St. James the Less Catholic Parish

Pope Leo’s message was received with a standing ovation. / Credit: Knights of Columbus/Screenshot

Washington D.C., Aug 5, 2025 / 19:37 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV extolled the work of the Knights of Columbus in a prerecorded message for the Catholic fraternal organization’s 143rd Supreme Convention, which is being held in Washington, D.C., Aug. 5–7.

“I commend your efforts to bring together the men in your communities for prayer, formation, and fraternity, as well as the many charitable efforts of your local councils throughout the world … which brings hope and healing to many and continues the noble legacy of your founder,” Leo said in his message. 

The Holy Father specifically commended the Knights of Columbus for their “generous service to vulnerable populations, including the unborn, pregnant mothers, children, those who are less fortunate, and those affected by the scourge of war.”

Leo tied his message to the convention’s theme “Heralds of Hope,” which was chosen to reflect the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, which was promulgated by Pope Francis.

The pontiff said that the Jubilee Year of Hope “encourages the universal Church and indeed the entire world to reflect on this essential virtue, which Pope Francis described as the desire and expectation of good things to come despite or not knowing what the future may bring.”

“As Catholics, we know that the source of our hope is Jesus Christ, and he has sent his followers in every age to bring the good news of his saving paschal mystery to the entire world,” the Holy Father said. “The Church has always been called to be a sign of hope through the proclamation of the Gospel in words as well as in actions.” 

Leo added that during the holy year, Catholics “are called to be tangible signs of hope to those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind,” noting that the founder of the Knights of Columbus, Blessed Michael McGivney, “understood this well.”

“He saw the many needs of immigrant Catholics and sought to bring relief to the poor and suffering through his faithful celebration of the sacraments as well as through fraternal assistance … which continues on to this day,” the pontiff said.

Leo said the convention theme is an invitation to members of the Knights of Columbus “to be signs of hope in your local communities, parishes, and families.” 

Standing ovation

Leo’s message was received with a standing ovation from the attendees, and Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly called the pontiff’s remarks “deeply encouraging.”

“The Knights of Columbus, each of us, is proud to stand with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV,” Kelly said.

“In his first homily, he called Catholics to missionary outreach and at his Mass of inauguration, it felt like he was speaking directly to the Knights of Columbus,” Kelly continued. “He centered his message on love and unity and he urged us to build fraternity — charity, unity, fraternity, these are the principles that define us, and the Holy Father has told us to take them to everyone we encounter.”

During his speech and report to the convention, Kelly spoke about the charitable work of the Knights of Columbus, including efforts in war-torn countries like Ukraine and relief provided to people suffering from natural disasters. He also spoke about the growth of the Knights, the organization’s support for clergy formation, and its outspoken support for the unborn. 

At the conclusion of the report, attendees recited a prayer for Pope Leo XIV, asking God to “preserve him, give him a long life, make him blessed upon the Earth” and that “the Lord not hand him over to the powers of his enemies.” 

“Look down, in your mercy, upon your servant, Leo, whom you have appointed to preside over your Church; and grant, we beseech you, that both by word and example, he may edify all those under his charge; so that, with the flock entrusted to him, he may arrive at length unto life everlasting.”

A picture shows a view of a damaged facade of the Holy Family Church on July 18, 2025, a day after it was hit in an Israeli strike in Gaza City on July 17. / Credit: OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 5, 2025 / 15:16 pm (CNA).

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) has announced that it will donate $25,000 toward the reconstruction of Holy Family Church in Gaza in the wake of the July 17 missile attack that left three dead and 15 wounded, including the parish priest, in addition to structural damage to the only Catholic church in the area.

“We are deeply saddened by the deaths, injuries, and structural damage at the Holy Family Church in Gaza and stand in solidarity with our Catholic brothers and sisters,” group CEO Ted Deutch said in a press release.

“We pray for the full recovery of the injured and the safety of all peoples affected by the devastation of war,” Deutch said.

