Melissa Villalobos suffered severe bleeding while pregnant. St. John Henry Newman interceded and saved her and her daughter Gemma, now 11 years old. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Villalobos family

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

The sainthood of John Henry Newman, who will be declared a doctor of the Church on Nov. 1, rested on two inexplicable healings that the Catholic Church officially recognized as miracles that paved the way for his beatification in 2010 and his canonization in 2019.

The second and most recent of these miracles was lifesaving. During her fifth pregnancy, Melissa Villalobos, a lawyer from Chicago, suffered severe internal bleeding caused by a partial placental abruption, a condition that seriously endangered both her life and that of her unborn child.

The day it happened, Villalobos, alone at home and without the strength to call for help, turned to prayer. “Please, Cardinal Newman, stop the bleeding,” she said with difficulty. As she later recounted: “Just as I finished those words, the bleeding stopped, and I noticed in the bathroom the strongest scent of roses in my life. When it stopped, I asked, ‘Cardinal Newman, did you do this?’ and the scent returned a second time. I knew it was him.”

That same afternoon, the doctors confirmed what they could not explain: The tear in the placenta had disappeared. Months later, Villalobos gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby girl, whom she named Gemma.

Five years later, Gemma and her entire family participated in the canonization ceremony for Newman officiated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 13, 2019.

For Sister Kathleen Dietz, FSO, a renowned specialist on St. John Henry Newman, the healing of the pregnant woman should be seen as a “sign of the times” when “the culture of death permeates everything.”

“He performed this miracle for the sake of life, not only the life of the young mother but also that of her child. It’s very significant,” she told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Unexplained healing of a debilitating spinal disorder

The first miracle attributed to Newman’s intercession was on behalf of American deacon Jack Sullivan, who was suffering from a severe degenerative spinal cord disease that had left him almost paralyzed.

In great pain and with little hope of recovery, he prayed for Newman’s intercession. According to his own testimony, on Aug. 15, 2001, he experienced a sudden and complete recovery, which allowed him to walk unaided and shortly afterward to be ordained a permanent deacon.

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints officially recognized the healing as scientifically inexplicable, and on July 3, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI officially announced that it constituted a genuine miracle. It led to Newman’s beatification on Sept. 19, 2010, in Birmingham, England, the city where the saint lived for much of his ministry.

Sullivan served as deacon and read the Gospel at the Mass celebrated by Benedict in Rednal, England, very near Newman’s burial site.

Sullivan, who has the only first-class relic of Newman outside the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in England, has given numerous presentations with it and has held healing prayer services. 

Dietz — who has collaborated on various studies on the spirituality and legacy of St. John Henry Newman — emphasized that miracles authenticate Newman’s holiness and reflect his ongoing mission within the Church.

“Miracles show that Newman continues to have a role as an example and intercessor. He will soon be named a doctor of the Church and thus will also be a teacher of truth,” she noted.

Inspiration for daily life

For the religious, Newman can inspire the faithful in their daily lives with a faith “lived in everyday circumstances.”

Dietz cited Newman’s 1856 work “A Short Road to Perfection” in which he points out that to be saints, “we need nothing more than to fulfill the ordinary duties of the day well.”

“It’s not a matter of heroic or extraordinary feats but of performing the actions of each day with rectitude and consistency: getting up on time, dedicating one’s first thoughts to God, visiting the Blessed Sacrament, praying the Angelus and the rosary, keeping one’s thoughts in order, examining oneself daily, and going to bed at a reasonable hour. If this is done consistently, one is already on the path to perfection,” the saint counseled.

Joy: An essential Christian virtue

Dietz emphasized that Newman saw joy as an essential Christian virtue, even in the midst of sadness, and that his example can guide believers to live their faith in a “practical, tangible, and consistent” way in daily life.

For Dietz, Newman’s life and miracles remind us that holiness is not an unattainable ideal but a “reality accessible to all” through faithfulness to small daily acts and trust in God’s providence.

“His teaching combines theological depth with pastoral application, showing how a saint can be a model and guide for the contemporary Church and for every believer in their daily life,” she explained.

