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The Trump administration intends to cut off federal food assistance for 21 states, which has caused concern for some local Catholic Charities affiliates. / Credit: rblfmr/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 3, 2025 / 17:51 pm (CNA).

President Donald Trump’s administration intends to cut off federal food assistance for 21 states amid a dispute over reporting data about recipients, which has caused concern for some local Catholic Charities affiliates whose areas may be affected.

In May, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins ordered states to share certain records with the federal government about people who receive food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). She said this was to ensure benefits only went to eligible people.

Although 29 states complied, 21 Democratic-led states refused to provide the information and sued the administration. The lawsuit alleges that providing the information — which includes immigration status, income, and identifying information — would be a privacy violation.

Rollins said in a Cabinet meeting on Dec. 2 that “as of next week, we have begun and will begin to stop moving federal funds into those states until they comply and they … allow us to partner with them to root out this fraud and protect the American taxpayer.”

She said an initial overview of the data from states that complied showed SNAP benefits given to 186,000 people using Social Security numbers for someone who is not alive and about a half of a million people receiving SNAP benefits more than once. The Department of Agriculture has not released that data.

If funding is halted, this would be the second disruption for SNAP benefits in just two months. In November, SNAP payments were delayed for nearly two weeks until lawmakers negotiated an end to the government shutdown.

For many of the states that will be impacted, Catholic Charities is the largest provider of food assistance after SNAP, and some affiliate leaders fear that the disruption will cause problems.

Rose Bak, chief operating officer of Catholic Charities of Oregon, told CNA the nonprofit keeps  stockpiles for emergencies, but “we’ve gone through most of our supplies” amid the November disruption and an increase in people’s needs caused by the high cost of groceries. 

She said their food pantry partners have told her “they’ve never been this low on stock” as well.

“Our phones were ringing off the hook,” Bak said. “Our mailboxes were flooded with emails.”

When asked how another disruption would compare to the problems in November, she said: “I think it will definitely be worse.”

“People are scared,” Bak said. “They’re worried about how they’re going to feed their families.”

Ashley Valis, chief operating officer of Catholic Charities of Baltimore, similarly told CNA that another disruption “would place immense strain on families already struggling as well as on organizations like ours, which are experiencing growing demand for food and emergency assistance.”

“Food insecurity forces children, parents, and older adults to make impossible trade-offs between rent, groceries, and medication,” she said.

James Malloy, CEO and president of Catholic Charities DC, told CNA: “We work to be responsive to the needs of the community as they fluctuate,” and added: “SNAP cuts will certainly increase that need.”

“These benefits are critical for veterans, children, and many low-income workers who have multiple jobs to cover basic expenses,” he said.

Catholic Charities USA launched a national fundraising effort in late October, just before SNAP benefits were delayed the first time. Catholic Charities USA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

null / Credit: Mehdi Kasumov/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 3, 2025 / 17:21 pm (CNA).

The Lilly Endowment announced it will distribute 45 large-scale grants to theological schools across the U.S. and Canada, including directing about $60 million to several Catholic institutions.

The grants, which range from $2.5 million to $10 million, are a part of the Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, ​helping theological schools to “enhance their educational and financial capacities” and train pastors “to effectively lead congregations from a wide variety of contexts,” according to a press release from the organization.

The grants will benefit a range of ecumenical traditions, including Catholic institutions, as well as mainline Protestant, evangelical, and Orthodox ones.

Catholic institutions receiving grants include The Catholic University of America, which received over $7 million; Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, which received $10 million; Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Wickliffe, Ohio, which received nearly $8.9 million; the University of Notre Dame, which received over $5 million; and Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary, which received $10 million. Loyola University of Chicago received $10  million and Santa Clara University was awarded $10 million.