The global Jewish advocacy group, which is headquartered in New York City, said in the release that the funds will be distributed to the Gaza parish through the Archdiocese of New York with the help of Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

“We appreciate AJC’s expression of consolation and support and are thankful for the opportunity to do good as Jews and Catholics together in this way, to bring some light to the darkness of war,” Cardinal Dolan said.

The organization expressed gratitude to Dolan and the New York Archdiocese as well as the Catholic Near East Welfare Association for its help “in enabling AJC to do what is right and consistent with Jewish values.”

The group recalled when the archdiocese was part of an interreligious coalition that donated funds to help rebuild homes in Kibbutz Kfar Aza in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. 

“In the wake of this tragedy, we want to be there for Catholic partners who have been there for the Jewish people in our times of need. Together, as Christians and Jews, we can affirm the shared humanity of all,” said Rabbi Noam Marans, the committee’s director of interreligious affairs.

The donation comes after the Israeli military said Holy Family was “mistakenly” hit during an Israeli strike on July 17. Three individuals — Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, 60; Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, 84; and Najwa Abu Daoud, 70 — were fatally wounded by shrapnel that scattered across the compound after the strike, and 15 were injured. 

Father Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor of the parish, was among those injured during the strike. He described the damage to the church to “EWTN Noticias” in an exclusive interview on July 24, calling the incident a “shocking experience.”

“Shrapnel flew in all directions,” he recounted. 

Holy Family Church has served as a shelter for more than 600 people since the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023, including Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims.

Pope Leo XIV waves to pilgrims the closing Mass of the Jubilee of Youth on Aug. 3, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 5, 2025 / 14:46 pm (CNA).

Results of a new Gallup poll reveal that Americans have a much more favorable view of Pope Leo XIV than a number of other prominent U.S. and global figures.

The polling company surveyed 1,002 adults living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The margin of sampling error was 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The participants were asked from July 7–21 if they have a “favorable” or “unfavorable” opinion of 14 figures making headlines in the news.

The results of the survey found that Americans have the most positive image of Pope Leo XIV among the newsmakers, with the majority (57%) reporting they have a “favorable” perception of him.

Pope Leo also had the lowest “unfavorable” rating with only 11%, 23 percentage points behind the second most “favorable” figure, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The rest of the participants reported they are either not familiar enough with Pope Leo to have an opinion (18%) or have not heard of him (13%).

Pope Leo had an overall net-favorable score of 46, well ahead of the other most favorable leads including Zelenskyy, who had an 18-point net score — 28 points behind Pope Leo; and Bernie Sanders, who had an 11-point score, 35 points less than the pope.

Pope Leo’s positive figures closely match Pope Francis’ ratings when he first assumed the role of pope in 2013. He was viewed favorably by 58% of participants and unfavorably by 10%. The results are also similar to Pope Benedict’s in 2005, which were 55% favorable and 12% unfavorable.

The Gallup reports found that all three pontiffs earned above-average support from American Catholics in their initial ratings, with Pope Leo viewed favorably by 76%, Francis by 80%, and Benedict by 67%.

Pope Leo does differ from his predecessors in that his favorable rating is higher among liberals (65%) than conservatives (46%), whereas Benedict and Francis were viewed more favorably by conservatives than liberals in their initial ratings. 

Among the other global figures Americans were asked about, the poll noted that French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, are viewed about as equally positively as negatively, with many Americans reporting they have no opinion of each.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (-5) was found to have a slightly negative perception, whereas Elon Musk (-28) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (-23) received more drastic negative results.

Some newsmakers rated more negatively than positively, including former president Joe Biden (-11), Vice President JD Vance (-11), California Gov. Gavin Newsom (-11), U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (-12), President Donald Trump (-16), and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (-16).

Overall, the first American-born pope has a large appeal in the United States. Unlike the political figures in the poll, he is viewed more favorably than unfavorably by all political parties but is liked more by Democrats than by Republicans. 