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

Star Line Chance the Rapper (Self-released, 2025) I am 45 years old, so my taste in music, especially hip-hop, is suspect to my teenage son’s generation. He likes the emotionally turbulent distortion of underground rappers such as OsamaSon, Playboi Carti, and Travis Scott. I prefer thoughtful lyrics and soundscapes rooted in neo-soul, gospel, blues, and […]

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Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts In the Christian tradition, “apocalypse” simply means revelation, or unveiling. Yet somewhere along the line, the word came to be associated not just with prophecies about the end of the world, but with the end of the world itself—or at least with vast catastrophes and the fall of civilizations. And for some […]

The post Are we living in the end times? | Ed Simon appeared first on U.S. Catholic.

A baby girl at Mary’s Comfort maternity home in Springfield, Virginia. / Credit: Courtesy of Mary’s Comfort

CNA Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

After a homily inspired a group of parishioners to live out their pro-life beliefs and start a maternity home in Springfield, Virginia, for mothers with crisis pregnancies, one woman shared her experience working there.

Kathleen Moyer, president of the Mary’s Comfort Board of Directors and a dedicated volunteer, shared about what it is like to volunteer with the maternity home in an interview with CNA.

CNA: What inspired you to volunteer at the maternity home? How does your faith play a role in your volunteer work?

Moyer: My faith is at the core of my volunteerism and specifically my involvement in Mary’s Comfort. Let me explain: The call to serve others is one I take seriously as a Christian and Catholic. As for Mary’s Comfort, the initial inspiration for a small group of volunteers to take on the challenge of creating it came from my pastor at St. Bernadette, Father Don Rooney, who challenged the congregation to live out our pro-life beliefs. 

He noted that pregnant women in crisis — whether financial, physical, or otherwise — don’t really have a viable option to bring new life into this world. They need to know there is support out there. They need to be given a reason to hope. So, that’s how it all started. 

That was three years ago. I’m sometimes amazed by how far we’ve come. I want to be clear, though, that we welcome women of all backgrounds and creeds. We are fortunate to have donors and supporters from several faiths, as well as secular groups. Our volunteers are diverse, too. Many of us are Catholic, but certainly not all. I think it speaks volumes that it is an interfaith effort.

What would you say to a woman facing an unexpected pregnancy? What would you say to someone considering volunteering at a maternity clinic?  

Here’s what I would like to say to women facing unexpected pregnancies: We’re here for you. There is reason to hope. There are people who care. Mary’s Comfort is a safe haven where you can take a deep breath, regroup, reassess, and contemplate the future with a clear mind. Of course, there are other shelters for pregnant moms waiting to welcome you, too. You are not alone.

To those considering volunteering at a home for pregnant moms, I would say take the leap — you’ll never regret it. You might miss a rerun of your favorite TV show, have a little less time to read, or slow your ascent to becoming a pickleball pro, but I would ask you to stack any of those sacrifices against the joy of knowing you helped bring hope to someone desperately in need of it. 

Even more special, you may get the chance to play a role in welcoming a new life into this world. There are no words to describe the emotions that flooded over me the first time I held one of the babies born to a Mary’s Comfort mom. It’s powerful.

What is it like to be with these women as they choose life? Is there a particular moment that stands out to you?  

There isn’t just one single moment that stands out to me because there are so many important moments between the time our guests arrive and when we get to welcome new life into this world. For example, one of our guests walked into Mary’s Comfort for the first time and just cried. They were tears of joy. She said she never expected it to be so nice and welcoming. 

Another guest kept asking, “Why would you do this for me?” Their utter disbelief that strangers would care so deeply about them was striking. 

We helped another guest attend a class to achieve a higher level of certification and get a better job. When she passed the test, a collective cheer rang out among the volunteers. It was a small but critical milestone on the road to independence and self-sufficiency.

Of course, the crowning moment was when I met the first baby born to a Mary’s Comfort mom. As I said before, there are no words to describe the emotions that flooded over me. It’s powerful stuff.

What is it like to volunteer at a maternity home? What is a day or week in your life like? How do you balance volunteering with your other responsibilities? 

Volunteering at a home for pregnant moms is incredibly rewarding and also full of surprises — no two months have been the same. The needs and challenges each guest faces have been different, so we must be nimble and creative to provide the level of support needed to give them hope and confidence. 

Similarly, there is no typical week for me. I work a full-time job in addition to being president of the Mary’s Comfort board of directors and an active volunteer who jumps in when needed. 

If I had a message for those who might be thinking about volunteering but worry it would be too much with a full-time job, I’d say go for it! Many of our volunteers work full time and still find ways to contribute in very meaningful ways. As an all-volunteer-run charity, we are very flexible and, frankly, wouldn’t succeed without volunteers of many different backgrounds and stages in life — working and retired.

