St. James the Less Catholic Parish

Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois. / Credit: Diocese of Springfield in Illinois

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 19, 2025 / 17:57 pm (CNA).

Bishop Thomas Paprocki, Bishop Kevin Rhoades, and Father Thomas Ferguson will join an advisory board for President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, according to a statement from the White House.

The three Catholic clergymen will join San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone on the Advisory Board of Religious Leaders for the commission. Two members of the Church hierarchy — Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York and Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota — are serving on the commission itself.

Rhoades, the bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, chairs the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Religious Liberty. Paprocki, the bishop of Springfield, Illinois, played a major role in the bishops’ “Fortnight for Freedom” religious liberty campaign during the 2010s, according to the White House. 

Neither Paprocki nor Rhoades could be reached for comment by the time of publication.

Ferguson, who is a parish priest at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia, also has a doctorate in government and authored “Catholic and American: The Political Theology of John Courtney Murray,” which focused on religious liberty and Catholicism in the United States.

“We’re looking forward … to the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence next year,” Ferguson told CNA in an interview, saying he hopes the commission can assist in “pointing out … just how important religious communities like the Catholic Church are to our society.”

Ferguson said the inclusion of Catholic clergy on the commission “is extremely welcomed by our Church,” adding: “It really puts us all in a forum where we can do the important work of educating people.”

One element on which Ferguson hopes to focus is insurance mandates for services that “violate our conscience” on issues such as contraception, sterilization, and transgender drugs and surgeries: “All of these things that we would find morally objectionable, we must be vigilant [against].”

He said he is also concerned about “where this country is going in terms of in vitro fertilization [IVF]” and noted that there are some politicians who “refer to themselves of pro-life legislators [despite] being advocates for IVF.”

“You also need to be protective of human life … created through IVF,” Ferguson said, recalling the millions of human embryos destroyed through the IVF process.

Ferguson discussed a new law in Washington state that will lead to the arrest of priests if they do not report child abuse they learn about during the sacrament of reconciliation, which would violate the “absolute sense of secrecy [of a] … sacramental confession.”

“That’s an area,” he said, where “we can be very consistent in teaching, explaining and clarifying for people: ‘This is how we freely exercise our religion in terms of the First Amendment.’” 

The Religious Liberty Commission

In addition to the advisory board consisting of religious clergy, the White House also created an advisory board made up of legal experts and another of lay leaders. These boards will assist the commission in developing its final report.

The commission and its advisory boards include members of various religions, including Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Islam, and Judaism.

The report will outline the current threats to religious freedom in the United States and provide strategies on how to ensure legal protections when rights are under attack. It will also lay out the foundation of religious liberty in the United States and issue guidance on how to increase awareness of the historically peaceful religious pluralism within the country. 

Some of the commission’s key focus areas include conscience protections, free speech for religious bodies, institutional autonomy, attacks on houses of worship, parental rights in education, and school choice.

Trump established the commission on May 1 through an executive order, which coincided with the National Day of Prayer.

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin (center) speaks to journalists at the Sirius Educational Center in Sochi on May 19, 2025, after a telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump. / Credit: VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, May 19, 2025 / 17:25 pm (CNA).

President Donald Trump said Monday that following a two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia and Ukraine will “immediately” begin ceasefire negotiations, with the Vatican possibly hosting the talks. 

“Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will begin immediately. I have so informed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine; Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission; President Emmanuel Macron of France; Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy; Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany; and President Alexander Stubb of Finland, during a call with me, immediately after the call with President Putin,” Trump wrote. 

“The Vatican, as represented by the pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!” he concluded. 

Writing on social media, Trump said the “tone and spirit of the conversation” with Putin were “excellent.”

The Vatican did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks. Last Friday, however, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, told reporters that “the pope plans to make the Vatican, the Holy See, available for a direct meeting between the two sides.”

Zelenskyy said at a press conference Monday that he wants the meeting to happen as soon as possible and that it could be hosted by Turkey, the Vatican, or Switzerland, the BBC reported. Meloni on Monday expressed support for the Vatican’s possible hosting of the meeting. 

In the 10 days since his election on May 8, Leo has appeared to take a more pro-Ukraine stance in the Russia-Ukraine conflict than his immediate predecessor Pope Francis, first by speaking to Zelenskyy by phone in the first hours of his papacy, then meeting the leader for a private audience the same day of his inaugural Mass.

Leo also called for negotiations for a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine in his first two Regina Caeli messages on May 11 and May 18, and one of his early audiences was with the head of the Greek Ukrainian Catholic Church, Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk.