The poll is a part of Gallup’s “Social Series” that examines long-term U.S. trends on social, economic, and political topics by monitoring U.S. adults’ views.

null / Credit: Rohane Hamilton/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 5, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

President Donald Trump’s administration may be walking back an earlier plan that would have required insurance companies to provide coverage for in vitro fertilization (IVF), according to a report from the Washington Post.

The Post reported that “two people with knowledge of internal discussions” told the outlet that the White House does not plan to impose any IVF mandates on health insurance providers.

According to the report, a senior administration official said expanding IVF access is still “a huge priority” for the president but that any government-imposed mandatory coverage would need to come from legislation passed through Congress. The article reported that such a plan is not on the table at the moment.

CNA reached out to the White House for a response to that report and to ask whether religious liberty concerns for Catholics and others opposed to IVF are being weighed in the deliberations but did not get a response by the time of publication.

The Catholic Church opposes IVF because it separates the creation of life from the marital act and because the process results in the destruction of millions of human embryos, which ends human lives. The Southern Baptist Convention officially expressed opposition to IVF last year as well, but many Protestant denominations do not take a formal stance.

Trump first promised nearly a year ago during a campaign rally that the government would either subsidize IVF costs with taxpayer money or impose a coverage mandate on insurers. In October, Trump told EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo that a religious exemption for those opposed to IVF “sounds to me like a pretty good idea” and that “we will look at that.”

As president in February, Trump signed an executive order directing the United States Domestic Policy Council to examine ways to expand IVF access, which sparked immediate concerns from the pro-life community and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). At this point, the administration has not imposed any rules related to IVF coverage.

Father Thomas Ferguson, who serves on the religious leadership advisory board for Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, told CNA the report suggesting a departure from an insurance coverage mandate is “welcome news” but that Catholics “must continue to remain vigilant” in opposition to IVF.

IVF, Ferguson said, is “an illicit medical procedure” and must not be portrayed as an “essential health benefit.”

“It is a matter of grave concern that there might exist the possibility that tax dollars would be used to pay for IVF procedures under federally funded insurance plans,” Ferguson said.

“An even more serious concern would be the prospect of the federal government attempting to mandate privately funded insurance plans to pay for IVF services in a manner that would be clearly contrary to the religious beliefs of individuals, business owners, or even churches themselves,” he added.

The Religious Liberty Commission has held one hearing so far, but concerns about potential IVF expansion were not on the agenda. Ferguson said that education will be the focus of the second hearing scheduled for Sept. 8. No other topics have been scheduled yet, but he said he expects Catholic leaders to raise the IVF issue within the context of the commission’s work.

“Catholic belief and teaching that IVF is a morally illicit means of conceiving human life is well known, so it should be no surprise that Catholic leaders and the Catholic faithful would be dismayed by the administration’s commitment to promote IVF as a part of its policy on marriage and family life,” Ferguson added.

Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, a senior ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC), expressed optimism about the report, telling CNA that Trump’s advisers “thankfully seem to have gotten his ear and reminded him that the government ought not be subsidizing IVF in any manner.”

IVF, he said, is “an unethical approach to satisfying parental desires and customer yearnings by erecting and subsidizing an enormous industry to replace what parents themselves are meant to do uniquely within the marital embrace. Human life is not respected in the process but is instead commodified and objectified.”

Rather than covering IVF, Pacholczyk said health insurance should cover “authentic therapies and treatments for infertility,” such as natural procreative technology and Fertility Education and Medical Management, which are pro-life alternatives that seek to address the root causes of fertility struggles.

NCBC past president and senior fellow Joseph Meaney told CNA the report is “highly welcome news” and noted that IVF is “extremely unethical and costly,” while the many pro-life alternatives are “ethically and financially” preferable.

