Friday, October 2, 2026

Martin Sheen Took His Stage Name from Blessed Fulton Sheen

Popular Catholic podcaster and religious sister announces discernment of new community

Popular Catholic speaker, podcast host, and author Sister Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, announced on Sept. 21 that she is publicly discerning the establishment of a new religious community called Friends of the Bridegroom. Read more

Carmelite sisters building a monastery to ‘last a thousand years’ in Pennsylvania

A community of Discalced Carmelite sisters is using centuries-old methods to build a monastery in hopes that it will serve as “a beacon of light” for generations to come in Fairfield, Pennsylvania... Read more

Martin Sheen Took His Stage Name from Blessed Fulton Sheen… Then Met Him in an Unforgettable Way

Before he became the beloved actor known as Martin Sheen, he was Ramon Estévez.. And he actually still is legally! The Emmy-winning actor says the name on his passport and birth certificate has never changed. But when he arrived in New York in 1959 to pursue acting, he faced a painful reality... Read more

Fulton Sheen, a Trusted Intercessor for Our Times

Blessed Fulton Sheen will be a suitable patron for the missions, for preachers, for Eucharistic devotion. And, suitable for our times, he can also be an intercessor for unity in a combative cultural moment, both inside and outside the Church. Read more

How Archbishop Fulton Sheen Changed Father Mike Schmitz’s Life

Long before Father Mike Schmitz became one of the most recognizable voices in modern Catholic media, a radio speaker’s voice was already echoing through his family’s living room, quietly reshaping his lineage. For Father Schmitz, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen isn’t just a...Read more

Hope After 9/11, Stories of Faith and Courage

Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, EWTN journalist Colm Flynn travels to New York, Shanksville and the Pentagon to meet survivors, witnesses and clergy whose lives and faith were forever changed by that day..... Watch

The Making of a Missionary Pope: The Journey of Leo XIV

From his Chicago roots and Augustinian formation near Philadelphia to decades of missionary service in Peru and leadership in Rome, four places helped shape Robert Prevost into Pope Leo XIV. This special report explores the people, experiences, and communities that formed his global vision and prepared him to become the missionary pope he is today. Watch

Church officials urge ‘care for workers’ amid AI race

Leaders of artificial intelligence commissions at the Vatican and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called on the technology industry not to pursue profit or victory in the AI race at the expense of workers. In a Sept. 25 interview with Montse Alvarado... Read more

Beyond Fear: A Catholic Vision for Artificial Intelligence | EWTN News Special

Catholic leaders including Sara Anderson of Pushpay, writer Arthur Brooks, and Joel Chakra of the Tim Tebow foundation discuss the benefits and dangers of AI in light of Pope Leo's recent encyclical... Watch

Catholic military archdiocese ‘appreciates’ Pentagon’s new religious affairs office

This is Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of October

Pope Leo’s prayer intention for the month of October is for the mental health ministry.

Pope Leo XIV honors Harvard scientist whose pursuit of knowledge led her to faith

Karin Öberg holds the Thomas Dudley Cabot Chair in the Natural Sciences at Harvard University and directs the Öberg Astrochemistry Laboratory at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Supreme Court to hear case on lawsuit that blocked Marian shrine plan in Kentucky

Two neighbors objected to the shrine and filed suit. Lawyers for the Missionaries of St. John the Baptist say federal religious liberty protections guarantee their right to construct the shrine.

Catholic military archdiocese ‘appreciates’ Pentagon’s new religious affairs office

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the new office is meant to give chaplains a direct line to the secretary, to bypass red tape from the secular bureaucracy.

What the Bishops’ 2026 Election Guidance Says — and What It Leaves Unsaid

Roses on Death Row

Roses on Death Row: Thérèse’s Love for the Condemned and the Mission of the Church
by Andrew Likoudis

On the evening of September 30, on the vigil of St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s feast, the State of Tennessee tried, twice, to execute Christa Gail Pike and failed.
Prison officials administered two doses of pentobarbital, but Pike survived and was taken to an outside medical facility. Hours later, Governor Bill Lee halted the only other execution scheduled in Tennessee for 2026 and ordered a third-party review. Tennessee will put no one to death for the rest of the year.
Pike was convicted of the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, a terrible crime committed when Pike was eighteen. Pike’s survival . . .