Saint John’s said in a statement its grant would be used as a part of a mission called “​​Stabilitas: Renewing Rural Ministry.” It will collaborate with nine partner dioceses across the country as a part of the mission, including the Diocese of Saint Cloud, the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the Diocese of Duluth, the Diocese of Rapid City, the Diocese of Sioux Falls, the Archdiocese of Dubuque, the Diocese of Davenport, the Diocese of Cheyenne, and the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings.

The Catholic University of America said it would use its $7.2 million grant to develop a program to help “strengthen practical leadership skills of current and new priests, seminarians, and other pastoral leaders.” The program also will provide ongoing formation for bishops, according to a release from the university. The Catholic Project will serve as a partner in the program, called New Wineskins.

“This initiative allows us to address some of the most pressing issues in leadership for seminarians, men’s religious communities, bishops, and pastoral leaders. This is an opportunity to build on the School of Theology’s 130-year foundation of preparing leaders for service to the Church,” said Susan Timoney, the principal investigator for New Wineskins.

The initiative has been in place since 2021 and has provided more than $700 million in grants to 163 theological schools.

“Theological schools play a vital role in preparing and supporting pastoral leaders for Christian congregations,” said Christopher L. Coble, the Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “We believe that one of the most promising paths for theological schools to carry forward their important missions and enhance their impact is to work collaboratively with other schools, as well as congregations and other church-related organizations.”

“By doing so they can strengthen their collective capacities to prepare and support pastoral leaders for effective congregational service now and in the future,” he added.

“Collectively, these schools will work collaboratively with nearly 400 other theological schools, colleges and universities, congregations, church agencies, denominations and other religious organizations to educate and support more effectively both aspiring and current pastoral leaders of churches,” the Lilly Endowment said.

Sister Helen Prejean is an anti-death-penalty advocate. / Credit: Don LaVange via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 3, 2025 / 16:42 pm (CNA).

Catholics and pro-life conservatives joined a broad coalition of more than 50 organizations seeking to end the death penalty in the United States amid the 2025 surge in executions.

Leaders of the coalition, the U.S. Campaign to End the Death Penalty (USCEPD), said they hope the coordinated team can abolish the death penalty in states where it is still practiced. Capital punishment is still on the books in 27 states, but just 16 have executed prisoners over the past decade.

The group’s goals include working with Democrats and Republicans to pass state-level laws that end the use of capital punishment, reducing the imposition of the death penalty in jurisdictions where it remains legal, and increasing awareness about the risk of executing innocent people, the lack of fairness in the system, and the harms inflicted on everyone affected by the death penalty.

In 2024, there were 25 people executed in the United States. In 2025, there have already been 44 executions, and three more are scheduled this month. Florida executed one person in 2024 and has already executed 17 people in 2025. Another two people are scheduled for execution this month.

At the same time, public support for the death penalty hit a 50-year low in 2025, with about 52% of Americans supporting its use and 44% opposing it, according to Gallup, which is a sharp decline from the 1980s and 1990s, when support was above 70% most years. Juries are also less likely to give out death sentences. 

Sister Helen Prejean, who serves on the advisory council of the coalition, said in a Dec. 3 news conference that the death penalty functions as a “semi-secret ritual behind prison walls” and that “when people are separated from this experience, they just go along [with it].”

She discussed her activism in Texas against the execution of Ivan Cantu in 2024 and noted that “people in Texas did not even know an execution was going on.” She said if people have better information, “they will reject that.”

Prejean quoted Psalm 85:12, which says “truth will spring from the earth,” and added that it also “springs up from the experience of people.”

“When we bring them close, they get it,” she said.

Prejean said people who are poor and people who are ethnic minorities tend to face harsher penalties in the criminal justice system, and there is an inaccurate belief that “only the worst of the worst” will be handed the death penalty.

“To give the state the right to take life means you’re going to trust the state,” she said.

One of the group’s partners is the Catholic Mobilizing Network, which works closely with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to oppose the death penalty. Other organizers include Amnesty International USA, the American Civil Liberties Union, The Innocence Project, and Conservatives Concerned.