You asked how I balance volunteering and other parts of life. I guess my mindset is that volunteering is an important part of life if I’m living the life I believe I was called to live. But volunteering is not just about checking the box on a moral obligation, it’s about doing something that brings joy to others, and in this case, has played some small role in new life being welcomed into this world. 

It has brought new perspective and new joy to the rest of my life, so finding balance isn’t so hard.

If you could put your experience at Mary’s Comfort into one word, what would that word be and why?  

Grateful. Why? Because this experience has taught me to be grateful on so many levels: grateful for all the blessings in my life; grateful to work alongside such committed volunteers who just don’t give up no matter what challenges lie before us; grateful for the opportunity to serve others in this consequential way. 

A baby girl at Mary’s Comfort maternity home in Springfield, Virginia. / Credit: Courtesy of Mary’s Comfort

CNA Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

After a homily inspired a group of parishioners to live out their pro-life beliefs and start a maternity home in Springfield, Virginia, for mothers with crisis pregnancies, one woman shared her experience working there.

Kathleen Moyer, president of the Mary’s Comfort Board of Directors and a dedicated volunteer, shared about what it is like to volunteer with the maternity home in an interview with CNA.

CNA: What inspired you to volunteer at the maternity home? How does your faith play a role in your volunteer work?

Moyer: My faith is at the core of my volunteerism and specifically my involvement in Mary’s Comfort. Let me explain: The call to serve others is one I take seriously as a Christian and Catholic. As for Mary’s Comfort, the initial inspiration for a small group of volunteers to take on the challenge of creating it came from my pastor at St. Bernadette, Father Don Rooney, who challenged the congregation to live out our pro-life beliefs. 

He noted that pregnant women in crisis — whether financial, physical, or otherwise — don’t really have a viable option to bring new life into this world. They need to know there is support out there. They need to be given a reason to hope. So, that’s how it all started. 

That was three years ago. I’m sometimes amazed by how far we’ve come. I want to be clear, though, that we welcome women of all backgrounds and creeds. We are fortunate to have donors and supporters from several faiths, as well as secular groups. Our volunteers are diverse, too. Many of us are Catholic, but certainly not all. I think it speaks volumes that it is an interfaith effort.

What would you say to a woman facing an unexpected pregnancy? What would you say to someone considering volunteering at a maternity clinic?  

Here’s what I would like to say to women facing unexpected pregnancies: We’re here for you. There is reason to hope. There are people who care. Mary’s Comfort is a safe haven where you can take a deep breath, regroup, reassess, and contemplate the future with a clear mind. Of course, there are other shelters for pregnant moms waiting to welcome you, too. You are not alone.

To those considering volunteering at a home for pregnant moms, I would say take the leap — you’ll never regret it. You might miss a rerun of your favorite TV show, have a little less time to read, or slow your ascent to becoming a pickleball pro, but I would ask you to stack any of those sacrifices against the joy of knowing you helped bring hope to someone desperately in need of it. 

Even more special, you may get the chance to play a role in welcoming a new life into this world. There are no words to describe the emotions that flooded over me the first time I held one of the babies born to a Mary’s Comfort mom. It’s powerful.

What is it like to be with these women as they choose life? Is there a particular moment that stands out to you?  

There isn’t just one single moment that stands out to me because there are so many important moments between the time our guests arrive and when we get to welcome new life into this world. For example, one of our guests walked into Mary’s Comfort for the first time and just cried. They were tears of joy. She said she never expected it to be so nice and welcoming. 

Another guest kept asking, “Why would you do this for me?” Their utter disbelief that strangers would care so deeply about them was striking. 

We helped another guest attend a class to achieve a higher level of certification and get a better job. When she passed the test, a collective cheer rang out among the volunteers. It was a small but critical milestone on the road to independence and self-sufficiency.

Of course, the crowning moment was when I met the first baby born to a Mary’s Comfort mom. As I said before, there are no words to describe the emotions that flooded over me. It’s powerful stuff.

What is it like to volunteer at a maternity home? What is a day or week in your life like? How do you balance volunteering with your other responsibilities? 

Volunteering at a home for pregnant moms is incredibly rewarding and also full of surprises — no two months have been the same. The needs and challenges each guest faces have been different, so we must be nimble and creative to provide the level of support needed to give them hope and confidence. 

Similarly, there is no typical week for me. I work a full-time job in addition to being president of the Mary’s Comfort board of directors and an active volunteer who jumps in when needed. 

