know how I would have managed.”

The research also showed that praying the rosary correlated positively with reduced depression and increased optimism about the future. These effects rival those reported in studies of mindfulness meditation yet come without the sometimes hefty price tags of meditation retreats or app subscriptions.

Why it matters 

The study’s implications extend far beyond Catholic communities. As mental health crises escalate globally — with particular severity in the U.S. and Europe — the research suggests society may be overlooking accessible, culturally rooted resources for psychological well-being.

In the U.S., where the wellness industry generates billions annually, the findings raise questions about the commodification of spiritual practices. Why pay for expensive meditation classes when a traditional practice offers similar benefits? The study also challenges assumptions some have that Eastern non-Christian practices are superior to Western spiritual traditions.

For Germany, where both Catholic and Protestant traditions have shaped the culture but face declining influence, the research offers a potential bridge between secular mental health approaches and traditional spiritualities. German Catholics might find validation in maintaining practices often dismissed as outdated.

The implications for Poland are particularly significant. As the country navigates tensions between its deeply Catholic identity and European Union secularization pressures, the study provides empirical support for the mental health value of traditional practices — potentially influencing both health care policy and cultural debates. 

In Italy, where Catholicism remains culturally significant despite declining Mass attendance, the findings suggest that traditional practices like the rosary might serve as accessible mental health resources, particularly for older populations who may be less comfortable with secular therapy. 

Breaking down barriers 

The researchers noted a striking bias in academic literature: PubMed contains 30,060 entries for “mindfulness” but only 13 for “rosary prayer.” This disparity reflects broader cultural prejudices that often dismiss Western devotions as more primitive. 

“From a purely cultural phenomenological point of view, mindfulness is in, glamorous, fashionable and interesting, while the rosary is out, outdated, boring and uninteresting,” the researchers observed. Yet their data suggests this perception is more about cultural fashion than empirical reality. 

The study’s network analysis revealed that religiosity impacts well-being both directly and through two key pathways: increasing empathy and reducing religious struggle. The repetitive nature of the rosary — similar to mantra meditation — appears to create a meditative state that calms anxiety and promotes emotional regulation.

Interestingly, the practice wasn’t associated with social isolation or narrow-mindedness, as stereotypes might suggest. Instead, higher levels of rosary prayer correlated with increased empathy, suggesting it enhances rather than diminishes social connection.

“One thing is certain, there is a divide within the Catholic Church, and within other churches, between those who pray and adopt a devotional stance, and those who interpret their Christian faith in terms of social awareness and involvement,” Oviedo said. “It is time to overcome this kind of binary model and adopt a style that combines devotion and empathy towards others. A divorce between the two makes the Christian message and the salvation we offer in Christ less credible and effective.”

The power of repetitive prayer 

As societies grapple with mental health epidemics, spiritual emptiness, and the limitations of purely pharmaceutical approaches to psychological well-being, the research suggests benefits from a more inclusive view of contemplative practices. The rosary’s accessibility — requiring only beads and some time — makes it particularly relevant for economically disadvantaged populations who can’t afford therapy or meditation classes. 

The study does not advocate for religious conversion or suggest that the rosary is superior to other practices. Rather, it argues for recognizing the diverse ways humans cope with suffering and find meaning. 

One researcher concluded: “We count on a broader palette of spiritual or religious expressions with similar positive effects, and so, we can avoid some almost spiritual monopolies and one-sided expressions in the usual counseling and caring interventions.”

Longer-term impact

Oviedo said it is too early to evaluate the reception of this study. 

“I was quite surprised that there was media interest in this topic, as it has been neglected in many settings, even within Catholic circles,” he said. “The worst aspect is the theological indifference or even hostility towards such devotional practices, which are considered alien to standard theology. The problem runs deeper, relating to a theology that is unable to connect with believers in how they live and express their faith.”

Oviedo said Catholics need to develop a “lived theology” — or a “theology from below.”

“This theological approach requires us to pay more attention to how believers feel, how they experience their faith, and how they sense salvation in action,” he said. “Indeed, many studies on religion, health, well-being, and flourishing are published every year, but almost no theologians pay any attention to them, even though they reveal the positive effects of religious faith and intense religious practice, or how to recognize salvation as something real. The rosary is a good example of this and suggests a different approach to theology if we really want to make the Christian message more credible.”

The outside of Guaranteed Rate Field, where the Chicago White Sox baseball team plays. / Credit: Spirit Juice Studios

CNA Staff, Jun 21, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

From popping a wheelie in front of Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home to sitting in “the pope’s chair” at a favorite local pizzeria, filmmaker Rob Kaczmark appeared to be enjoying every stop along a tour of Pope Leo’s childhood stomping grounds in a new short film released by Spirit Juice, a Catholic production company.

The film, which Kaczmark called “a tribute to a South Side kid who made it all the way to the Vatican,” is now available on YouTube.

“I’m still in awe of the fact that Pope Leo is from here. He’s one of us,” Kaczmark says in the film. “No matter where you’re from, God can use you. You just have to be open to his call.” 

The filmmaker, who is CEO and president of Spirit Juice, grew up minutes from the pope’s hometown of Dolton, Illinois. In the film, he drives to several key locations — from Pope Leo’s time in Chicago, including his childhood parish, St. Mary of the Assumption, and Guaranteed Rate Field, where the Chicago White Sox baseball team plays and where the pope famously attended a World Series game in 2005.

Kaczmark not only shares local historical details about the sites but also personal stories about how these same places played a role in the pope’s younger years. At Aurelio’s, the pope’s favorite local pizzeria, which also recently unveiled its “pope-a-roni” pizza, Kaczmark tells viewers that it was in this pizzeria that he told his parents that he and his wife were expecting their first child.

Another stop on the tour was St. Rita of Cascia High School, where Pope Leo taught math and physics. Kaczmark told CNA in an interview that he had several friends who went there and he himself spent a lot of time at this high school in the 1990s as a DJ at school dances. 

When Kaczmark first heard the news that the new pope was from Chicago, he said “it didn’t fully register.”

“It’s just like a really weird feeling when you see this person come out that you know is going to be such an important figure in your life, but you have no idea who they are,” he said. 

It wasn’t until a couple days later, after leaving Mass, that Kaczmark fully processed that the pope was from his hometown, and after that realization he knew he needed to do something to honor this other “South Sider.”

He shared that now walking around the streets of Chicago “there’s definitely a buzz, I think, around the city for Pope Leo.”

Kaczmark also recently attended the “Chicago Celebrates Pope Leo XIV” event held on June 14 at Rate Field, where the pope addressed those in attendance via a video message. 

He and his team arrived early to get video footage of the atmosphere outside the park before the event started and recalled those gathered being “so jazzed to be there … people were singing and dancing.”

Seeing the buzz that the newly elected pope has caused in his hometown, Kaczmark said he believes that “Chicago has the opportunity to be transformed because Pope Leo is from here” as well as “an opportunity for the United States.”

Kaczmark said he hopes this papacy will help the Church “lead in a way that doesn’t feel like there’s a political agenda attached to it but is leading people towards Christ in a very authentic way.”

Watch the South Side Chicago tour of Pope Leo’s childhood spots below.