He said the Church has consistently condemned IVF as immoral since 1987 in the document Donum Vitae and that the First Amendment would require that any potential insurance mandate have religious liberty exemptions.

“Religious freedom constitutional guarantees in the U.S. would make it illegal to impose IVF on Catholics and particularly on Catholic employers who might have been required to pay for IVF through their employee health insurance plans,” Meaney added.

Bishop Robert Barron delivers the keynote address at the Jubilee of Youth’s National U.S. Pilgrim Gathering on July 30, 2025, at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Staff, Aug 4, 2025 / 17:00 pm (CNA).

Word on Fire announced Monday that a new documentary by Bishop Robert Barron is underway that will showcase the beauty of Catholic cathedrals and how they guide the faithful to the divine. 

In the announcement, Barron — who also serves as bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota — explained that the inspiration for the documentary came after the tragic fire that destroyed part of the historic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. 

In April 2019, Notre Dame’s iconic roof and spire were engulfed by a fire, the causes of which have yet to be determined. Its main structure was saved, along with many of its priceless contents, but the restoration project was monumental, amounting to almost 700 million euros ($740 million). The historic cathedral reopened on Dec. 7, 2024.   

Barron recalled that the response from people all around the world was “intriguing” to him and he “had a sense that people knew the fire was threatening to destroy something of great spiritual value — even if they were not faithful themselves.”

After this, Barron wrote a script for a documentary that explored the idea of the spirituality of cathedrals and their ability to draw in even those who do not believe in God or practice any faith.

The documentary will take viewers to the French cathedrals of Amiens, Chartres, Notre-Dame, Reims, and Saint-Denis to explore these medieval cathedrals more in depth. It will combine history, theology, art, and Scripture to show the significance of cathedrals and answer the question: What is it about the beauty of a cathedral that is so transcendent?

Barron said he believes the documentary will have “great evangelical value.”

“My hope is that this film can have a similar impact by drawing people into the beauty of our faith through the intrigue of these impressive buildings,” he said.

Barron has released several documentaries over the years including the “Catholicism” series, which took viewers to 50 locations throughout 15 countries to reveal the fullness of the Catholic faith, and the “Pivotal Players” series, which dove into the lives of 12 of the most influential Catholic figures in history.

A release date for the new documentary has not been announced.

The Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh, site of the July 25, 2025, arrest of two nuns. / Credit: Rajbhatt, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 4, 2025 / 14:54 pm (CNA).

Two Catholic nuns who were arrested at a train station in central India have been released on bail after spending more than 10 days in prison. 

“The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has welcomed with relief the grant of bail to Sister Preethi and Sister Vandana by the NIA Court in Bisaspur,” the Indian Catholic bishops wrote in an Aug. 2 statement following the sisters’ release, which they said “has brought a sense of hope to the Christian community across the country.” 

Government Railway Police had arrested Sisters Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate congregation July 25 at the Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh for human trafficking and forced conversion. 

The nuns had been accompanying three young women between the ages of 19 and 22 as well as a young tribal man from Narayanpur to Agra in Uttar Pradesh, where the young women had plans to work.

“We are grateful to the government for the support shown in this case,” CBCI President Archbishop Andrews Thazhath said in the statement, adding: “We hope this marks the beginning of renewed efforts to protect the rights and dignity of all religious minorities in our secular democracy.”

The bishops expressed gratitude to Christians across denominations and all “who stood in solidarity” with the nuns during their imprisonment and called on the government to “take concrete measures to curb the increasing incidents of intimidation against members of religious communities.”

News of their release comes after the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delayed the process, prompting widespread protests across the country. The Indian Catholic bishops’ conference expressed “outrage and deep concern” over the arrests in a statement at the time, revealing that the nuns had been “subjected to harassment, false accusations, and fabricated cases.” 

“They were physically assaulted and the arrest took place despite written consent letters issued by the parents of each woman above 18 years of age,” the bishops said, describing the event as “a grave violation” of the country’s constitution. 