If I had a message for those who might be thinking about volunteering but worry it would be too much with a full-time job, I’d say go for it! Many of our volunteers work full time and still find ways to contribute in very meaningful ways. As an all-volunteer-run charity, we are very flexible and, frankly, wouldn’t succeed without volunteers of many different backgrounds and stages in life — working and retired.

You asked how I balance volunteering and other parts of life. I guess my mindset is that volunteering is an important part of life if I’m living the life I believe I was called to live. But volunteering is not just about checking the box on a moral obligation, it’s about doing something that brings joy to others, and in this case, has played some small role in new life being welcomed into this world. 

It has brought new perspective and new joy to the rest of my life, so finding balance isn’t so hard.

If you could put your experience at Mary’s Comfort into one word, what would that word be and why?  

Grateful. Why? Because this experience has taught me to be grateful on so many levels: grateful for all the blessings in my life; grateful to work alongside such committed volunteers who just don’t give up no matter what challenges lie before us; grateful for the opportunity to serve others in this consequential way. 

Catholic actor Michael Iskander, who portrays King David in Prime Video’s “House of David.” / Credit: Francesca Fenton/EWTN News Screenshot

CNA Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Michael Iskander, the actor who portrays King David in the hit Prime Video series “House of David,” announced earlier this year that he had converted to Catholicism. Born and raised as a Coptic Orthodox, he does not see his conversion as a rejection of his roots; instead, it is “answering a calling from God.”

The 24-year-old actor, who was born in Egypt but came to the United States as a child, sat down with CNA for an exclusive interview in October and spoke candidly about his recent conversion and faith. 

Iskander’s journey toward Catholicism started several years ago when he happened to stumble into St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. Although tourists filled the historic cathedral, Iskander went in, sat down in a pew, put his head down, and felt “as if nothing existed.”

“I looked at the altar knowing that’s where the Eucharist lies and I’m like, ‘I want the Eucharist.’ And I remember feeling this moment of extreme holiness,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘This is where the Eucharist is.’ And I put my head down and I started weeping for an hour straight — not praying, nothing, just weeping. And it felt like nobody else was there except for me and God.”

He credited that day with planting the seed of his interest in Catholicism. From then on, he began attending Mass. As he learned more about King David in preparation for the show, that interest, which became a calling, kept growing. 

“I was like, ‘This is home, God is calling me here,’ and it just kept getting louder and louder and louder,” he said. 

After he finished filming Season 2 of “House of David,” Iskander got in contact with a priest in his area to go over questions he had about Catholicism. After a nearly two-hour conversation, he told the priest he wanted to convert. 

Because the Catholic Church recognizes sacraments from the Coptic Orthodox church as valid, Iskander took part in a profession of faith during a Mass for him held on Aug. 21. 

One part of the Mass in particular stood out to Iskander: when the priest read the responsorial psalm, which was Psalm 89 and included the verses that talk about the anointing of David. 

“He’s reading this and I’m thinking, ‘Father, thanks for setting that up. That’s very sweet. Thanks.’ And so he goes up for the homily and he goes, ‘So just in case you’re wondering, Michael, if I chose that for you, no. You happen to pick the day where this is the reading … so I think God is trying to speak to you and telling you that you are home,’” he recalled.

Iskander added: “It was just a beautiful day and I felt like I was home … It felt like the prodigal son who returned and his father accepted him with open arms.”

The Catholic actor said playing the role of King David has impacted his faith “in every way,” sharing that reading Scripture affects how he portrays the Jewish king. 

“​​I inform everything about David from Scripture and looking at not only his great moments but his tough moments,” he said. 

“The more you keep reading about him, the more the more we understand David; the more we ponder about the actions that he took, the more we understand his heart. He truly was a man who loved God with every part of his being,” Iskander added. “And just like all of us, we fall and we falter, but David is one who came back and recognized his mistakes and recognized his sins in front of God and asked for forgiveness and repented.”

The actor explained that one of the biggest ways his faith has been impacted is in learning why God chose David yet rejected Saul, reflecting on the humble heart of David and the prideful heart of Saul. 

“God chose David because of his humble heart. And a humble heart is a heart that’s willing to follow God. It’s a heart that’s willing to listen to him and do as he commands,” he said. “A prideful heart is going to choose my wants, my needs, my selfish desires over him. A selfish heart is going to place yourself even with God, which is what happened with Saul, [and is] ultimately why he was rejected.”

