Mid-City Christian

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

covenantchurchsd 04.19.2026

We call this SoNoGo - South Park-North Park-Golden Hill & Our Mission: to see the baptized who live in SoNoGo worship in SoNoGo

Covenant Presbyterian Church

What is the Evangelical Presbyterian Church?

Covenant Church at 30th & Howard is a Christian church in the tradition of the Protestant Reformation and allied with the EPC [The Evangelical Presbyterian Church] We believe the Scriptures to be the infallible Word of God and our final authority in faith and practice, and we find the historic creeds of the early church (the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed) to be vital expressions of the most important tenets of the global church universal. When the EPC started in 1981, we determined that we would not disagree on the basic essentials of the Christian faith, but on anything that was not essential—such as the issue of ordaining women as officers or practicing charismatic gifts—we would give each other liberty. Above all, we committed ourselves to loving each other and not engaging in quarrels and strife. The result is that when we get together in our regional and national meetings, we spend most of our time in worship and fellowship and almost none in arguing with each other.

Hundreds of men to be ordained in U.S. in 2026

Remembering Pope Francis: 9 moments that defined his legacy

On the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death, we remember the late pontiff and some of the most significant moments of his pap

St. Anselm: The Benedictine monk who followed the motto ‘faith seeking understanding’

On April 21, the Catholic Church honors St. Anselm, the 11th- and 12th-century Benedictine monk and archbishop best known for his writings that deeply influenced Catholic theology.

Charlotte Diocese says priest did not violate conduct policies during confession with teens

Several families at Charlotte Catholic High School alleged that a priest asked their teenage daughters “inappropriate” questions during confession in December, but the diocese found no wrongdoing.

Hundreds of men to be ordained in U.S. in 2026

Ordinands on average are 33 years old and are lifelong Catholics preparing for diocesan ministry, according to the 2026 survey by The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA).

Supreme Court to hear Colorado Catholic preschools’ religious freedom suit

Catholic parents in Colorado are anticipating the results of an ongoing lawsuit over a Colorado “universal” preschool tuition program as the U.S. Supreme Court has just agreed to hear the case.

Are American young men really surpassing young women in faith?

Pope Francis’ legacy in time, one year after his death
Religion News Service: A year after Pope Francis’ death, the enduring mark of his papacy is how he changed the Church’s understanding of itself — and its place in the world.
The Guardian: Martin Scorsese’s film about Pope Francis to receive world premiere in Vatican City

Attending multiple places of worship is the norm for many Americans
The Conversation: Adults who attend multiple congregations are more likely to be politically liberal, whereas political conservatives are more likely to always attend one congregation.

Is hurry the great enemy of spiritual life?*
The Atlantic: Pastor John Mark Comer has won a massive audience by encouraging his followers to free themselves from the gnawing sense that there is always more to do.

Are American young men really surpassing young women in faith? Digging into Gallup and PRRI’s new reports
Deseret News: These two national reports send different signals on whether faith is growing, especially among young men.

It’s time for more movies about women in western religious history
Reactor: Now that Ann Lee has her own musical, who else deserves the cinematic treatment?

A Year After Pope Francis: Remembering His Legacy

Written by Lavoisier Fernandes

This interview was first published by Indian Catholic Matters on April 19, 2026. We are republishing it here as we mark the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death.

It has been a year since the death of Pope Francis, a pope who, through his compassion, humility, and vision, left a lasting mark on the Church and the world. Known for his emphasis on mercy, pastoral care, and a Church that listens, he inspired Catholics to live their faith with courage, justice, and solidarity. His influence went beyond reforms or documents — it was evident in the way he lived and throughout his pontificate, which was attentive to the poor, the marginalized, and the challenges of our time.

In an interview, I spoke with Austen Ivereigh, a UK-based Catholic journalist, author, commentator, and biographer of Pope Francis who is widely regarded as the leading English-language voice on his pontificate and enduring legacy.

The author of The Great Reformer and Wounded Shepherd, and co-author (with Pope Francis) of Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future, Ivereigh brings personal insight to this interview, offering a thoughtful reflection on a papacy that continues to shape the Church today. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Miserando Atque Eligendo: Pope Francis and the Eyes of Mercy

I did not appreciate nor even realize that the Holy Spirit had chosen a pontiff who had spent the entire twenty-plus years leading up to his election ostracized by his own order – his spiritual family, the members of the very matrix through which his vocation would be realized – precisely because he was a moderate, doctrinally orthodox son of the Church. Francis was a man who had suffered deeply and heroically, under severe ideological extremes, and had come out like purified gold. He was a man who could be trusted to steer a faithful narrow way affording mercy to all.

