Earlier this year, I accepted the position of Coordinator of Campus Ministry at a small liberal arts college in my area. It has roughly 2000 students. Interestingly, fallen away Catholics are the largest group on campus with a self-identified religious affiliation: roughly 200-300 students. It’s not a Catholic college. It’s a progressive Lutheran one, which […]

On May 15, 1952, American readers were given their first extended opportunity to travel to Taulkinham, the setting of Flannery O’Connor’s novel, Wise Blood. The city was a place of strangers forced together, lost souls wandering in a concrete landscape of sin devoid of salvation. Her no-hope metropolis was a Southern Grotesque Hieronymus Bosch, sketched […]

From the beginning of Christian history, Christian monarchs have been important  characters in the establishment of Christendom. Figures like St. Stephen of Hungary, King Clovis of France, and St. Ethelbert of England figure prominently in the histories of the early Middle Ages and are renowned among their respective peoples. And who has not heard of […]

St. Isidore the Farmer was born around 1070 in Madrid, Spain. A humble laborer, he worked the fields for a wealthy landowner while living a life of deep prayer and devotion. Despite his long hours of physical labor, Isidore always made time for daily Mass and prayer, often rising early to pray before beginning his […]

ACI Prensa Staff, May 14, 2025 / 17:59 pm (CNA).

Approximately 470,000 pilgrims gathered in Fátima, Portugal, on May 12–13 to commemorate the 108th anniversary of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

ACI Prensa Staff, May 14, 2025 / 17:59 pm (CNA).

Approximately 470,000 pilgrims gathered in Fátima, Portugal, on May 12–13 to commemorate the 108th anniversary of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The prevalent theme of the two-day event was a call for hope amid the world’s conflicts and also prayers for the pontificate of Leo XIV. 

At the end of the closing Mass, before the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bishop José Ornelas of Leiria-Fátima consecrated the pontificate of Leo XIV to the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

“We are at your feet, the bishops … and this multitude of pilgrims, on the 108th anniversary of your apparition to the little shepherds in this Cova da Iria to consecrate to you the ministry of the current successor of Peter and bishop of Rome, the Holy Father Leo XIV,” Ornelas prayed.

He also asked the Mother of God to grant the new pope tenderness, discernment, courage, and the ability, inspired by the message of Fátima, to “continue to send forth the urgent cry for peace to the world,” as he did in his first words in Rome after his election: “Peace be with you all!”

Nearly half a million pilgrims 

Despite occasional rain, the faithful participated in the traditional candlelight procession on the evening of May 12, forming an impressive sea of ​​light on the shrine’s esplanade.

Brazilian Cardinal Jaime Spengler, who presided over the International Anniversary Pilgrimage to Fátima, highlighted Mary’s role as “an intercessor on behalf of all who seek to make her sentiments their own.”

“Mary is a mother! A mother who gives birth, cares for, accompanies, guides, corrects, and encourages! That is why we contemplate her and let her watch over us. Let us allow ourselves to be guided by her; let us listen to what she continues to tell us: Do whatever my son tells you! Dear mother, accompany us; watch over us,” the cardinal said during the procession.

On May 13, the anniversary of the first apparition of the Mother of God to the shepherd children in 1917, Spengler — who celebrated the closing Mass of the events — noted that the world is going through “uncertain, tense, and complex times” in which “some perhaps only think of themselves.”

Twenty-seven bishops participated in the Mass, including two cardinals: António Marto, bishop emeritus of Leiria-Fátima, and Fortunato Frezza, canon of St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as 282 priests and 14 deacons.

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

CNA Staff, May 14, 2025 / 17:29 pm (CNA).

In a recently released report, Charlotte Lozier Institute found that life-affirming women’s health centers outnumber Planned Parenthood locations 15 to 1.

As pro-lifers look to federally defund Planned Parenthood, the policy and research institute developed a comprehensive report of life-affirming community health centers across the country. 

The institute, which is the research arm of Susan B. Anthony Pro-life America, launched “Real Choices,” which documents the number of federal qualified health centers in each state.

Designed to highlight the work of life-affirming clinics, the webpage reflects the reality that these clinics outnumber Planned Parenthood locations.

The report found more than 8,800 community health centers that offer women’s health services in comparison with the 579 Planned Parenthood locations in the U.S. 

Of the community health centers, 5,500 are federally qualified and receive funds from the Health Resources and Services Administration for primary care for underserved populations. 