As a bishop in Peru in 2022, then-Bishop Robert Prevost also made explicit reference to Russia’s invasion, calling it “imperialist in nature,” while Francis avoided such language in his peace appeals and had even called for Ukraine to raise the white flag. Francis appointed Cardinal Matteo Zuppi as his peace envoy to Ukraine.

Former president Joe Biden’s office revealed his prostate cancer diagnosis on Sunday, May 18, 2025. / Credit: Maxim Elramsisy/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 19, 2025 / 16:42 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, and politicians from both major political parties are urging the country to pray for former president Joe Biden after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Biden’s office announced on Sunday that the former president was diagnosed last week with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, stating that doctors found a prostate nodule after Biden experienced “increasing urinary symptoms.”

“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management,” the statement added. “The president and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”

The news was met with overwhelming support and calls for prayers, including from the Diocese of Wilmington, the diocese to which the country’s second Catholic president belongs.

“As Catholics, we are called to carry out Christ’s charge to ‘heal the sick’ by caring for those who are ill and accompanying them in their time of suffering through prayers of intercession,” Robert G. Krebs, the communications director for the diocese, said in a statement.

“The Church believes in the life-giving presence of Christ, the physician of souls and bodies, and wishes the former president a rapid return to health,” he said.

On Monday, Biden posted a message on X that included a picture of himself with his wife, former first lady Jill Biden, thanking the public for their support.

“Cancer touches us all,” Biden said on X. “Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”

Politicians offer prayers, best wishes

President Donald Trump, who ran against Biden twice, expressed sadness about the news in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

“Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis,” Trump wrote. “We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”

Vice President JD Vance, the second Catholic vice president after Biden, told reporters that “we wish the best for the former president’s health” but also expressed concerns that he believes the prior administration did not provide “accurate information about what he was actually dealing with” during his presidency.

Former vice president Kamala Harris, who served under Biden, said in a post on X that she and her husband, Doug, are keeping Biden “and their entire family in our hearts and prayers during this time.” 

“Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership,” she said. “We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery.”

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House and a fellow Catholic, said she and her husband, Paul, “join millions across the country and around the world praying for him to have strength and a swift recovery in the battle against cancer” in a post on X.

Current House Speaker Mike Johnson also said on X that he and his family “will be joining the countless others who are praying for the former president in the wake of his diagnosis.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X that he is “praying for President Biden and the entire Biden family,” and Senate Majority Leader Thom Tillis said he and his wife, Susan, “are saddened to hear about President Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis and are praying for his full recovery.”

Part of Centennial Christian Church in St. Louis collapsed on Friday, May 16, 2025, when severe storms, including a possible tornado, swept through the city. / Credit: AP Photo/Michael Phillis

St. Louis, Mo., May 19, 2025 / 16:07 pm (CNA).

A mile-wide tornado tore through the northern part of St. Louis on Friday, causing over $1.6 billion in damage and leaving at least five people dead, including a woman who was killed when the steeple of a Christian church collapsed on her. 

A tornado believed to have attained EF-3 intensity touched down just southwest of the St. Louis Forest Park and traveled northeast through the densely populated city for over 20 miles, downing mature trees, ripping off roofs, and leaving collapsed buildings in its wake. 

Much of the destruction — other than damage to the many stately mansions near Forest Park — affected the poorest parts of the city. Among more than 5,000 damaged buildings, at least 12 schools were hit, as was the St. Louis Zoo; tens of thousands of people in the region lost power.  

The twister was part of a massive outbreak sequence on May 18 that also spawned tornadoes in Kentucky, killing at least 19 people in that state and leveling the small town of London, about 80 miles south of Lexington. Several more deaths from tornadoes were also reported in Virginia and in southeastern Missouri.

Patricia Penelton, a longtime volunteer at St. Louis’ Centennial Christian Church — who was reportedly at the church bagging lunches to distribute after the storm — was killed when the bell tower and roof of the 121-year-old church collapsed in the tornado. Penelton was an active member of the church who started an initiative to provide free meals to neighborhood kids and to the homeless. 

“She died in her beloved church, doing what she loved,” her daughter, Alexis Dennard, said in an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Saturday. “She left this Earth in service to others. What better testament to God and her discipleship is there?”

A father of seven and a food truck owner, Juan Baltazar, was also killed when a large tree crushed his truck. Authorities have not publicly named the other casualties.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, located in the hard-hit Central West End, lost power on Friday. St. Matthew the Apostle Parish and St. Josephine Bakhita Parish are also located near the tornado’s path.

