Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church

Refugees from Mexico. / Credit: David Peinado Romero/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 29, 2025 / 15:49 pm (CNA).

Utah’s Catholic Community Services will continue to operate its refugee support programs despite federal funding cuts after receiving well over $1 million in donations.

In early April, the group, which is based in Salt Lake City, announced that its refugee resettlement program was “winding down” and would eventually close amid major federal funding cuts. The program normally provides “hundreds of refugees the assistance they need to recover from lives dismantled by persecution, war, or violence.”

The organization reported that it lost more than $2.5 million of annual aid and “could not sustain the program” without it.

In a statement on Monday, however, the group said that, following the announcement, “something remarkable happened. Our community rallied.”

The organization said it will no longer be forced to close the refugee program or end its support for Utah-based immigrant families.

“Thanks to a generous lead gift and an outpouring of support from individuals, foundations, and partners, CCS will continue offering resettlement services through a new, privately funded model,” the group said.

Catholic Community Services said it has raised $1.5 million to use over the next four years and said it will continue its work “on a smaller scale.” The majority of the funds came from one donor who wishes to remain anonymous.

The Catholic organization is now asking for another $1 million from “the broader community.” It stated that without this additional money, the organization “will be forced to scale back services and make further cuts to the program.”

The funds will help “refugee clients” by focusing on “six key pillars”: extended case management, housing assistance, employment readiness, youth education support, mental health services, and volunteer coordination and community engagement.

“These services aim to address the most urgent needs of refugee families and foster long-term self-sufficiency,” the organization said.

“While the program will operate at a reduced capacity, its core services — and the impact on the lives of those we serve — remain as vital as ever. This transformation ensures we can uphold our mission while adapting to a changing national landscape.”

Refugees from Mexico. / Credit: David Peinado Romero/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 29, 2025 / 15:49 pm (CNA).

Utah’s Catholic Community Services will continue to operate its refugee support programs despite federal funding cuts after receiving well over $1 million in donations.

In early April, the group, which is based in Salt Lake City, announced that its refugee resettlement program was “winding down” and would eventually close amid major federal funding cuts. The program normally provides “hundreds of refugees the assistance they need to recover from lives dismantled by persecution, war, or violence.”

The organization reported that it lost more than $2.5 million of annual aid and “could not sustain the program” without it.

In a statement on Monday, however, the group said that, following the announcement, “something remarkable happened. Our community rallied.”

The organization said it will no longer be forced to close the refugee program or end its support for Utah-based immigrant families.

“Thanks to a generous lead gift and an outpouring of support from individuals, foundations, and partners, CCS will continue offering resettlement services through a new, privately funded model,” the group said.

Catholic Community Services said it has raised $1.5 million to use over the next four years and said it will continue its work “on a smaller scale.” The majority of the funds came from one donor who wishes to remain anonymous.

The Catholic organization is now asking for another $1 million from “the broader community.” It stated that without this additional money, the organization “will be forced to scale back services and make further cuts to the program.”

The funds will help “refugee clients” by focusing on “six key pillars”: extended case management, housing assistance, employment readiness, youth education support, mental health services, and volunteer coordination and community engagement.

“These services aim to address the most urgent needs of refugee families and foster long-term self-sufficiency,” the organization said.

“While the program will operate at a reduced capacity, its core services — and the impact on the lives of those we serve — remain as vital as ever. This transformation ensures we can uphold our mission while adapting to a changing national landscape.”

Pope Francis blesses a newly married couple during his general audience on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, Apr 29, 2025 / 15:19 pm (CNA).

In an exhortation to young people published after his death, Pope Francis urged couples to prepare properly for marriage and commit themselves to “love that lasts a lifetime.” 

The missive, a foreword to the book “Love Forever” by the YOUCAT Foundation, urges young people considering marriage to “believe in love, believe in God, and believe that you are capable of taking on the adventure” of lifelong matrimony. 