Planned Parenthood, meanwhile, received nearly $700 million in taxpayer funding in 2022 with a record-high number of abortions approaching 400,000, the report noted. 

Even in some of the most pro-choice states in the nation, life-affirming health centers outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities. For instance, in the state of Colorado, there were 135 community women’s health centers and 14 Planned Parenthood locations. In New York, there were 327 health centers and 52 Planned Parenthood locations. 

The main author of the research, Senior Research Associate Tessa Cox, said that “women deserve comprehensive care from providers who offer real health care, not abortion.”

Nearly 70% of women who have had abortions “described them as unwanted or inconsistent with their preferences and values,” Cox said in a statement shared with CNA.

The report found that nearly 97% of Planned Parenthood’s pregnancy resolution services were abortions, and for every one adoption referral, Planned Parenthood provided 187 abortions. 

“Their business is abortion,” Karen Czarnecki, executive director of the Charlotte Lozier Institute, said of Planned Parenthood. 

“Planned Parenthood isn’t meeting the needs of these women, especially considering recent reports of botched services,” Czarnecki said in a statement shared with CNA.

Czarnecki cited a recent story from The New York Times that details “failed abortions, misplaced IUDs, and inadequately trained staff” allegedly at Planned Parenthood locations around the country. 

“This report makes one thing abundantly clear: Women aren’t receiving comprehensive medical care at Planned Parenthood, despite what the abortion lobby claims, because their business is abortion,” Czarnecki said.

The report found that there are more than 3,000 women’s health clinics in rural areas, meaning there are more than five times as many rural clinics as Planned Parenthood clinics in total. Rural health clinics receive funding from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to ensure care is available in rural areas with health care shortages, according to the report.  

For instance, in Vermont, which has the highest rural population in the country, there are eight Planned Parenthood clinics, but there are 35 community women’s health centers. 

According to the report, 60% of rural Americans are served by rural health care locations, and federally qualified health centers serve 1 in 10 Americans. 

“Women, especially ones in underserved areas, deserve access to quality health care,” Czarnecki said. 

“We know that many women are looking for better options,” Cox added. “Community health centers give those options, providing care in underserved communities and filling critical health care gaps.”

CNA Staff, May 14, 2025 / 17:29 pm (CNA).

In a recently released report, Charlotte Lozier Institute found that life-affirming women’s health centers outnumber Planned Parenthood locations 15 to 1.

As pro-lifers look to federally defund Planned Parenthood, the policy and research institute developed a comprehensive report of life-affirming community health centers across the country. 

The institute, which is the research arm of Susan B. Anthony Pro-life America, launched “Real Choices,” which documents the number of federal qualified health centers in each state.

Designed to highlight the work of life-affirming clinics, the webpage reflects the reality that these clinics outnumber Planned Parenthood locations.

The report found more than 8,800 community health centers that offer women’s health services in comparison with the 579 Planned Parenthood locations in the U.S. 

Of the community health centers, 5,500 are federally qualified and receive funds from the Health Resources and Services Administration for primary care for underserved populations. 

Planned Parenthood, meanwhile, received nearly $700 million in taxpayer funding in 2022 with a record-high number of abortions approaching 400,000, the report noted. 

Even in some of the most pro-choice states in the nation, life-affirming health centers outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities. For instance, in the state of Colorado, there were 135 community women’s health centers and 14 Planned Parenthood locations. In New York, there were 327 health centers and 52 Planned Parenthood locations. 

The main author of the research, Senior Research Associate Tessa Cox, said that “women deserve comprehensive care from providers who offer real health care, not abortion.”

Nearly 70% of women who have had abortions “described them as unwanted or inconsistent with their preferences and values,” Cox said in a statement shared with CNA.

The report found that nearly 97% of Planned Parenthood’s pregnancy resolution services were abortions, and for every one adoption referral, Planned Parenthood provided 187 abortions. 

“Their business is abortion,” Karen Czarnecki, executive director of the Charlotte Lozier Institute, said of Planned Parenthood. 

“Planned Parenthood isn’t meeting the needs of these women, especially considering recent reports of botched services,” Czarnecki said in a statement shared with CNA.

Czarnecki cited a recent story from The New York Times that details “failed abortions, misplaced IUDs, and inadequately trained staff” allegedly at Planned Parenthood locations around the country. 