Catholic Mobilizing Network Executive Director Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy told CNA in a statement that the campaign “is an exciting expression of the growing momentum and interest in ending capital punishment in the United States.”

“The impressive range of organizations involved in the USCEDP represent the incredibly effective efforts happening across the country for this critical mission,” she said. “Catholic Mobilizing Network is honored to be part [of] USCEDP and our collective endeavor to dismantle a system of death and honor the dignity of all life.”

Demetrius Minor, executive director of Conservatives Concerned, said in the news conference that there’s been a growing concern about the death penalty “from a pro-life perspective” within conservative circles.

“[There is a] significant growing interest in the pro-life community into how the death penalty fits into their advocacy for pro-life issues,” he said.

Minor said many state-level bills to abolish the death penalty have won bipartisan support, such as a few Republicans joining the successful effort in Virginia and Republicans signing onto unsuccessful efforts in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana.

“We can ensure that these efforts continue to be inclusive and bipartisan in the future,” he said.

In addition to national advocacy groups, state-level groups in 23 states have joined the coalition’s efforts.

A photo display of persecuted Christians in Iraq and Nigeria can be seen at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., until Feb. 8, 2026. / Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNA

Washington, D.C., Dec 3, 2025 / 13:50 pm (CNA).

A discussion featuring Father Atta Barkindo and Father Karam Shamasha breathed life into a photo exhibit featuring the “forgotten faces” of persecuted Christians in Nigeria and Iraq on Tuesday.

The photo display can be seen at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., until Feb. 8, 2026. Stephen Rasche, a professor of theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville and senior fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute, who spent years serving persecuted Christians in Iraq and Nigeria, said he hopes people will see “the spark of human dignity” in his photographs of Iraqi and Nigerian Christians on display.

The Dec. 2 discussion, titled “Seeing the Persecuted and Displaced: Experts Tell Their Stories,” organized in part by the Knights of Columbus, comes amid calls for the U.S. to take concrete action toward the Nigerian government after President Donald Trump announced his decision to designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC).

Rasche was a founding member of the Catholic University in Erbil in 2014. According to his bio, he has served as an official representative to the Vatican Dicastery on Refugees and Migrants, and belongs officially to the historical commission to the Vatican postulator in the cause of Father Ragheed Ganni, a servant of God, and three Iraqi deacons who were murdered in June 2007.

Alongside Rasche’s photos of Nigerian Christians, Barkindo said the persecution of his community in Nigeria is happening on two levels. “The first level is the level of government policy,” he said, “and the second level is the physical violence that we have seen and continue to see in Nigeria.” 

Barkindo said before Nigeria became a country, there were two existing Islamic caliphates in the north: the Kanem Borno Empire and the Sokoto Caliphate, both of which had diplomatic relationships with the Ottoman Empire and “were fully established as a pure Islamic territory.” After the British destroyed these empires and installed constitutional democracy, he said, “the grief that followed the dismantling of the Islamic empires actually never left northern Nigeria.” 

On a policy level, he said, the government then established sharia law, shuttered Christian mission schools and other institutions, and made it “increasingly difficult” for Christians in the north to participate in civilian life. 

“The ideology was very established, and that was what now led to the physical violence that we now see in Nigeria,” Barkindo said. 

“The most important thing is that the violence evolved over time,” he said. “It evolved because there was a complete and massive failure of the government to deal with the insecurity and the situation.” 

As director of The Kukah Centre, Barkindo has led grassroots efforts to bolster security in Nigeria. He holds a licentiate degree in political Islam and interreligious dialogue from the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Rome and a doctorate from the SOAS University of London. 

In an interview with CNA, Barkindo described his efforts with The Kukah Centre to promote peace throughout Nigeria’s 36 states. “We have the National Peace Committee that mediates in elections, but they don’t have the gift of bilocation,” he said, explaining how the center goes to states where the Peace Committee cannot reach and trains its civilians in mediation and data collection on early warning and early response for security threats. 