The Holy Father in the text described the traditional wedding vows of “until death do us part” as “an extraordinary promise.” 

“Of course, I am not blind, and neither are you. How many marriages today fail after three, five, seven years?” the pope wrote in the foreword, published by the New York Times on Monday.

Asking rhetorically if it would be better “to avoid the pain, to touch each other only as though in a passing dance, to enjoy each other, play together, and then leave,” the pope countered that love “until further notice” is not love. 

“We humans have the desire to be accepted without reservations, and those who do not have this experience often — unknowingly — carry a wound for the rest of their lives,” Francis argued. “Instead, those who enter into a union lose nothing but gain everything: life at its fullest.“

The Holy Father noted that he had urged the Church to “help you build a foundation for your relationship based on God’s faithful love.” He wrote that he “dreamed” of a catechumenate-style marriage formation program for the Church, one that might last years and would “save you from disappointment, from invalid or unstable marriages.”

Pointing to YOUCAT’s marriage formation material as a guide, the pope said couples should “absolutely participate in marriage preparation courses.”

“Before receiving the sacrament of marriage, a proper preparation is necessary,” the pope wrote.

“We cannot continue on as before: Many only see the beautiful ritual,” he said. “And then, after some years, they separate. Faith is destroyed. Wounds are opened. There are often children who are missing a father or a mother.”

Comparing marriage to the dance of tango in his native Argentina, Pope Francis said treating a marriage this way is “like dancing tango poorly.” 

“Tango is a dance that must be learned. This is all the more true when it comes to marriage and family,” the late pontiff said.

Quoting his earlier apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, the pope finished the foreword: “In young love, the dancing — step by step, a dance toward hope with eyes full of wonder — must not stop.”

Pope Francis blesses a newly married couple during his general audience on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, Apr 29, 2025 / 15:19 pm (CNA).

In an exhortation to young people published after his death, Pope Francis urged couples to prepare properly for marriage and commit themselves to “love that lasts a lifetime.” 

The missive, a foreword to the book “Love Forever” by the YOUCAT Foundation, urges young people considering marriage to “believe in love, believe in God, and believe that you are capable of taking on the adventure” of lifelong matrimony. 

The Holy Father in the text described the traditional wedding vows of “until death do us part” as “an extraordinary promise.” 

“Of course, I am not blind, and neither are you. How many marriages today fail after three, five, seven years?” the pope wrote in the foreword, published by the New York Times on Monday.

Asking rhetorically if it would be better “to avoid the pain, to touch each other only as though in a passing dance, to enjoy each other, play together, and then leave,” the pope countered that love “until further notice” is not love. 

“We humans have the desire to be accepted without reservations, and those who do not have this experience often — unknowingly — carry a wound for the rest of their lives,” Francis argued. “Instead, those who enter into a union lose nothing but gain everything: life at its fullest.“

The Holy Father noted that he had urged the Church to “help you build a foundation for your relationship based on God’s faithful love.” He wrote that he “dreamed” of a catechumenate-style marriage formation program for the Church, one that might last years and would “save you from disappointment, from invalid or unstable marriages.”

Pointing to YOUCAT’s marriage formation material as a guide, the pope said couples should “absolutely participate in marriage preparation courses.”

“Before receiving the sacrament of marriage, a proper preparation is necessary,” the pope wrote.

“We cannot continue on as before: Many only see the beautiful ritual,” he said. “And then, after some years, they separate. Faith is destroyed. Wounds are opened. There are often children who are missing a father or a mother.”

Comparing marriage to the dance of tango in his native Argentina, Pope Francis said treating a marriage this way is “like dancing tango poorly.” 

“Tango is a dance that must be learned. This is all the more true when it comes to marriage and family,” the late pontiff said.

Quoting his earlier apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, the pope finished the foreword: “In young love, the dancing — step by step, a dance toward hope with eyes full of wonder — must not stop.”