“This report makes one thing abundantly clear: Women aren’t receiving comprehensive medical care at Planned Parenthood, despite what the abortion lobby claims, because their business is abortion,” Czarnecki said.

The report found that there are more than 3,000 women’s health clinics in rural areas, meaning there are more than five times as many rural clinics as Planned Parenthood clinics in total. Rural health clinics receive funding from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to ensure care is available in rural areas with health care shortages, according to the report.  

For instance, in Vermont, which has the highest rural population in the country, there are eight Planned Parenthood clinics, but there are 35 community women’s health centers. 

According to the report, 60% of rural Americans are served by rural health care locations, and federally qualified health centers serve 1 in 10 Americans. 

“Women, especially ones in underserved areas, deserve access to quality health care,” Czarnecki said. 

“We know that many women are looking for better options,” Cox added. “Community health centers give those options, providing care in underserved communities and filling critical health care gaps.”

CNA Staff, May 14, 2025 / 15:56 pm (CNA).

Young men and women preparing to take part in the 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage spoke at a Tuesday press conference about their preparation and excitement for the 3,300-mile pilgrimage, set to kick off in Indianapolis this Sunday.

The 36-day pilgrimage, which will likely attract thousands of participants to walk with and adore Christ in the Eucharist, is a response to the cultural and spiritual needs of today, said Leslie Reyes-Hernandez, a pilgrim and a high school algebra teacher from Phoenix. 

“If anything, I think this [pilgrimage] is an invitation for something that the world is hungry for, and the Eucharist is our anchor, and the pilgrimage is a public expression of hope,” she said. 

Reyes-Hernandez is one of eight young pilgrims who will seek to publicly witness to the truth that Christ is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament by accompanying the Eucharist the entire route from Indianapolis to Los Angeles, crossing through 10 states and taking part in numerous special events. 

The pilgrims will be accompanied by a rotating group of priest chaplains, and any person wishing to join for small portions of the route will be able to sign up to do so for free.

Preparation for the once-in-a-lifetime walking pilgrimage experience has involved both spiritual and practical aspects, and the pilgrims said they hope the experience will have a lasting impact on their own lives and enable them to continue sharing their faith with others. The team has convened for weekly formation meetings to prepare spiritually and build team cohesion.

Rachel Levy, who works for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis serving Catholic young adults, described preparing “spiritually, just trying to keep a consistent prayer life,” attending daily Mass, and spending time in adoration. Practically, she’s been “trying to get out and walk a little bit more than normal,” getting prepped for the upcoming extended periods of time outside and getting some “good walking shoes.”

Asked what the Eucharist has done for her in her life, Levy recounted a moment in adoration in front of the tabernacle where, feeling “unworthy” and “unequipped” for ministry due to past brokenness, she experienced a profound sense that the Lord “loved me just as much in the worst of the worst of my sin as he did in that moment that I was sitting in front of the tabernacle, and that he loves us each each moment of every day the same no matter what we’re doing. His love is constant.” 

Johnathan “Johnny” Silvino Hernandez-Jose, who resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and helps run his family’s construction company, said he anticipates challenges during the pilgrimage experience: “walking every day, talking every day, lack of sleep.” He described a previous walking pilgrimage experience at World Youth Day 2023 in Portugal that touched him deeply. 

“Emotionally, maybe we’ll get a little drained,” he noted, anticipating the intensity of constant interaction during the pilgrimage and the need to manage social energy. He also mentioned overcoming personal shyness and not taking any perceived shortfalls too hard on himself. Ultimately, though, he said he sees the pilgrimage as a “walk with Christ, the trust that we put with him and the love that we have for him.”

“The root of this is spiritual,” Hernandez-Jose continued. “I think when anything comes our way, these challenges, I think all we could do is really trust God and just pray with each other. And honestly, for me, what I like to do is just offer it up, you know?”

Stephen Fuhrmann, a prospective Texas A&M University graduate, said he is excited to start the pilgrimage and, with his fellow pilgrims, “just be thrown into a van and just have to live life together with Jesus, and what a beautiful thing that will be.”

Fuhrmann said he was inspired by the witness of 2024 pilgrim Charlie McCullough, who is returning as team leader for 2025. He looks forward to getting to know “each other’s stories and each other’s lives and how each of us have encountered Jesus in a very special way.”