“It is absolutely shocking and sad that the two religious sisters have been illegally detained under false charges of human trafficking and forced conversion,” Sister M. Nirmalini, the president of the women’s wing of the Conference of Religious India, told CNA on July 30. 

“Shockingly, the charges have been made without ascertaining or verifying facts,” said the nun, who belongs to the Apostolic Carmel Congregation. She noted that some congregations have asked members not to wear their habits in public “to avoid harassment.”

Rows of bunk beds line the interior of the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility in the Florida Everglades, a repurposed training center now designated for holding immigrants. President Donald Trump appears in the background during a July 1, 2025, visit to the site. / Credit: The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 4, 2025 / 13:52 pm (CNA).

As part of a new Catholic ministry, the Archdiocese of Miami celebrated its first Mass at the Florida detention center for unauthorized immigrants known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”

“I am pleased that our request to provide for the pastoral care of the detainees has been accommodated,” Archbishop Thomas Wenski said in an Aug. 3 statement. “Also, we were able to respond to a request to provide similar service to the staff who reside at the facility.”

In a July interview with “EWTN News In Depth,” Wenski said his “greatest concern” was the “health and care of the people that are being detained” at Alligator Alcatraz. He and other advocates were calling for “a minimum of standards” and said that “one of those standards should be access to pastoral care.”

At the time, Wenski explained his archdiocese was having difficulty arranging Masses and spiritual care for the immigrants being held because the Florida state government and the federal government were “arguing among themselves who is accountable” for the detention center.

After months of discussions between Florida bishops, archdiocesan leadership, and state correctional authorities, an agreement was finally reached. Chaplains and pastoral ministers from the Archdiocese of Miami will have “full access” to the facility to offer liturgical Masses for detainees and staff.

The first Mass was held on Aug. 2 and is just the start of the regular liturgical celebrations expected at the center. The archdiocese reported that it will continue the ministry “following the facility’s guidelines and the pastoral availability of our clergy.”

The archdiocese plans “to have a successful and consistent Catholic presence at Alligator Alcatraz that will depend on effective ordination and coordination.” The goal is to “ensure a stable schedule of sacramental care and pastoral ministry that meets the spiritual needs of both attendees and staff, with the support of clergy and committed lay volunteers.”

“The Church has ‘no borders,’ for we all are members of one human family,” Wenski said. “Our ‘agenda’ was always to announce the ‘good news’ to the poor.”

Camp Mystic alumnae and family sing after a memorial service on July 7, 2025, honoring victims of the flash floods in Central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend. / Credit: Amira Abuzeid/CNA

Houston, Texas, Aug 4, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

One month has passed since some of the deadliest and most destructive flooding in the state’s history took at least 136 lives in the Texas Hill Country over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Of the confirmed dead, 108 were in Kerr County, where the worst flooding occurred, and included 36 children, 27 of whom were attending Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River.

After extensive recovery efforts by local, state, federal, and international teams, as well as thousands of volunteers, most of the missing have been recovered or confirmed safe. Two people remained missing as of July 28, according to Kerr County commissioners. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said the county’s “primary goal is closure for the families” whose loved ones are still unaccounted for.

The Church’s response

As cleanup and rebuilding continue one month later, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of San Antonio Vice President of Programs Lizzy Perales told CNA the nonprofit will continue to help flood victims “as long as it’s needed.”

“It will take years for people to rebuild their lives,” Perales said. 

At the request of San Antonio’s archbishop, Gustavo García-Siller, Catholic Charities was deployed immediately after the flood to assist the parish in Kerrville, Notre Dame Catholic Church. 

Since then, the nonprofit has three staff on site who are providing case management services, coordinating help for victims’ material needs, including emergency and longer-term housing and financial assistance, as well as mental health counseling and legal support. 