Cardinals participate in Day 4 of the Novendiales Masses for Pope Francis on April 29, 2025, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Staff, Apr 29, 2025 / 14:49 pm (CNA).

The Pontifical Mission Societies USA is launching a prayer campaign to pray for the cardinals involved in the upcoming conclave as they prepare to elect the next pope. 

Monsignor Roger Landry, the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies USA, encouraged Catholics to pray for the cardinals in a video message from St. Peter’s Square on Monday.

The cardinals on Monday determined that the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor will begin on Wednesday, May 7. 

“That’s nine days from now,” Landry said on Monday. “A perfect time of prayer for the cardinals as they take on their important responsibility before God of responding to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in order to be able to discern who should be the successor of St. Peter and the successor of Pope Francis.”

Each person who signs up for the pontifical campaign will be assigned to pray for one of the 135 cardinal electors participating in the upcoming conclave. The prayer initiative will share the cardinal’s name, birthplace, and birthday. 

“Please take that cardinal to every one of your prayers because, as each of these cardinals has been saying to us, they are depending on the prayers of the entire Church,” Landry said. 

Only cardinals under the age of 80 are voting members in the conclave — but Landry noted that “the selection of a pope is not just the act of cardinals under 80.”  

“It’s the act of the entire mystical body of Christ — you and me too,” Landry said.  

“So please help us help them through joining this prayer campaign,” Landry concluded.  

The prayer itself is simple: “Heavenly Father, guide the cardinals in wisdom and love as they may lead your Church. May your will be their compass. Amen.”

To adopt a cardinal in prayer, visit here.

Cardinals participate in Day 4 of the Novendiales Masses for Pope Francis on April 29, 2025, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Staff, Apr 29, 2025 / 14:49 pm (CNA).

The Pontifical Mission Societies USA is launching a prayer campaign to pray for the cardinals involved in the upcoming conclave as they prepare to elect the next pope. 

Monsignor Roger Landry, the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies USA, encouraged Catholics to pray for the cardinals in a video message from St. Peter’s Square on Monday.

The cardinals on Monday determined that the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor will begin on Wednesday, May 7. 

“That’s nine days from now,” Landry said on Monday. “A perfect time of prayer for the cardinals as they take on their important responsibility before God of responding to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in order to be able to discern who should be the successor of St. Peter and the successor of Pope Francis.”

Each person who signs up for the pontifical campaign will be assigned to pray for one of the 135 cardinal electors participating in the upcoming conclave. The prayer initiative will share the cardinal’s name, birthplace, and birthday. 

“Please take that cardinal to every one of your prayers because, as each of these cardinals has been saying to us, they are depending on the prayers of the entire Church,” Landry said. 

Only cardinals under the age of 80 are voting members in the conclave — but Landry noted that “the selection of a pope is not just the act of cardinals under 80.”  

“It’s the act of the entire mystical body of Christ — you and me too,” Landry said.  

“So please help us help them through joining this prayer campaign,” Landry concluded.  

The prayer itself is simple: “Heavenly Father, guide the cardinals in wisdom and love as they may lead your Church. May your will be their compass. Amen.”

To adopt a cardinal in prayer, visit here.

Readings (Year C): Acts 5:27 – 32, 40b – 41Psalm 30:2, 4, 5 – 6, 11 – 12, 13Revelation 5:11 – 14John 21:1 – 19  Reflection: Tend my sheep In today’s first reading from Acts, we join Peter and the apostles in front of the Sanhedrin. They have been arrested for continuing to spread the […]

The post A reflection for the third Sunday of Easter appeared first on U.S. Catholic.

Canada’s prime minister and Liberal Party leader Mark Carney applauds at a victory party in Ottawa, Ontario, on April 29, 2025. Prime Minister Mark Carney won Canada’s election on April 28, 2025, leading his Liberal Party to a new term in power. / Credit: DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 29, 2025 / 11:57 am (CNA).