“Then, also, to take that to the people we encounter and the people who we want to show who Jesus Christ is in the Eucharist, it’s just extremely exciting,” Fuhrmann said.

Arthur “Ace” Acuña, who works in campus ministry at Princeton University, was drawn to the pilgrimage by the pivotal role the Eucharist played in his own reversion to the faith and his desire to “see Jesus do what he does best, which is draw all things to himself.” 

He said he looks forward to “seeing people fall in love with him ... fall in love with the Eucharist and the love that he’s offering them, because he’s passing by. And just like in the Gospels, he encountered so many people.”

Acuña also emphasized the importance, especially during the Church’s ongoing Jubilee Year of Hope, of carrying Jesus not only into cities and rural areas but also into prisons and other places that experience suffering or isolation, seeing it as a “testament to the fact that Jesus wants to encounter everyone” and bringing healing and “light into the dark places.”

Frances Webber, originally from Virginia but currently living in Minnesota, is a senior in college studying theology and business. She said she hopes, through the pilgrimage experience, to reach those questioning their faith and remind them that “Jesus doesn’t want to disappoint you; he’s not going to disappoint you.”

How to take part

The 2025 pilgrimage begins Sunday, May 18, with an opening Mass at St. John’s Parish in Indianapolis. This year’s pilgrimage is a continuation of last year’s unprecedented four simultaneous Eucharistic pilgrimages, which started at the edges of the country and eventually converged in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress in July 2024.

The 2025 Drexel Route, named for St. Katharine Drexel (1858–1955), will take the procession through 10 states — including the country’s two most populous, California and Texas — as well as through 20 Catholic dioceses and four Eastern Catholic eparchies.

Masses at stops along the way, which include numerous shrines and cathedrals, will be offered in various languages and liturgical styles, including the Traditional Latin Mass, Gospel choir, praise and worship, Vietnamese, and Spanish, representing five different rites of the Church.

In keeping with the ongoing Jubilee Year of Hope in the worldwide 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.

Service projects and encounters with the poor and those in need are planned, including opportunities to serve the homeless, visit hospice facilities, and participate in a service project with Catholic Charities.

Special Masses and prayers will be offered for the Wichita, Kansas, plane crash victims; at the Oklahoma City bombing memorial; at the southern border; and in areas impacted by wildfires in Los Angeles. Numerous holy men and women have ties to planned stops, such as the tomb of Venerable Fulton Sheen in Illinois and the Shrine of Blessed Stanley Rother in Oklahoma City.

The schedule of public events for each diocese along the Drexel Route is now officially available on the National Eucharistic Congress website. Prayer intentions for the Perpetual Pilgrims to carry with them on their journey can be submitted here.

CNA Staff, May 14, 2025 / 15:56 pm (CNA).

Young men and women preparing to take part in the 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage spoke at a Tuesday press conference about their preparation and excitement for the 3,300-mile pilgrimage, set to kick off in Indianapolis this Sunday.

The 36-day pilgrimage, which will likely attract thousands of participants to walk with and adore Christ in the Eucharist, is a response to the cultural and spiritual needs of today, said Leslie Reyes-Hernandez, a pilgrim and a high school algebra teacher from Phoenix. 

“If anything, I think this [pilgrimage] is an invitation for something that the world is hungry for, and the Eucharist is our anchor, and the pilgrimage is a public expression of hope,” she said. 

Reyes-Hernandez is one of eight young pilgrims who will seek to publicly witness to the truth that Christ is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament by accompanying the Eucharist the entire route from Indianapolis to Los Angeles, crossing through 10 states and taking part in numerous special events. 

The pilgrims will be accompanied by a rotating group of priest chaplains, and any person wishing to join for small portions of the route will be able to sign up to do so for free.

Preparation for the once-in-a-lifetime walking pilgrimage experience has involved both spiritual and practical aspects, and the pilgrims said they hope the experience will have a lasting impact on their own lives and enable them to continue sharing their faith with others. The team has convened for weekly formation meetings to prepare spiritually and build team cohesion.

Rachel Levy, who works for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis serving Catholic young adults, described preparing “spiritually, just trying to keep a consistent prayer life,” attending daily Mass, and spending time in adoration. Practically, she’s been “trying to get out and walk a little bit more than normal,” getting prepped for the upcoming extended periods of time outside and getting some “good walking shoes.”