Archdiocesan spokeswoman Lisa Shea told CNA that damage is still being assessed. Pastors have been asked to hold a second collection at Masses next weekend, with the collected funds going to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis (CCSTL). 

CCSTL is currently accepting donations to help more than 750 individuals and families who have reached out through the Catholic Charities website seeking support. Catholic Charities says it is mobilizing emergency resources to provide critical services, including temporary housing, food, counseling, and long-term recovery assistance for those affected.

“We are seeing a heartbreaking level of need, and our ministry is here to respond with urgency and compassion,” said Jared Bryson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, in a statement. 

“Requests for help are pouring in — and we are doing everything we can to meet each one with dignity, care, and concrete support … This is the mission of Catholic Charities — to be a visible sign of Christ’s love and mercy in moments of great need. We are committed to walking alongside our neighbors as they recover and rebuild.”

The Archdiocese of Chicago will host a celebration at Rate Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox, on June 14, 2025, to honor Pope Leo XIV. / Credit: Enoch Lai at the English-language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 19, 2025 / 15:04 pm (CNA).

The Archdiocese of Chicago will host a celebration at Rate Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox, on June 14 to honor Pope Leo XIV, according to a statement released by the archdiocese. 

The public is invited to attend the upcoming “once-in-a-lifetime celebration of the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first pope born and raised in the Chicago area.”

“Pope Leo XIV’s message of peace, unity, and the key to a meaningful life have touched hearts across the globe,” the archdiocese said. “This celebration is an extraordinary opportunity for people from the city and beyond to come together in shared pride for one of our own.”

While there was initial speculation as to which Chicago baseball team the new pope is a fan of, Pope Leo XIV’s brother, John Prevost, told local television station WGN that the pontiff was “always a Sox fan.” Subsequently, a 20-year-old video surfaced of then-Father Robert Prevost attending a 2005 World Series game between the White Sox and the Houston Astros.

The program at the White Sox stadium will feature music, film, testimonials, and prayer and will conclude with a Mass. 

The event will “celebrate [Pope Leo’s] election,” said Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, who added that all those interested in attending should keep an eye out as “more details will be announced in the coming week.”

Pope Leo XIV meets with faith leaders on Monday, May 19, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, May 19, 2025 / 14:04 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV met with faith leaders at the Vatican on Monday, emphasizing his commitment to continue Pope Francis’ legacy on synodality in relation to ecumenical dialogue with other churches and religions.

Inviting representatives of other Christian churches, ecclessial communities, and other religions who attended his Sunday inauguration Mass to the Apostolic Palace for a private audience, the Holy Father stated his desire to continue the Church’s “ecumenical journey and interreligious dialogue” following the legacy of his predecessors St. John XXIII and Pope Francis. 

“Synodality and ecumenism are closely linked,” he said. “I wish to assure you of my intention to continue Pope Francis’ commitment to promoting the synodal character of the Catholic Church and to developing new and concrete forms for an ever more intense synodality in the ecumenical field.”

“Today is the time for dialogue and for building bridges,” he added. “Therefore I am happy and grateful for the presence of the representatives of other religious traditions, who share the search for God and his will, which is always and only the will of love and life for men and women and for all creatures.”

Expressing his particular fraternal affection for the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, and Assyrian Patriarch Mar Awa III in the meeting, Leo XIV highlighted the need for Christian unity in light of the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea to be celebrated on May 20.

“That council represents a fundamental stage in the development of the Creed shared by all the Churches and ecclesial communities,” the Holy Father said. “While we are on the path towards the reestablishment of full communion among all Christians, we recognize that this unity can only be unity in faith.” 

“As bishop of Rome, I consider one of my primary duties to seek the reestablishment of full and visible communion among all those who profess the same faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” he added. 

During the audience, Pope Leo reiterated the importance of a dialogue and fraternity — founded upon the shared belief in one God — with Jews and Muslims in order to achieve peace.

“Even in these difficult times, marked by conflicts and misunderstandings, it is necessary to continue with enthusiasm this very precious dialogue of ours,” he said.

“This approach, based on mutual respect and freedom of conscience, represents a solid basis for building bridges between our communities,” he added.

Toward the end of the audience, the pontiff reiterated his calls for peace and the need for leaders of all faith traditions to be united, “through the testimony of our brotherhood,” for the good of humanity.

“In a world wounded by violence and conflict, each of the communities represented here brings its own contribution of wisdom, compassion, and commitment to the good of humanity and the protection of our common home,” Pope Leo said.