“If they observe serious issues and collect intelligence, they can flag that with us at the national level. We reach out to the government and they’re able to mitigate the situation before it turns into crisis,” he said. The Kukah Centre has done this in 23 states so far and hopes to expand its reach to all 36 states before next year’s elections. 

Reflecting on the evening’s discussion, Barkindo said “the willingness of the American people to just listen” had struck him. 

“America, I don’t want to sound too political, is such a significant country right now globally: When Trump spoke, the whole of Nigeria shook,” he said with emotion. “It’s like for the first time Christians now have somewhere to run to because we have been shouting and speaking for years.” 

Persecution in Iraq

During his testimony, Shamasha also noted the deeply engrained presence of Islamist ideology in Iraq, where he said “we are not dying in the streets today as it was in 2014, but our persecution is different today … there is a lot of discrimination against Christians in this land.” 

Shamasha recounted his experience of persecution, which began in 2003 while at a seminary in Baghdad, which closed several times while he was a student. He was eventually forced to leave in 2005 for Erbil, the Kurdish region of Iraq. He became a parish priest in the Nineveh Plains, then fled once more to Erbil in 2014 with the invasion of ISIS. 

It was during this time that the Catholic University of Erbil was founded. While the Knights of Columbus helped to support and feed the Iraqi Christian community, Shamasha said, the university sought to help young people to not only survive but also “to live with dignity” and eventually become leaders, he said.

“Thanks to God, we are still there,” the Iraqi priest said. “We are fighting to remain not just numbers in these countries, but we are fighting to, in fact, be a real member that can shine, that can give light to all the people that they are.” 

Shamasha holds a doctorate and master’s degree in moral theology from the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy in Rome as well as degrees in canon law, interreligious studies, and priestly formation from the Gregorian University, Lateran University, and the Congregation for the Clergy. 

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto is the founder of The Kukah Centre, a Nigeria-based public policy institute. / Credit: The Kukah Centre

ACI Africa, Dec 3, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

The Kukah Centre (TKC), a Nigeria-based public policy institute, has responded to what it describes as a “mischaracterization” of the remarks of its founder, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, about the alleged genocide of Christians in the West African nation.

In a press release on Tuesday, the executive director of TKC, Father Atta Barkindo, blamed the media for its inadequate reporting of Kukah’s remarks, which he made during the launch of the 2025 World Report on Religious Freedom at the Vatican on Oct. 21, and in his subsequent address to the 46th Supreme Convention of the Knights of St. Mulumba (KSM) in Kaduna on Friday, Nov. 28.

Barkindo said what the media are reporting reflect neither Kukah’s remarks nor the context of his work spanning half a century.

“TKC has followed with humility and keen attention recent reports about remarks attributed to our founder, His Lordship Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, concerning the very current issue of the protection — or lack thereof — of the right to freedom of conscience, religion, and worship in Nigeria, particularly as it affects adherents of the Christian faith in northern Nigeria and related concerns about persecution of Christians,” Barkindo said.

He added that the foundation is “heartened by the heightened public interest in both the subject matter of religious freedom in Nigeria and in the views of our founder on the subject.”

At a gathering of KSM in Kaduna on Nov. 28, Kukah reportedly reaffirmed his view that current claims of a genocide or systematic persecution of Christians in Nigeria are not supported by credible data. He reportedly argued that the claim “1,200 churches are burned every year in Nigeria” lacks verification.

He asked: “In which Nigeria?”, pointing out that no one had checked with the Catholic Church to confirm such numbers.

The bishop emphasized that “genocide” is defined not by the number of deaths or attacks alone but by intent, a deliberate plan to eliminate a group. “You can kill 10 million people, and it still won’t amount to genocide,” he said. “What matters is intent.”

He also challenged the use of terms such as “martyrdom,” pointing out that some violence might be criminal or opportunistic rather than motivated by religious hatred.

Various religious organizations and Christian advocacy groups in Nigeria have shared divergent opinions.

