ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 19, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

One million young people returned to their countries after participating in the 2025 Jubilee of Youth. Now they have a mission: to take that message and testimony home.

Vatican City, Aug 19, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has named Father Ralph O’Donnell of the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska, as the new bishop of Jefferson City, Missouri. He will succeed Archbishop Shawn McKnight, who in May was installed as archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas.

Bishop-elect O’Donnell has most recently served as pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Omaha.

Born on Aug. 31, 1969, in Omaha, he earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Conception Seminary College and a master of divinity degree from the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He later obtained a master’s degree in spirituality from Creighton University.

Ordained a priest in 1997, O’Donnell has served in various pastoral and administrative roles, including vocations director, seminary vice rector, and executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations (2015–2019).

Philadelphia, Pa., Aug 19, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Aurora Pomales still remembers the feelings after her grandmother died.

The grief was real and disorienting. After all, it was her grandmother who had taught her how to pray, how to love the Mass, and how to be Catholic, even after she herself had pulled away from the Church.

“I remember waking up and thinking, OK,” Pomales said. “I need to go to confession today. I need to start praying my rosary. I need to start going to Mass.”

That quiet decision marked the beginning of her return to the Catholic faith — a process that would eventually lead her to create a ministry aimed at serving an often-overlooked population: single Catholic women.

Blessed Emilina, the ministry Pomales founded, is named after a little-known 12th-century French saint, Emilina of Boulancourt, who is the patroness of single Catholic laywomen. The ministry was created specifically for women who are single, not married or engaged, not in religious life, but who are nonetheless striving to live fully for Christ.

Pomales’ inspiration came from her lived experience. As a single woman trying to return to the Church, she began looking for community — but everything she found seemed to be for wives, moms, or women preparing for marriage.

“I felt like I didn’t see myself anywhere,” she said. “I was trying to grow closer to God, but it was lonely.”

This was reinforced when she joined an online Catholic group and suggested creating content for single women. The group’s founder replied: “Well, what would content for single women even look like?”

“That’s when it clicked for me,” Pomales said. “I wasn’t just feeling lonely — I felt like no one even wanted to make space for us.”

Rather than walk away, she stepped forward on a mission based on her lived experience.

From heartbreak to healing

Pomales’ return to the Church wasn’t immediate or easy. At the time of her grandmother’s death in 2020, she was in a serious romantic relationship — one that didn’t align with her deepening desire for Christ.

“I thought that was going to be my forever relationship,” she said. “But I felt pulled in two directions: Stay in this relationship that’s pulling me away from the Lord, or leave it and walk with Jesus.”

She chose Christ. But the cost was real.

“While I was happy to be back in the Church, it was very lonely,” Pomales said.

It was the foundation from her grandmother, though, that made it possible to embark on this new path, she said. That foundation and the questions it stirred led her to begin dreaming of something more — something that could serve women like her.

“I knew other women were out there who might not have had that foundation, and if they didn’t feel welcome, they might just walk away,” she said.

The turning point came when the parochial vicar at her parish, St. Helena in Philadelphia, encouraged her to attend the Given Forum, a national leadership conference for young Catholic women.

Soon after, she began developing the blueprint for Blessed Emilina. The saintly woman had once been rejected by a religious order but continued to live a holy, single life of deep prayer and penance. Emilina walked barefoot in the snow, offered her suffering for the Church, and became known for her gift of prophecy.

“I’m obsessed with her now,” Pomales said with a laugh. “She’s kind of everything I want to be. She made the most of her singleness — not as a backup plan, but as a calling.”

The Blessed Emilina group offers retreats, monthly gatherings, local pilgrimages, and simple events like “paint and sip” nights. The ministry is open to single Catholic women of all ages and walks of life.

“Too often, we’re alone, so the idea of Blessed Emilina is to help women realize that your singlehood can be your path to sainthood,” Pomales said.