Catholic Charities also has a distribution site that has served over 450 people with hygiene items, food, water, cleaning supplies, baby items, and “anything families who have lost everything need,” Perales said.

In the immediate aftermath of the flood, the distribution site also provided aid to first responders in the form of food, electrolytes, tools, gloves, and small equipment.

Catholic Charities is assisting with emergency shelter and temporary lodging through a partnership with home rental company Airbnb. It has also assisted in the cost of several funerals in recent weeks.

Perales told CNA she is grateful for the many donations both Catholic Charities and Notre Dame Church have received in the last month. She said the recovery effort has been an ecumenical affair.

“We have worked with many other great organizations and collaborated with many other churches and faith leaders,” she said. “We all want to be good stewards and not duplicate our efforts.”

She asked for continued prayers for the victims as well as the many volunteers and relief workers.

Record rainfall led to the historic floods

The historic flooding began in the early hours of July 4 after record rainfall, with some areas receiving up to 15 inches. Hunt, a small town in Kerr County located near the headwaters of the Guadalupe River, received 6.5 inches in three hours, leading to the river rising 26 feet in 45 minutes and 33 feet in two hours. 

Though most of the devastation occurred along the Guadalupe, the San Saba, Frio, and Colorado rivers also flooded as the same storm system moved across the area.

The immense volume of water caused the rivers to overflow their banks, tearing homes from their foundations and sweeping away RVs, cabins, cars, and trees. Many awoke to find quickly-rising water in their homes or cabins, and survivors had to act quickly to escape.

Emergency response and warning systems

On July 3, ahead of an expected storm system, state officials held an emergency weather briefing in which they were warned there was a “minor” possibility of flash flooding in Kerr and surrounding counties. Due to the unexpectedly high volume of rainfall, at 1:14 a.m. on July 4, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning that included the towns of Kerrville, Ingram, and Hunt. The warning was escalated to an “emergency” at about 4:20 a.m., but by then, the river had already risen higher than 20 feet in some places. 

The National Weather Service did not issue a flash flood emergency in Kerrville until 5:34 a.m.

Many have criticized delays in emergency alerts and the lack of a flood warning system in the area, known as “Flash Flood Alley,” blaming officials from Camp Mystic leadership, the county, the state, FEMA, all the way up to President Donald Trump. 

In 2016, then-Kerr County commissioner Tom Moser said in a commissioners’ meeting: “I think that this area is one of the highest probability areas for flash floods that exists, OK — probably within, I don’t know, within the nation, but certainly within the state.” 

However, after multiple attempts over several years, Kerr County failed to secure state or FEMA funding for flood warning systems.

Camp Mystic had just passed an inspection by the Texas Department of State Health Services on July 2, which certified that the camp had an emergency and evacuation plan in place for disasters, including flooding. 

Camp Mystic is divided into two sections, and according to the inspection report, had 386 campers and 64 staff members at its Guadalupe River section and 171 campers and 44 staff at the newer, Cypress Lake section. All the victims, 26 girls and one counselor, came from the lower-lying Guadalupe River section.

A power outage around 4 a.m. that morning meant the camp’s public address system did not work, and no campers or counselors received text alerts because cellphones were prohibited while at camp.

Critics said the camp’s owners were irresponsible for continuing to operate the camp, even expanding it in recent years, knowing it was built on a flood plain. FEMA’s 2011 maps designated parts of Camp Mystic as a “Special Flood Hazard Area,” though some buildings were later removed from this designation after appeals by its owners, Tweety Eastland and her husband, Dick Eastland, who perished while rescuing campers during the flood.

Camp Mystic alumnae continue to fiercely defend the camp and the beloved Eastlands. Houston resident Mollie Osborne, who attended the camp as a girl and whose daughter had returned from a four-week session just before the July floods, said she will send her daughter back to the camp if it reopens next summer.

“The Eastlands are like family to us,” Osborne said. “And we trust them implicitly.”