The Christian Association of Nigeria publicly stated that ongoing violence against Christians across Nigeria amounts to a “Christian genocide.” It has claimed that many attacks are clearly targeted at Christian communities.

Critics argue that focusing only on “intent” or official data overlooks reality on the ground. Many Christians who have lost family or property feel vulnerable and unsafe, even if there is no verified nationwide data.

Still others worry that Kukah’s stance may dampen international awareness or pressure that could help protect vulnerable communities. 

In the Dec. 1 press release, Barkindo said: “For the avoidance of doubt, at no point has His Lordship diminished the seriousness of the crisis of faith-based persecution in parts of Nigeria nor has he failed to identify with the very real sufferings caused by it.”

Referring to Kukah’s remarks at the Vatican event on Oct. 21, Barkindo said the bishop acknowledged that there is a problem in Nigeria.

At the Vatican, Kukah said: “By whatever names we choose, the fact is that Nigerians are dying unacceptable deaths across the country. In many cases, they are targeted because of their beliefs but also because of their ethnicity.”

Barkindo maintained that TKC continues to urge zero tolerance for religious persecution, solidarity with the victims and affected communities, and accountability for the perpetrators.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

Archbishop Juárez Marqués shepherds the Archdiocese of Teresina, Brazil. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Archbishop Juárez Marqués

Brasilia, Brazil, Dec 3, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

“We don’t need to say that Mary is co-redemptrix, that Jesus needs Mary to save humanity. Mary herself is prepared, saved by God; she is a creature of God. She makes herself the servant of her own son, but she is not co-redemptrix; she is now our intercessor,” Archbishop Juárez Marqués of Teresina, Brazil, declared on Nov. 27.

In an interview with a local television station, the archbishop referred to the publication of the document Mater Populi Fidelis (“Mother of the Faithful People of God”), issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on Nov. 3. 

The document discourages the use of the “co-redemptrix” title for Mary, considering that “some titles, such as that of Mediatrix of all graces, have limitations that do not facilitate a correct understanding of Mary’s unique place.”

Marqués emphasized that he is in profound communion with what the Church has taught throughout time, with the faith of the Church, and with Pope Leo, “who represents us and presides over us in charity.” The archbishop affirmed that Jesus Christ is “our only Savior” and that “God saves us through his son Jesus Christ.”

“The Blessed Virgin Mary is part of the life of Christ, of the life of the Church, of our lives,” but “in a different way,” because “she is the servant, she is our mother, our intercessor.”

He also noted that when Mary was invited to be the mother of the Son, prepared by the Father and conceived without original sin to be the mother of Jesus Christ, she responded: “Yes, behold the handmaid of the Lord.”

Marian dogmas

The archbishop further explained that the Church has “four great” Marian dogmas, “truths of the Catholic Christian faith that we cannot doubt, because they are dogmas”:

1. Mary is the Mother of God. This affirmation was consolidated at a council after the First Council of Nicaea. Jesus Christ is true God and true man, consubstantial with the Father, the prelate pointed out, and added that a heresy arose that denied that the Virgin was the Mother of God, which is why this confirmation was necessary at the Council of Ephesus in 431.

2. Mary is a virgin before, during, and after childbirth. This is a truth of faith.

3. The Immaculate Conception: Mary was conceived without original sin.

4. The Assumption: Mary was taken up body and soul into heaven.

And what about the saints?

The archbishop added that the Church professes “the veneration of the saints” but “never the worship of them,” because “worship is only for God.” The saints, he explained, “are witnesses of the faith who help us and intercede for us, because they are close to God.”

“God is the Father who creates and saves. The saints are our intercessors. Who are they?” the archbishop of Teresina asked. “They are human beings who lived here imitating Christ, a life of holiness, and that is why they are recognized by the Church, canonized, and [their relics] are part of our altar,” he explained.

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

null / Credit: Reshetnikov_art/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 3, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled that all member states are obliged to recognize so-called “homosexual marriages” legally contracted in another country, even when this type of union is not valid under their own legal system.