“I am convinced that, if we are in agreement and free from ideological and political conditioning, we can be effective in saying ‘no’ to war and ‘yes’ to peace, ‘no’ to the arms race and ‘yes’ to disarmament, ‘no’ to an economy that impoverishes peoples and the Earth and ‘yes’ to integral development,” the Holy Father concluded.

Pope Leo XIV meets with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on May 19, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, May 19, 2025 / 13:01 pm (CNA).

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump invited Pope Leo XIV to the White House. The invitation was made in a letter from Trump that was hand-delivered to the pope by Vice President JD Vance on Monday.

In a video of the meeting between the vice president and Pope Leo, Vance can be heard saying “I wanted to make sure I gave you that letter,” and in his response Pope Leo can be heard saying “at some point.”

Vance told the pope: “As you can probably imagine, in the United States the people are extremely excited.”

During an exchange of gifts between the two, Vance gave the pope a Chicago Bears jersey with “Pope Leo XIV” emblazoned on the back.

At the meeting’s conclusion, Vance thanked Pope Leo XIV and told him: “We’ll pray for you.”

“Thank you for being here for the celebration,” the pope replied.

When Leo XIV was elected May 8, Trump expressed hearty congratulations, posting on Truth Social: “It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American pope. What excitement, and what a great honor for our country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”

Vance and his wife, Usha, attended the pope’s inaugural Mass on Sunday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also attended with his wife, Jeanette.

null / Credit: KieferPix/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 19, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

Catholic Charities in Youngstown, Ohio, will join a new pilot study, Lifting Moms Out of Poverty (LMOP), a program developed by Catholic Charities USA, in a bid to offer aid to mothers with small children.

“The intent of the program from Catholic Charities USA is to evaluate the effectiveness of programs that support young families with kiddos under 3 years of age,” Rick Squier, the executive director of the Catholic Charities serving Portage and Stark counties, told CNA.

“I’m excited that we have the opportunity to do this,” Squier said. “We’re going to be able to quantify the results of the program and say that when we do our financial literacy program with young families over the course of 18 months, they see dramatic increases in their ability to overcome when life happens.” 

“And then we have the opportunity to go out and write grants” based on the successful results, he said.

The pilot program will run for 18 months and will monitor the status of at least 20 families. Each family will take three surveys over the course of the year and a half with the goal of determining improvement in financial literacy, emotional perspective, and parenting skills. 

The agency serving Portage and Stark counties is currently monitoring 38 families and is using a combination of internal funds along with a $75,000 grant from Catholic Charities USA. 

According to Squier, 100% of these funds go toward the direct support of the families in the form of rent and utilities, transportation, education, or other similar core costs. 

Squier said the pilot program will be adapted to existing ones. First Step for Families, which already serves families in Portage and Stark counties, will benefit from the program. 

“What we did is take this program that already exists and add a little bit more client management into it … with our case workers,” he explained. 

“Now, they’re just spending a little bit more time and effort in connecting with the families and really working with them on the financial portion, the parenting portion, and seeing what we can do to alleviate the barriers that exist in their situation to get them ahead and get them to be more resilient.” 

At the end of the pilot program, The Catholic University of America will evaluate the results in order to formulate recommendations to send to Catholic Charities agencies in other dioceses. 

Ultimately, Squier said he hopes the pilot program will “really enable us to see what works best, so that we can provide support … lifting moms out of poverty.”

Archbishop Charles C. Thompson elevates the Eucharist during the Opening Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church in Indianapolis, marking the official launch of the St. Katharine Drexel Route. May 18, 2025. / Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

CNA Newsroom, May 18, 2025 / 18:00 pm (CNA).

The 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage kicked off Sunday, May 18, with an opening Mass in downtown Indianapolis where an estimated 1,000 people, including many young families, joined Archbishop Charles C. Thompson to officially launch this year’s pilgrimage.

“Our faith is not something to be lived just within the walls of the Church. The Mass ends with being sent out,” the archbishop told EWTN News before the Mass began at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. “The Eucharist is transforming. And it transforms us, and through us it transforms others.” 

The 2025 pilgrimage is a continuation of last year’s four simultaneous Eucharistic pilgrimages, which converged in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress in July 2024. The pilgrimages are part of the National Eucharistic Revival, a multi-year plan launched by the U.S. bishops to strengthen faith in Jesus Christ and the Eucharist. 