One Year Later: The Indelible Mark of Francis

A year ago today, the Easter peals of Saint Peter’s were tolling when word came that Pope Francis was dead, struck down in the early morning hours by a cerebral stroke, and something in the heart of the Church went still. Pope Francis was gone. And the arguments began almost immediately — as if grief were a luxury we could not afford before the verdict was rendered.

I want to resist that impulse. I want, instead, to remember.

Monday, April 20, 2026

Pope Leo visits nursing home in Angola

Pope Leo visits nursing home in Angola: The elderly ‘need to be listened to’

Saurimo, a city in northeastern Angola, is known as the center of diamond mining in the country.

PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass, leads rosary in Angola

A look in photos at Pope Leo XIV’s seventh day of his apostolic visit to Africa.

Pope Leo XIV urges Angola’s young people to build a world free of war, injustice, and poverty

The pontiff told young Angolans that Our Lady entrusts them with the task of building a better world shaped by the Gospel.

National Infertility Awareness Week: 4 Catholic ministries walking with couples

In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week, here are four Catholic ministries helping couples carry the cross of infertility.

Beloved Catholic kids book series ‘Chime Travelers’ becomes animated TV show

The new animated series depicts the same stories from the books, including episodes on St. Patrick, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare of Assisi, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, and the Holy Family.

When Trump’s satire hits too close to home for American Christians

A dispatch from inside the Vatican bubble during a remarkable exchange between pope and president
The Associated Press: During Leo’s epic four-nation trip to Africa, being inside the Vatican “bubble” has been an almost surreal experience, as an unprecedented back-and-forth plays out between U.S. President Donald Trump and history’s first American pope.

When Trump’s satire hits too close to home for American Christians, Antichrist claims emerge
Religion News Service: “Throughout both of Trump’s terms, he’s done so many things that I thought were going to be over the line, and it never happens,” said Matthew Sutton.

Archbishop of Canterbury expresses solidarity with Pope Leo XIV in calling for peace in Iran
The Associated Press: Archbishop Sarah Mullally, who assumed her role as head of the Church of England in January, said she stood with the pope in his “courageous call for peace.”

Supreme Court takes up religious liberty case over Colorado’s universal preschool program
CBS News: The legal fight, known as St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, is the latest to land before the Supreme Court in recent years that involve religious entities' participation in state-funded programs.

Israeli army to launch criminal investigation after soldier strikes Jesus statue in Lebanon
The Guardian: Netanyahu says “harsh disciplinary action” will be taken after IDF confirms sledgehammer photo is authentic.

On the Controversy with Trump

Study shows a decline in maternal deaths in states with pro-life laws

Pakistan: Truck Plows Into Catholic Procession on Easter Sunday

ZENIT Staff

The driver, identified as Muhammad Bilal, fled the scene, while his assistant was detained and the vehicle seized. Charges have been filed under provisions related to reckless driving, but investigators have not yet clarified whether negligence alone explains the event

Amid the polarization between Trump and Leo XIV, U.S. police respond to a bomb threat at the home of the Pope’s brother

Tim Daniels

Police in New Lenox, a suburban community outside Chicago, responded on the evening of April 15 at approximately 6:30 p.m. to reports of a bomb threat at the home of John Prevost, one of the Pope’s two older brothers

Popes and wars in the contemporary era

ZENIT Staff

Faced with the destructive power of modern weapons, it is very difficult to speak, as was done in past centuries, of the possibility of a ‘just war.’ As early as 1963, Pope John XXIII, in ‘Pacem in Terris,’ wrote that in the atomic age it becomes almost impossible to think that war can be considered an instrument of justice. In this same spirit stands Pope Leo XIV, who is making peace one of the central themes of his pontificate.

Human Rights Watch: church ban for minors in China violates human rights

ZENIT Staff

A new release by the human rights NGO highlights the increased pressure by Chinese authorities on Catholics in the shadow of «sinicisation» and the agreement with the Holy See on episcopal appointments. A member of an underground community merged into an official diocese laments that, “We started praying like we were thieves.” A United Front document has emerged calling for telling on parents who “instill religious ideas to their children”.

A letter from the then-Father Robert Prevost acknowledging the measures taken by Benedict XVI to combat abuse has come to light

ZENIT Staff

The rediscovery of this letter comes as commentators draw parallels between the pressures currently facing Leo XIV and the sustained criticism endured by Benedict XVI during his pontificate