Although the CJEU clarified that the regulation of these types of unions remains the responsibility of each state, it requires all European Union countries to recognize the “fundamental rights” entailed by these unions, such as the right to private and family life and freedom of residence.

The ruling, issued Nov. 25, concerns the case of a Polish same-sex couple who “married” in Germany in 2018. Upon returning to Poland, the authorities refused to record the union in the civil registry. The European Court of Justice has deemed this refusal contrary to EU law, meaning that all member states are now obligated to recognize the rights stemming from such a union.

Almost half of the European Union countries have not legalized same-sex marriage. This is the case in Poland, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Romania.

The Catholic Church affirms that marriage is the exclusive union of one man and one woman, as the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, reiterated Nov. 25 during the presentation in Rome of the document titled “Una Caro (One Flesh): In Praise of Monogamy.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that in marriage “a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole life.” By its very nature, it is ordered “to the good of the spouses and to the procreation and education of offspring."

The Church has remained firm in this position throughout its history. Earlier this year, Pope Leo XIV reiterated this understanding during an audience at the Vatican: “The family is founded on the stable union between a man and a woman.”

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

Pope Leo XIV greets sick and disabled people, including a young child in a wheelchair, in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall after the Wednesday general audience on Sept. 10, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 3, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Catholic adults with disabilities talked about how faith guides their lives and how dioceses and individuals can better accommodate and understand them in a panel ahead of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) on Dec. 3.

Every year since 1992, those with disabilities and their supporters have observed the IDPD to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. In honor of this year’s IDPD, the National Catholic Partnership on Disability hosted a panel of adults who reflected on how disability and faith intersect in their lives. 

The panel, “Where Faith and Disability Meet,” featured talks from Sue Do and Kathleen Davis, who are both Catholic adults with disabilities.

Do is in the pastoral ministries graduate program at Santa Clara University. A four-time published author and public speaker, she shared how her experiences led her to disability ministry.

“I started lecturing when I was an undergrad at Santa Clara University. I really enjoy lecturing because it actually helped with my self-confidence and it improved my public speaking skills. Just the thought of being there in front of people, proclaiming God’s word, it gave me a sense of purpose,” she said.

Do shared that she began to face exclusion in her church in April 2023, but it ultimately led to her finding her passion. Her pastor at the time told her she could no longer lecture because of “safety and liability issues,” as she sometimes uses a wheelchair.

“I did not let that situation stop me from advocating for myself,” Do said. “I went to the priest who was in charge of the young adult ministry and used the National Catholic Partnership on Disability resources to educate him. And as a result of that, they reversed the decision and I was able to go back to lecture.” 

“I just kept speaking up and realized this is what I’m meant to do,” she said. “It solidified even more the calling for me to go into this type of disability ministry, to be able to advocate for accessible spaces in parishes, adaptive catechesis, anything I can do to make Catholics with disabilities feel included.”

“I feel like my faith is the key to me overcoming a lot of things, lecturing being one of them,” Do said.

Davis shared similar remarks about finding her place in the Church. She joined a young adults group at St. Brigid’s Parish in Georgia, where a group for individuals with disabilities made her “feel valuable.”

“When you first arrive, you’re greeted with warm smiles,” Davis said about the group meetings. “Your buddy sits next to you and helps you when you need it. The buddy paired with you accommodates your needs and makes you feel welcome. I mean, this sense of belonging and support has been tremendous and uplifting in my life.”

It “has strengthened my faith tremendously,” Davis said. “What makes it special is this buddy system. You’re not alone. I mean, having dedicated volunteers who give their time and energy to make that group experience meaningful is crucial. These well-trained volunteers ensure that every member is supported in their own way, so no one is left behind.”

“Everyone is included,” Davis said. “Since joining the group, I have gained a sense of belonging, support, and growth in my self-worth.”