Asked what the Eucharist has done for her in her life, Levy recounted a moment in adoration in front of the tabernacle where, feeling “unworthy” and “unequipped” for ministry due to past brokenness, she experienced a profound sense that the Lord “loved me just as much in the worst of the worst of my sin as he did in that moment that I was sitting in front of the tabernacle, and that he loves us each each moment of every day the same no matter what we’re doing. His love is constant.” 

Johnathan “Johnny” Silvino Hernandez-Jose, who resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and helps run his family’s construction company, said he anticipates challenges during the pilgrimage experience: “walking every day, talking every day, lack of sleep.” He described a previous walking pilgrimage experience at World Youth Day 2023 in Portugal that touched him deeply. 

“Emotionally, maybe we’ll get a little drained,” he noted, anticipating the intensity of constant interaction during the pilgrimage and the need to manage social energy. He also mentioned overcoming personal shyness and not taking any perceived shortfalls too hard on himself. Ultimately, though, he said he sees the pilgrimage as a “walk with Christ, the trust that we put with him and the love that we have for him.”

“The root of this is spiritual,” Hernandez-Jose continued. “I think when anything comes our way, these challenges, I think all we could do is really trust God and just pray with each other. And honestly, for me, what I like to do is just offer it up, you know?”

Stephen Fuhrmann, a prospective Texas A&M University graduate, said he is excited to start the pilgrimage and, with his fellow pilgrims, “just be thrown into a van and just have to live life together with Jesus, and what a beautiful thing that will be.”

Fuhrmann said he was inspired by the witness of 2024 pilgrim Charlie McCullough, who is returning as team leader for 2025. He looks forward to getting to know “each other’s stories and each other’s lives and how each of us have encountered Jesus in a very special way.”

“Then, also, to take that to the people we encounter and the people who we want to show who Jesus Christ is in the Eucharist, it’s just extremely exciting,” Fuhrmann said.

Arthur “Ace” Acuña, who works in campus ministry at Princeton University, was drawn to the pilgrimage by the pivotal role the Eucharist played in his own reversion to the faith and his desire to “see Jesus do what he does best, which is draw all things to himself.” 

He said he looks forward to “seeing people fall in love with him ... fall in love with the Eucharist and the love that he’s offering them, because he’s passing by. And just like in the Gospels, he encountered so many people.”

Acuña also emphasized the importance, especially during the Church’s ongoing Jubilee Year of Hope, of carrying Jesus not only into cities and rural areas but also into prisons and other places that experience suffering or isolation, seeing it as a “testament to the fact that Jesus wants to encounter everyone” and bringing healing and “light into the dark places.”

Frances Webber, originally from Virginia but currently living in Minnesota, is a senior in college studying theology and business. She said she hopes, through the pilgrimage experience, to reach those questioning their faith and remind them that “Jesus doesn’t want to disappoint you; he’s not going to disappoint you.”

How to take part

The 2025 pilgrimage begins Sunday, May 18, with an opening Mass at St. John’s Parish in Indianapolis. This year’s pilgrimage is a continuation of last year’s unprecedented four simultaneous Eucharistic pilgrimages, which started at the edges of the country and eventually converged in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress in July 2024.

The 2025 Drexel Route, named for St. Katharine Drexel (1858–1955), will take the procession through 10 states — including the country’s two most populous, California and Texas — as well as through 20 Catholic dioceses and four Eastern Catholic eparchies.

Masses at stops along the way, which include numerous shrines and cathedrals, will be offered in various languages and liturgical styles, including the Traditional Latin Mass, Gospel choir, praise and worship, Vietnamese, and Spanish, representing five different rites of the Church.

In keeping with the ongoing Jubilee Year of Hope in the worldwide 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.

Service projects and encounters with the poor and those in need are planned, including opportunities to serve the homeless, visit hospice facilities, and participate in a service project with Catholic Charities.

Special Masses and prayers will be offered for the Wichita, Kansas, plane crash victims; at the Oklahoma City bombing memorial; at the southern border; and in areas impacted by wildfires in Los Angeles. Numerous holy men and women have ties to planned stops, such as the tomb of Venerable Fulton Sheen in Illinois and the Shrine of Blessed Stanley Rother in Oklahoma City.

The schedule of public events for each diocese along the Drexel Route is now officially available on the National Eucharistic Congress website. Prayer intentions for the Perpetual Pilgrims to carry with them on their journey can be submitted here.