...Read post

The Holy Spirit and ‘critical’ study of the Bible

The Holy Spirit and ‘critical’ study of the Bible

The experience and sense of encounter with the Holy Spirit in Christian devotion is often set against the rational task of critical evaluation of the meaning of Scripture. But are these two necessarily opposed? And what happens when we bring them together?

There is a widespread view that the work of the Spirit and the work of critical study of the Bible are like oil and water—they simply don’t mix. This is reinforced from both directions.

People who read the Bible devotionally often look distinctly nervous when the subject of ‘academic’ study of the Bible comes up. Where mosques and other places of worship have a rack by the entrance where you can take off your shoes and leave them outside, it feels as though for many churches there is a similar rack by the entrance where you can leave your brain as you come in. (It might be metaphorical, but it is there!)

On the other hand, there are many in the academy who see ‘committed’ reading as polluting the ‘objectivity’ of the academic process.

The general nervousness about all this is sometimes expressed in relation to university courses. Christians shouldn’t study theology because it will undermine their faith. I have seen the (ironically) unthinking imposition of a liberal ‘fundamentalism’ imposed on Christian students in a very damaging way, but this is less likely today, not least because of the growth of evangelical critical thinking.

In fact, it is vital that we connect head and heart in our articulation of faith, for our own wellbeing but also to be effective in an increasing sceptical and post-Christendom context—though there is still a question as to whether a university course is the right place to do this for everyone

...

Thursday, October 1, 2026

Christianity at a Crossroads (2026) - Episode 1

Premiered Sep 21, 2026

CHRISTIANITY at a CROSSROADS is a 4-part (4-hour) television series designed for broadcast on Public Television and wide use in congregations, schools and seminaries. Through stories filmed on location across the country and insightful commentary from a range of accomplished speakers, it will explore as never before the changing face of Christianity in American life today.

New episodes will drop every Monday.

Episode 2: September 28

Episode 3: October 5

Episode 4: October 12

Papal Prayer for October: Mental Health and the Church

Written by Lavoisier Fernandes

Making God’s Love Visible

Mental health does not always receive the attention it deserves in Catholic discourse. Despite its profound impact on individuals, families and parish communities, it can remain on the margins while more prominent issues—abortion, assisted dying, sexual scandals, marriage, sexual ethics, liturgical disputes and debates about the future direction of the Church—take center stage. These are important issues and should not be sidelined, but neither should mental health, especially when so much mental-health suffering remains unseen.

Mental health issues often manifest in private struggles that go unnoticed. A person sitting beside us at Mass may be carrying a burden that nobody sees. A young person may be dealing with anxiety or depression without knowing where to turn. A priest or religious may be quietly experiencing loneliness, exhaustion, or burnout.

That is why Pope Leo XIV’s October prayer intention is so important. He asks us to pray “For mental health ministry—that it may be established throughout the Church, helping to overcome the stigma and discrimination faced by people with mental illnesses.”

The intention is more than a request for prayer. It invites us to ask whether our parishes are places where people can speak honestly about their suffering without fear of being judged or misunderstood. When someone struggling with mental illness turns to the Church, do they encounter the love and compassion of Christ?

The Hidden Reality

The World Health Organization estimates that nearly one in seven people worldwide—around 1.1 billion people—were living with a mental disorder in 2021. Yet mental illness remains poorly understood and often goes unrecognized. It can profoundly affect relationships, work, family life, and participation in society.

Struggles with mental health are not confined to the pews: priests and religious are not immune to mental-health difficulties. Those who spend their lives caring for others can themselves experience anxiety, depression, loneliness, or burnout. Those who care for others also need care.