Getting involved 

Do said there are things that she wishes people better understood about her as an adult with a disability. “When people see me, they immediately assume that I need help … I don’t need help unless I specifically ask for help,” she said. 

Another “misconception … I wish people would know is if you are advocating for a disabled person or talking to a disabled person, you can just talk directly to me and not my parents, because when my parents are there, it’s like they’re speaking for me.”

Do said she is going to continue advocating for Catholics with disabilities, but the community also needs allies along with advocates. 

“We are not just called to a greater purpose, but we are also called to always ask ourselves: ’How can I make it more welcoming, inclusive?’ It’s not just about going to Mass and participating. It’s about the model of inclusion and how people model the Gospel.”

Davis shared some advice to help other adults in the Church who may be struggling to find their place. 

“Don’t limit yourself to your parish,” Davis said. “If your parish does not have the resources … There are many churches that may have more resources. They may have programs, groups, you name it.”

“I limited myself to where I was until I was redirected to go to St. Brigid and give it a try. I learned a whole new side. There are accommodations, there is a group, there are people that care about you, and you’re not alone. So don’t limit yourself to just one parish.”

“Those groups are lifesaving … So don’t stop looking for a group in the Catholic Church because it’s going to help you in the long run,” Davis said.  “We’re part of a mystical body of Christ and that means we need to be connected with others who are part of the Catholic Church.”

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Custos of the Holy Land

Detroit, Michigan, Dec 3, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The Archdiocese of Detroit will welcome Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, for a pastoral visit Dec. 4–7. In an interview with CNA, Father Adam Nowak, vice chancellor of the archdiocese, said the patriarch was invited after consultations with local Arab Christians. 

“The goals for this event are spiritual and to express our closeness to our suffering Christian brothers and sisters of the Holy Land,” Nowak said. On Dec. 5, Pizzaballa will speak at a dinner hosted by Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger that aims to raise funds for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and its charitable works. The patriarchate has jurisdiction over Latin and Melkite Catholics in Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, and Palestine. 

Nowak said Weisenburger hopes that as a result of the pastoral visit, people will “understand on a more personal level, by hearing stories and listening to the patriarch and his experiences, what it is like there now, the difficulties they face, but also the enduring hope they have.” 

Southeast Michigan is home to vibrant Middle Eastern Catholic communities, including Chaldeans, Maronites, and Melkites. Pizzaballa will meet with the faithful and participate in events focused on prayer, solidarity, and relief efforts.  

Announcing the fundraiser, the archbishop praised Holy Land Christians, who “heroically maintain and protect the holy sites sacred to us all. They are counting on our solidarity to keep their ancient faith alive in its homeland.”

Strong local support for the Holy Land

In October, Catholics in the archdiocese responded generously to Weisenburger’s request for aid to Gaza, contributing over $462,000 to alleviate severe food shortages. 

Pizzaballa’s visit will commence on Dec. 4 with another fundraising event hosted by the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle. Father Marcus Shammami told CNA that Bishop Francis Y. Kalabat wants to “highlight the Christian presence in the Middle East because a lot of the world forgets that Christians are still in there.”

In the Archdiocese of Detroit, there are eight Chaldean parishes. Shammami said the visit is also significant for Catholics in these parishes, many of whom suffered years of war and conflict in Iraq. Some 80% of Iraqi Christians are Chaldean Catholics.

“The world mostly remained silent during our years of struggle in Iraq and glossed over it. We want to make certain it doesn’t happen again,” Shammami said. Iraq’s officially Muslim government offers a guarantee of religious freedom and practice but places restrictions on Christians. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has placed Iraq on its list of Special Watch countries.

Also on his itinerary, Cardinal Pizzaballa will celebrate Mass on Sunday, Dec. 7, at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak, Michigan.

A 17th-century Japanese depiction of St. Francis Xavier from the Kobe City Museum collection. / Credit: Public domain

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 3, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

How far would you go to serve God? Would you be willing to travel to the ends of the earth, with nothing but the guarantee of hardship, deprivation, and persecution? 