A quiet witness, a growing movement

Pomales’ sister Jeannine Days said she has watched her younger sibling grow from a quiet, imaginative child into a confident woman unafraid to lead.

“She was always very shy, very smart. And now she’s just blossomed,” Days said. “She’s nurturing, gentle, honest — and passionate. She really loves the Lord, and she wants to bring others to him.”

Days, who has children of her own, said Pomales brings hope not only to the women in her ministry but also to their family as well.

“My daughters look up to her, and the women in Blessed Emilina — you can see the spark that happens between them,” Days said. “That moment when they realize, ‘I’m not alone.’ That’s the Holy Spirit.”

A future for the Church — and for hope

Pomales dreams of taking Blessed Emilina nationwide and even international.

“I think the future of the Church lies in the capable hands of single Catholic women,” she said. “We have time. We have energy. We can serve.”

But more than that, she wants women to know that being single is a not consolation prize.

“There’s so much rhetoric around what a Catholic woman should be — married with lots of children, or in a convent,” she said. “But there are women who don’t fit that, and we need to stop making them feel like they’re failing.”

She remembers one moment early in her journey, scrolling through a Catholic women’s forum, when she saw a post from a single woman in her 30s.

“She wrote, ‘I just need someone to tell me I’m not failing as a Catholic woman.’ And I thought, this is why I’m doing this. That shouldn’t feel like failure.”

Through Blessed Emilina, she wants women to know that their singleness isn’t just valid, it’s sacred — and an opportunity. “This is the time when we can be closest to the Lord, and you have that time to give to your community,” she said.

Pomales also hopes her story of starting a new organization will inspire others to take risks and find their way.

“This experience has taught me that in those moments where you feel like you don’t belong, that’s actually the Lord calling you to make that space for people like you,” she said.

For more information, contact Aurora Pomales at blessedemilina@gmail.com or on Facebook.

This story was first published by Catholic Philly and has been reprinted by CNA with permission. It is part of “Faces of Hope,” a series of stories and videos from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia “highlighting the work of those who make the Catholic Church in Philadelphia the greatest force for good in the region.” 

Vatican City, Aug 19, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has named Father Ralph O’Donnell of the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska, as the new bishop of Jefferson City, Missouri. He will succeed Archbishop Shawn McKnight, who in May was installed as archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas.

Bishop-elect O’Donnell has most recently served as pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Omaha.

Born on Aug. 31, 1969, in Omaha, he earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Conception Seminary College and a master of divinity degree from the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He later obtained a master’s degree in spirituality from Creighton University.

Ordained a priest in 1997, O’Donnell has served in various pastoral and administrative roles, including vocations director, seminary vice rector, and executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations (2015–2019).

Philadelphia, Pa., Aug 19, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Aurora Pomales still remembers the feelings after her grandmother died.

The grief was real and disorienting. After all, it was her grandmother who had taught her how to pray, how to love the Mass, and how to be Catholic, even after she herself had pulled away from the Church.

“I remember waking up and thinking, OK,” Pomales said. “I need to go to confession today. I need to start praying my rosary. I need to start going to Mass.”

That quiet decision marked the beginning of her return to the Catholic faith — a process that would eventually lead her to create a ministry aimed at serving an often-overlooked population: single Catholic women.

Blessed Emilina, the ministry Pomales founded, is named after a little-known 12th-century French saint, Emilina of Boulancourt, who is the patroness of single Catholic laywomen. The ministry was created specifically for women who are single, not married or engaged, not in religious life, but who are nonetheless striving to live fully for Christ.

Pomales’ inspiration came from her lived experience. As a single woman trying to return to the Church, she began looking for community — but everything she found seemed to be for wives, moms, or women preparing for marriage.

“I felt like I didn’t see myself anywhere,” she said. “I was trying to grow closer to God, but it was lonely.”

This was reinforced when she joined an online Catholic group and suggested creating content for single women. The group’s founder replied: “Well, what would content for single women even look like?”