Canadians voted Monday to elect the Liberal Party back into power, making the party’s leader, Mark Carney, prime minister of Canada following a tight race against Conservative Party challenger Pierre Poilievre and a campaign in which tariff policies by the Trump administration loomed large.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) projected the victory for Carney approximately 15 minutes after the polls closed on Monday evening, Associated Press reported, marking a dramatic turnaround for the Liberal Party, which was not favored to win earlier in the run-up to the election after over nine years of leadership under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Carney, a former central banker, will continue on as prime minister after the win, taking on the role last month when Trudeau resigned. According to the BBC, the Liberal Party is projected to win 168 seats in Parliament but needs 172 to form a majority government.

While Carney is a practicing Catholic, he dissents from the Church’s teaching on abortion. On the campaign trail he stated that his faith would not lead him to interfere in “a woman’s right to choose,” which he has said he supports “absolutely, unreservedly.”

For his part, Poilievre also stated leading up to the election that his party would not pass laws restricting abortion.

In the run-up to the election, Bishop William McGrattan, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, told EWTN News that Carney’s position is symptomatic of the “disconnect” that is seen among many of the country’s politicians who claim to be living according to their faith.

In advance of the election, the nation’s bishops’ conference released a statement in which it noted “there are many issues which we, as Catholics, are called to consider thoroughly when voting. Among them is the fundamental right to life — from conception to natural death. This right is being undermined by the lack of legal protection for the unborn, the ongoing expansion of eligibility for medical assistance in dying (MAID), and the insufficient access to quality palliative care for those who are suffering at the end of life.”

On the subject of MAID, McGrattan told EWTN News correspondent Mark Irons that “we want to make sure that the politicians are aware of the fact that we do not want this to be expanded in terms of eligibility and even to consider repealing some of the laws that they put in place.”

During the campaign, Carney remained largely silent on the subject of assisted suicide, while Poilievre stated that he would neither prevent nor expand access to the practice.

“All these leaders, none of them are willing to champion the right to life,” Matthew Wojciechowski, the vice president of Campaign Life Coalition, told Irons. Wojciechowski said he had been encouraging Catholics to focus on their individual members of Parliament, as some Conservatives do hold pro-life views.

Following Trudeau’s resignation amid the country’s major economic crisis, polling had suggested that the Conservative Party led by Poilievre would overtake the beleaguered Liberal Party. However, the Liberal Party began to surge ahead in wake of the Trump administration’s tariffs and calls to make Canada the 51st state.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin (left) and other cardinals celebrate Mass on Day 3 of the Novendiales Masses for Pope Francis on April 28, 2025, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Apr 29, 2025 / 11:08 am (CNA).

The College of Cardinals held their sixth general congregation on Tuesday morning, confirming two cardinal electors will not participate in the upcoming May 7 conclave due to health reasons. 

The general congregation opened with prayer at 9 a.m. followed by a meditation given by Abbot Donato Ogliari, OSB. One hundred eighty-three cardinals, including more than 120 cardinal electors, were present at the more than three-hour meeting held in the Vatican’s Synod Hall. A total of 20 speeches were given.

Following the April 29 meeting, Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office, said during an afternoon press briefing that the names of the two cardinals would not be revealed, adding that the number of cardinal electors present in Rome for the conclave may vary until the last minute and cannot yet be confirmed.

During the press briefing, Bruni told journalists the main themes of the speeches delivered on Tuesday revolved around “the challenges the Church is facing, according to the geographical perspective of the cardinals’ origins.” 

In his meditation addressed to the cardinals, Ogliari said “the mission of the Church must face numerous challenges” in a time of “epochal change” disrupting “the world order” in geopolitics and rapid technological change.

“In a few days’ time you will gather to choose from among yourselves the bishop of Rome and pastor of the universal Church. May [the conclave] be transformed into the ‘upper room’ in which, as in a renewed Pentecost, the fire of the Holy Spirit may break in,” he said. 