Dec. 3 is the feast of St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint of missionaries and missions who led an unlikely life of adventure and heroism, full of unexpected twists and turns, taking the faith to the ends of the earth. 

Born in 1506 to a noble Navarrese-Basque family, Francis grew up in a land wracked with war. Wedged between the growing imperial powers of Castile-Aragon (Spain) and France, Navarre seldom knew peace during Francis’ childhood. 

As a member of the nobility, Francis was expected to lead a warrior’s life along with his father and brothers. But at the age of 10, his life took its first dramatic and tragic turn. His father died, his homeland kingdom of Navarre was defeated by Spain, his brothers were imprisoned, and his childhood home, the Castle of the House of Javier (Xavier), was almost entirely destroyed. 

With Francis’ family disgraced and nearly wiped out, his prospects for a bright future looked dim. But God still had incredible plans for young Francis. 

Hoping to rebuild the family’s legacy, Francis was sent in 1525 to the center of European theology and studies — the University of Paris.

There, Francis quickly made a name for himself. Handsome, he also had a keen intellect and was an agile athlete with a particular gift for pole vaulting. The last thing on young Francis’ mind was a life of humble service to God and the Church. However, his life took a second dramatic turn after he met a fellow Basque noble, Ignatius of Loyola.

Headstrong and stubborn, Francis was initially repelled by Ignatius’ ideas of radical devotion to God. But Ignatius would remind him of Jesus’ words in the Bible: “For what doth it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and suffers the loss of his own soul?” (Mt 16:26).

Inspired by Ignatius’ piety and fervor, Francis finally decided to dedicate his life to the service of God. In 1534, along with Ignatius and five others, Francis took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in a chapel at Montmartre in France.

Receiving holy orders alongside Ignatius in 1537, Francis had intended to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. But war in the region made such a journey impossible. Once again, God was about to unexpectedly and radically alter the course of Francis’ life.

Pope Leo III asked the newly-founded Jesuits to send missionaries to the Portuguese colonies in India. Though Francis was originally not supposed to go, one of the Jesuits assigned to the mission fell ill, and Francis volunteered in his place. Through that courageous act of trust, God would use Francis to transform the entire Asian continent.

Francis set out for India in 1541 on his 35th birthday. Traveling by sea at this time was extremely dangerous and uncomfortable, and those who dared to do so risked disease with no guarantee of ever successfully arriving at their destination. Francis had to sail all the way around Africa, past the Cape of Good Hope, almost to the very bottom of the globe, just to cross the Indian Ocean and arrive in Goa, a province in India.

Upon his arrival in India in 1542, Francis immediately faced countless challenges in bringing the word of God to the people of this new and foreign region. For seven years Francis preached in the streets and public squares, laboring tirelessly across India and the Asian Pacific islands, contending with persecution from warlords and at times even from the Portuguese authorities meant to help him. 

After converting tens of thousands and planting the seeds of a renewed and lasting Christian Church in India, Francis began to hear stories about an enchanting island nation known as “Japan.” His heart was set ablaze with the desire to bring the Gospel to Japan.

After he had ensured the faithful in India would be properly cared for, Francis set sail for the mysterious new land, becoming the first to bring the Christian faith to Japan, on the complete opposite side of the world from his home in Navarre.

In Japan, Francis and his companions traveled far and wide, often on foot and with almost no resources. Crisscrossing the nation, he built up a vibrant Christian community more than 6,000 miles from Rome. 

Francis would then hear of the even more mysterious and closely guarded nation of China and there, too, he decided to bring the word of God. But before he could find a way into China’s heartland, he became ill and died in 1552 while on the Chinese Shangchuan Island. 

Now considered one of the greatest of all the Church’s missionaries, St. Francis Xavier proved that one life lived in complete trust in God can transform an entire continent and the whole world. 

This story was first published on Dec. 3, 2022, and has been updated.