“That’s when it clicked for me,” Pomales said. “I wasn’t just feeling lonely — I felt like no one even wanted to make space for us.”

Rather than walk away, she stepped forward on a mission based on her lived experience.

From heartbreak to healing

Pomales’ return to the Church wasn’t immediate or easy. At the time of her grandmother’s death in 2020, she was in a serious romantic relationship — one that didn’t align with her deepening desire for Christ.

“I thought that was going to be my forever relationship,” she said. “But I felt pulled in two directions: Stay in this relationship that’s pulling me away from the Lord, or leave it and walk with Jesus.”

She chose Christ. But the cost was real.

“While I was happy to be back in the Church, it was very lonely,” Pomales said.

It was the foundation from her grandmother, though, that made it possible to embark on this new path, she said. That foundation and the questions it stirred led her to begin dreaming of something more — something that could serve women like her.

“I knew other women were out there who might not have had that foundation, and if they didn’t feel welcome, they might just walk away,” she said.

The turning point came when the parochial vicar at her parish, St. Helena in Philadelphia, encouraged her to attend the Given Forum, a national leadership conference for young Catholic women.

Soon after, she began developing the blueprint for Blessed Emilina. The saintly woman had once been rejected by a religious order but continued to live a holy, single life of deep prayer and penance. Emilina walked barefoot in the snow, offered her suffering for the Church, and became known for her gift of prophecy.

“I’m obsessed with her now,” Pomales said with a laugh. “She’s kind of everything I want to be. She made the most of her singleness — not as a backup plan, but as a calling.”

The Blessed Emilina group offers retreats, monthly gatherings, local pilgrimages, and simple events like “paint and sip” nights. The ministry is open to single Catholic women of all ages and walks of life.

“Too often, we’re alone, so the idea of Blessed Emilina is to help women realize that your singlehood can be your path to sainthood,” Pomales said.

A quiet witness, a growing movement

Pomales’ sister Jeannine Days said she has watched her younger sibling grow from a quiet, imaginative child into a confident woman unafraid to lead.

“She was always very shy, very smart. And now she’s just blossomed,” Days said. “She’s nurturing, gentle, honest — and passionate. She really loves the Lord, and she wants to bring others to him.”

Days, who has children of her own, said Pomales brings hope not only to the women in her ministry but also to their family as well.

“My daughters look up to her, and the women in Blessed Emilina — you can see the spark that happens between them,” Days said. “That moment when they realize, ‘I’m not alone.’ That’s the Holy Spirit.”

A future for the Church — and for hope

Pomales dreams of taking Blessed Emilina nationwide and even international.

“I think the future of the Church lies in the capable hands of single Catholic women,” she said. “We have time. We have energy. We can serve.”

But more than that, she wants women to know that being single is a not consolation prize.

“There’s so much rhetoric around what a Catholic woman should be — married with lots of children, or in a convent,” she said. “But there are women who don’t fit that, and we need to stop making them feel like they’re failing.”

She remembers one moment early in her journey, scrolling through a Catholic women’s forum, when she saw a post from a single woman in her 30s.

“She wrote, ‘I just need someone to tell me I’m not failing as a Catholic woman.’ And I thought, this is why I’m doing this. That shouldn’t feel like failure.”

Through Blessed Emilina, she wants women to know that their singleness isn’t just valid, it’s sacred — and an opportunity. “This is the time when we can be closest to the Lord, and you have that time to give to your community,” she said.

Pomales also hopes her story of starting a new organization will inspire others to take risks and find their way.

“This experience has taught me that in those moments where you feel like you don’t belong, that’s actually the Lord calling you to make that space for people like you,” she said.

For more information, contact Aurora Pomales at blessedemilina@gmail.com or on Facebook.

This story was first published by Catholic Philly and has been reprinted by CNA with permission. It is part of “Faces of Hope,” a series of stories and videos from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia “highlighting the work of those who make the Catholic Church in Philadelphia the greatest force for good in the region.” 

WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has appointed Reverend Ralph Bernard O’Donnell, as Bishop of Jefferson City. Father O’Donnell is a priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha and currently serves as pastor of Saint Margaret Mary parish in Omaha, Nebraska. The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on August 19, 2025, by Monsignor Većeslav Tumir, chargé d’ affaires, a.i., of the Apostolic Nunciature, in the temporary absence of Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

The following biographical information for Bishop-elect O’Donnell was drawn from preliminary materials provided to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Father O’Donnell was born August 31, 1969, in Omaha, Nebraska. Bishop-elect O’Donnell studied at Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri (1989-1993) and Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois (1993-1997). He received a bachelor’s degree in religion from Conception Seminary College (1993), a master of divinity from University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Mundelein (1997), and a master’s degree in Christian spirituality from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska (2000). Father O’Donnell was ordained to the priesthood on June 7, 1997.

Bishop-elect O’Donnell’s assignments after ordination include: associate pastor, Mary Our Queen parish in Omaha (1997-2001); associate pastor, Saint Vincent de Paul parish in Omaha (2001-2003); director of vocations for the Archdiocese of Omaha (2003-2008); pastor, Saint Brigit parish and Saint Rose parish in Omaha (2008-2011); director of the permanent diaconate for the Archdiocese of Omaha (2008-2009); vice rector and dean or formation at Conception Seminary College in Conception (2011-2015); and executive director for the Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (2015-2019). Since 2019, he has served as pastor of Saint Margaret Mary parish in Omaha.

The Diocese of Jefferson City is comprised of 22,127 square miles in the State of Missouri and has a total population of 926,905 of which 74,413 are Catholic.

###

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV paid a private visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace of Mentorella, high in the Monti Prenestini mountain range of central Italy.

On his last full day in Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 19, the pope made the hour journey northeast to pray in the shrine church and the Cave of St. Benedict, where a pious tradition holds that St. Benedict lived for two years early in the sixth century.

Pope Leo visited with the Polish priests of the Resurrectionist order, which has cared for the shrine since 1857, and they helped him ring the church bells at noon before praying the Angelus together. 

The pope returned to Castel Gandolfo for the afternoon and was scheduled to returned to the Vatican that night.

St. John Paul II visited the Mentorella shrine often as a bishop and cardinal, went there to pray before the conclave that elected him in 1978 and returned two weeks after his election.

"This place, hidden among the mountains, has particularly fascinated me. From it, one's eyes can range over and admire the magnificent view of the Italian landscape," he said during his Oct. 29, 1978, visit.

After the Annunciation, he said, Mary went to "the hill country" to visit her cousin Elizabeth, and it was there that she sang the "Magnificat."

"I wanted to come here, among these mountains, to sing the 'Magnificat' in Mary's footsteps," St. John Paul had said.

Exactly 27 years later -- Oct. 29, 2005 -- Pope Benedict XVI made a private visit to Mentorella in memory of St. John Paul's visit.

Tradition holds that the shrine, perched 3,300 feet above sea level, originally was built under the order of the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. 
 

It’s only in the present moment that we can find Him. We can’t look for God in the past or in the future, because His grace is only available to us in the present moment. A good priest I know defines prayer as “the real you, conversing with the real God.” At one point, I […]

The post Just As I Am appeared first on Integrated Catholic Life™.

Like many Catholics, I was transfixed by the recent conclave. That white smoke signaled not just a new Pope, but an American Pope who would call attention to the work of a predecessor who wrote long ago about things that are particularly relevant today. In his first official address to the College of Cardinals on […]

A Daily Quote to Inspire Your Catholic Faith “God walks into your soul with silent step. God comes to you more than you go to Him. Never will his coming be what you expect, and yet never will it disappoint. The more you respond to his gentle pressure, the greater will be your freedom.” – […]

The post Daily Quote — Venerable Fulton J. Sheen appeared first on Integrated Catholic Life™.