“Even if the place of the ‘conclave’ — as the term itself says — is a locked place, it will in reality be wide open to the whole world, if the freedom of the Spirit prevails, which, when it touches hearts and minds, rejuvenates, purifies, recreates,” the Benedictine abbott said toward the conclusion of the meditation. 

The Holy See Press Office also released a statement on behalf of the College of Cardinals on Tuesday in which the prelates expressed their heartfelt gratitude to all those who attended Pope Francis’ funeral held in St. Peter’s Square on April 26.

In the message, the cardinals thanked Catholic and non-Catholic leaders and delegations as well “representatives of Judaism, Islam, and other religions,” present at the late pontiff’s funeral. 

A special greeting was extended to the thousands of young pilgrims who were in Rome for the April 25–27 Jubilee of Teenagers who show “the face of a Church alive with the life of her risen Lord.”

The college also shared its gratitude to government and civil leaders for their “solidarity” with the Church during its time of mourning.

“Their [presence] was particularly appreciated as participation in the suffering of the Church and the Holy See at the passing of the pontiff, and as homage to his unceasing commitment to promote the faith, peace, and fraternity among all the peoples of the earth,” the statement read. 

Cardinal Pietro Parolin (left) and other cardinals celebrate Mass on Day 3 of the Novendiales Masses for Pope Francis on April 28, 2025, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Apr 29, 2025 / 11:08 am (CNA).

The College of Cardinals held their sixth general congregation on Tuesday morning, confirming two cardinal electors will not participate in the upcoming May 7 conclave due to health reasons. 

The general congregation opened with prayer at 9 a.m. followed by a meditation given by Abbot Donato Ogliari, OSB. One hundred eighty-three cardinals, including more than 120 cardinal electors, were present at the more than three-hour meeting held in the Vatican’s Synod Hall. A total of 20 speeches were given.

Following the April 29 meeting, Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office, said during an afternoon press briefing that the names of the two cardinals would not be revealed, adding that the number of cardinal electors present in Rome for the conclave may vary until the last minute and cannot yet be confirmed.

During the press briefing, Bruni told journalists the main themes of the speeches delivered on Tuesday revolved around “the challenges the Church is facing, according to the geographical perspective of the cardinals’ origins.” 

In his meditation addressed to the cardinals, Ogliari said “the mission of the Church must face numerous challenges” in a time of “epochal change” disrupting “the world order” in geopolitics and rapid technological change.

“In a few days’ time you will gather to choose from among yourselves the bishop of Rome and pastor of the universal Church. May [the conclave] be transformed into the ‘upper room’ in which, as in a renewed Pentecost, the fire of the Holy Spirit may break in,” he said. 

“Even if the place of the ‘conclave’ — as the term itself says — is a locked place, it will in reality be wide open to the whole world, if the freedom of the Spirit prevails, which, when it touches hearts and minds, rejuvenates, purifies, recreates,” the Benedictine abbott said toward the conclusion of the meditation. 

The Holy See Press Office also released a statement on behalf of the College of Cardinals on Tuesday in which the prelates expressed their heartfelt gratitude to all those who attended Pope Francis’ funeral held in St. Peter’s Square on April 26.

In the message, the cardinals thanked Catholic and non-Catholic leaders and delegations as well “representatives of Judaism, Islam, and other religions,” present at the late pontiff’s funeral. 

A special greeting was extended to the thousands of young pilgrims who were in Rome for the April 25–27 Jubilee of Teenagers who show “the face of a Church alive with the life of her risen Lord.”

The college also shared its gratitude to government and civil leaders for their “solidarity” with the Church during its time of mourning.

“Their [presence] was particularly appreciated as participation in the suffering of the Church and the Holy See at the passing of the pontiff, and as homage to his unceasing commitment to promote the faith, peace, and fraternity among all the peoples of the earth,” the statement read.