The Augustine Institute’s new campus in St. Louis. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Augustine Institute

CNA Staff, Aug 3, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Most people don’t go to graduate school for the rich liturgical life. But that’s exactly what Adelyn Phillips has found at “Teachers for Christ,” a nascent Catholic master’s program in St. Louis, where she is one of 12 students this summer. 

Phillips said she has found a vibrant community, structured daily prayer, and solid theological formation. “My time in this program has already been incomparably rich,” she said of the program. 

“Never before have I experienced such a beautiful integration of my faith, studies, and friendships,” she said. “I have been encouraged and called higher by the good example of my peers and have been greatly nourished by the liturgical life on campus.” 

After nearly two months into the budding Catholic education graduate program, housed just north of St. Louis along the Missouri River, Phillips is not the only student to have found herself in a formative spiritual oasis.

“When I discovered the Teachers for Christ program, it was like a dream come true,” said Dylan Bufkin, another student of the program, which is run by two leading Catholic education organizations: Augustine Institute and Institute for Catholic Liberal Education (ICLE).

After a year of teaching, Bufkin knew that he “had a deep love for teaching and Catholic education.” But he felt a tension between “the modern vision of education” and “a more humanistic approach to curriculum.”

So, he came to St. Louis. There, he found that the “campus’ spirituality underlies and drives a rich community that is fundamentally about holy and intellectual friendship.”

“Here was a place that was partnering with master teachers through the Institute of Catholic Liberal Education to provide expert counsel and wisdom to its students and was dedicated to forming teachers in the educational tradition of the Church,” Bufkin said. “It only helped that my intellectual heroes, like St. John Henry Newman and St. Thomas Aquinas, were front and center in the program’s self-understanding.”

The two-year program centers on spiritual formation alongside theological studies and practical application.

Teachers for Christ, Phillips said, “places tremendous emphasis on our spiritual and human formation.”

“Our curriculum beautifully incorporates faith and reason, and our common life as students on campus is full of shared work and play,” Phillips said. “Everything is ordered toward bringing us closer to God, so that we can in turn bring others closer to him.”

For Bufkin, there’s one word for it: “blessed.”

“We are so blessed to have consistent opportunity for devotion and liturgical prayer that constantly feeds us with the grace needed to pursue holiness as a student, whether that means going back to the books after dinner or serving our classmates’ needs before our own,” Bufkin said.

“The rigor, the friendships, the grace are so life-giving, and I would be hard-pressed to find a better campus to be the background of all this wonderful growth,” Bufkin added.

Educational renewal 

Like a monastery, there is no rent or tuition. For the first 14 months of the program, graduate students live, study, and pray on scholarship as part of the debt-free program.

During the program’s second year, students have a practical year at one of ICLE’s member schools where the schools provide housing and financial support.

After graduation, the program offers placement assistance as well as a yearlong mentorship with ICLE staff and master teachers.

The debt-free, scholarship-based program is designed to give students “a firm theological foundation” while forming them as educators, according to Jeffrey Lehman, the Augustine Institute philosophy and theology professor who directs Teachers for Christ.

During the program, students receive what Lehman calls “whole person formation.” In addition to their studies, students live in community, attend daily Mass, and pray morning and evening prayer together. 

Theology classes, which make up a third of the program’s coursework, ground students in “the Church’s ongoing efforts to evangelize and to bear witness to the truth of the Gospel,” Lehman said.

Funded by donors with a passion for Catholic education, the program is part of an ongoing effort to revive classical teaching. Through the program, students receive accreditation from ICLE, which provides a national alternative to the state teacher licensure. 

Students also receive practical training, with classroom apprenticeship opportunities at Catholic schools in the surrounding area. For the second year of the program, students are placed at one of the more than 200 ICLE member schools in the U.S. 

Across the nation and the world, a “great renewal of Catholic education” is underway, Lehman said.