Eight young adult pilgrims called “Perpetual Pilgrims” will accompany the Blessed Sacrament for the 3,300-mile mile trek this year named for St. Katharine Drexel (1858–1955), which will culminate on Corpus Christi Sunday, June 22, in Los Angeles. 

At the opening Mass was Matthew Heidenreich, a 2024 Marian Route pilgrim, who said he wanted to come out and support this year’s pilgrims. “Something like this, a pilgrimage that goes across the country, the Lord just uses that to create powerful, powerful moments that will ultimately bring so many people to him, and to the Church,” he told EWTN News.

The University of Alabama student from Columbus, Ohio, also shared how his life has changed since making last year’s pilgrimage. 

“My relationship and the way that I walk with the Lord has completely changed,” he said. “Just like experiencing that day to day walk with him, and realizing how much he wants to enter into every part of my life, it transforms the way you view every moment, and the way you enter into life. Because you just know the Lord is with you, he’s walking with you, he wants to be there.”

The Drexel route will process through 10 states — including California and Texas — as well as through 20 Catholic dioceses and four Eastern Catholic eparchies. Along the way will be opportunities to encounter Jesus including daily Mass, Eucharistic adoration, Eucharistic processions, witness talks, and fellowship meals with the Perpetual Pilgrims. 

In keeping with the ongoing Jubilee Year of Hope in the Catholic Church, the focus of the Drexel Route is on “hope and healing,” with visits planned not only to churches but also to prisons and nursing homes. 

“[The Eucharistic pilgrimage] is bringing a Christ centered focus to a world that is in desperate need of meaning and purpose and healing,” said Archbishop Thompson. “That’s what this procession is all about — Jesus Christ, the way the truth and the life, being proclaimed, being adored, being worshipped. The one who leads us and unites us.”

Melanie McClanahan, a Rosary Team volunteer, with a resident. / Credit: Mike Jensen

CNA Staff, May 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Teresa Rodriguez was working as a hospice nurse, seeing patients at a memory care facility, when she realized that her patients were not being offered any spiritual services. While speaking with a patient and the patient’s husband one day, the idea was proposed of organizing a time to pray the rosary. Rodriguez immediately decided to make that happen.

“That day I talked to the activities director … and she was thrilled. [She was] so excited that we would even consider coming in and praying with the residents,” Rodriguez told CNA in an interview. 

At the time, Rodriguez was leading a Bible study at her parish, Sacred Heart of Mary in Boulder, Colorado. She asked the women in her Bible study if anyone would be willing to volunteer to pray the rosary with patients at a memory care facility. Two of them volunteered to go with her. 

The event was quickly a success. What started as a once-a-week event quickly became twice a week, and then three times. Rodriguez placed bulletin announcements in the surrounding parishes and was able to gather more volunteers. This marked the beginning of what is now known as the Rosary Team, which started in 2019 and today is made up of over 500 volunteers in 18 states.

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rosary Team held Zoom rosaries that were broadcast throughout the facilities. Once they began to reopen, Rodriguez reached back out to facilities to see if they could hold in-person rosaries again and, much to her surprise, there was even more excitement about having individuals come in to pray the rosary with the residents. 

Over the years, Rodriguez has had a plethora of moving experiences with residents at the memory care facilities. 

“One that really got to me was I was praying with one resident and she said to me after we were done praying, ‘That’s the first Hail Mary I’ve prayed in 45 years,’” Rodriguez recalled. 

She added that at times they encounter residents who can’t speak or can only say very few words, “then, all of the sudden, we start praying the rosary with them and they say out loud the prayers of the rosary.”

Melanie McClanahan, a Rosary Team volunteer, said her time volunteering with the ministry “has been a miracle in my life and I see how it is a miracle in the lives of others. I have watched people heal, including myself; I have seen family members come together, and I have watched people who weren’t sure about their beliefs grow in their love of Jesus and their devotion to our Blessed Mother.”

When asked why it’s so important to do work like this with the elderly and memory-impaired, Rodriguez said: “The elderly are quiet and we don’t see them a lot — due to their health issues and their mobility — and they can be easily forgotten, especially when they’re in facilities, when they’re not out at our parishes, not in our neighborhoods, or in the grocery stores. They’re such an easy group to forget and we don’t want to forget them.”

“This is a pro-life issue in pro-life ministry, that we need to take care of people from conception to natural death, and this is a part of caring for them and, you know, acknowledging them, and giving them love,” she added.

Rodriguez said she hopes that both volunteers and residents are being impacted by this ministry and that “the faith and love for God grows through the Rosary Team, and through the volunteers and the residents praying together.”