“In recent decades, a grassroots educational renewal, long referred to as ‘classical education,’ has been growing and maturing throughout the United States,” Lehman explained.

The revival of classical education stretches across denominations and religious affiliations. It can be found everywhere from Catholic parish schools to the Chesterton Academies to publicly-funded charter schools like Great Hearts Academies or even the Jewish prep school Emet Classical Academy in New York.

But classical education, Lehman said, is returning to its source — Catholic education.

“As the renewal grows and matures, it returns more and more to the theory and practice of Catholic education that stretches back from the present to the earliest encounter between Christianity and the pedagogical traditions of Greece and Rome,” Lehman said.

Classical Catholic K-8’s are growing in popularity across the U.S., with success stories from Massachusetts to Colorado. But while Catholic liberal arts education may be trending, it’s nothing new.

“From very early in her own history, the Catholic Church has been the greatest definer, defender, and provider of a truly liberal education,” Lehman said.

This classical Catholic emphasis makes the program unique among graduate programs.

“In a way that is unparalleled among other master’s in education programs, ours is grounded in a solid philosophy and anthropology,” Phillips said.

“We recognize that we cannot teach well without an understanding of the truth about the world around us, ourselves, and our Creator,” she added.

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Dec. 20, 2024, that he has chosen CatholicVote President Brian Burch to be his ambassador to the Holy See. / Credit: Photo courtesy of CRC Advisors

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 2, 2025 / 16:25 pm (CNA).

The Senate has confirmed former CatholicVote president and founder Brian Burch to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. 

In a 49-44 vote on Aug. 2, the Senate confirmed the Catholic father of nine from Chicago. 

“I am profoundly grateful to President [Donald] Trump and the United States Senate for this opportunity to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to the Holy See,” Burch said in a statement shared with CNA reacting to news of his confirmation. “As a proud Catholic American, I look forward to representing President Trump, Vice President [JD] Vance, and Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio in this important diplomatic post.” 

He added: “I ask for the prayers of all Americans, especially my fellow Catholics, that I may serve honorably and faithfully in the noble adventure ahead.”

News of Burch’s confirmation comes after Senate Democrats initially blocked it, along with more than 50 other nominations, in May ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s installation Mass. CatholicVote has since named Kelsey Reinhardt as its new president.

“I have the honor and fortune of serving in this role following the historic election of the first American pope,” Burch said in the statement, adding: “In a remarkable coincidence, or what I prefer to attribute to providence, Pope Leo XIV is from Chicago, which is also my hometown.” 

He continued: “The relationship between the Holy See and the United States remains one of the most unique in the world, with the global reach and moral witness of the Catholic Church serving as a critical component of U.S. efforts to bring about peace and prosperity.”

In a Saturday statement, CatholicVote President Kelsey Reinhardt said the organization "joyfully celebrates" Burch's confirmation.

"For the past 17 years, Brian has faithfully championed CatholicVote’s mission to inspire American Catholics to live their faith in public life," she said. "We are confident that he will similarly excel in this new role and are forever grateful for the foundation he laid and the impact he had on millions of Catholics across the Nation.”

Burch’s confirmation had been in limbo for several months after Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz placed a blanket hold on all State Department nominees, making good on a pledge he made in protest of the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Senate majority leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, filed cloture on Burch’s confirmation on July 31, putting an end to the delay. 

Burch’s nomination had been previously advanced by the Foreign Relations Committee, with the committee’s 12 Republicans voting in favor and 10 Democrats opposed. During his confirmation hearing, Burch faced questions on foreign aid cuts, the China-Vatican agreement, and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

At the time, Burch expressed his support for Rubio’s attempts at “recharging and refocusing our foreign aid on places that would make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.” He further pledged to encourage the Holy See to push back against the Chinese government’s intervention in the election of Catholic bishops.

On the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Burch said he believed the Holy See “can play a very significant role” in permanently ending the conflict and bringing about the release of the remaining Israeli hostages.