Iskander added: “Once that clicked, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s not about me. It’s about him. I need to follow him and I need to listen to his commandments and I need to put myself aside. I need to not think about myself.’ And really it’s freeing. It’s a freeing thing to just put yourself aside and live for Christ.”

“I think that’s the most beautiful thing, to put ourselves aside and to live for him. So, thinking about that and understanding that in my life, I just need to follow God and follow his commandments and follow what he wants for me,” he said.

Season 2 of "House of David" is streaming now on Prime Video with a Wonder Project subscription. 

Catholic actor Michael Iskander, who portrays King David in Prime Video’s “House of David.” / Credit: Francesca Fenton/EWTN News Screenshot

CNA Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Michael Iskander, the actor who portrays King David in the hit Prime Video series “House of David,” announced earlier this year that he had converted to Catholicism. Born and raised as a Coptic Orthodox, he does not see his conversion as a rejection of his roots; instead, it is “answering a calling from God.”

The 24-year-old actor, who was born in Egypt but came to the United States as a child, sat down with CNA for an exclusive interview in October and spoke candidly about his recent conversion and faith. 

Iskander’s journey toward Catholicism started several years ago when he happened to stumble into St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. Although tourists filled the historic cathedral, Iskander went in, sat down in a pew, put his head down, and felt “as if nothing existed.”

“I looked at the altar knowing that’s where the Eucharist lies and I’m like, ‘I want the Eucharist.’ And I remember feeling this moment of extreme holiness,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘This is where the Eucharist is.’ And I put my head down and I started weeping for an hour straight — not praying, nothing, just weeping. And it felt like nobody else was there except for me and God.”

He credited that day with planting the seed of his interest in Catholicism. From then on, he began attending Mass. As he learned more about King David in preparation for the show, that interest, which became a calling, kept growing. 

“I was like, ‘This is home, God is calling me here,’ and it just kept getting louder and louder and louder,” he said. 

After he finished filming Season 2 of “House of David,” Iskander got in contact with a priest in his area to go over questions he had about Catholicism. After a nearly two-hour conversation, he told the priest he wanted to convert. 

Because the Catholic Church recognizes sacraments from the Coptic Orthodox church as valid, Iskander took part in a profession of faith during a Mass for him held on Aug. 21. 

One part of the Mass in particular stood out to Iskander: when the priest read the responsorial psalm, which was Psalm 89 and included the verses that talk about the anointing of David. 

“He’s reading this and I’m thinking, ‘Father, thanks for setting that up. That’s very sweet. Thanks.’ And so he goes up for the homily and he goes, ‘So just in case you’re wondering, Michael, if I chose that for you, no. You happen to pick the day where this is the reading … so I think God is trying to speak to you and telling you that you are home,’” he recalled.

Iskander added: “It was just a beautiful day and I felt like I was home … It felt like the prodigal son who returned and his father accepted him with open arms.”

The Catholic actor said playing the role of King David has impacted his faith “in every way,” sharing that reading Scripture affects how he portrays the Jewish king. 

“​​I inform everything about David from Scripture and looking at not only his great moments but his tough moments,” he said. 

“The more you keep reading about him, the more the more we understand David; the more we ponder about the actions that he took, the more we understand his heart. He truly was a man who loved God with every part of his being,” Iskander added. “And just like all of us, we fall and we falter, but David is one who came back and recognized his mistakes and recognized his sins in front of God and asked for forgiveness and repented.”

The actor explained that one of the biggest ways his faith has been impacted is in learning why God chose David yet rejected Saul, reflecting on the humble heart of David and the prideful heart of Saul. 

“God chose David because of his humble heart. And a humble heart is a heart that’s willing to follow God. It’s a heart that’s willing to listen to him and do as he commands,” he said. “A prideful heart is going to choose my wants, my needs, my selfish desires over him. A selfish heart is going to place yourself even with God, which is what happened with Saul, [and is] ultimately why he was rejected.”

Iskander added: “Once that clicked, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s not about me. It’s about him. I need to follow him and I need to listen to his commandments and I need to put myself aside. I need to not think about myself.’ And really it’s freeing. It’s a freeing thing to just put yourself aside and live for Christ.”

“I think that’s the most beautiful thing, to put ourselves aside and to live for him. So, thinking about that and understanding that in my life, I just need to follow God and follow his commandments and follow what he wants for me,” he said.

Season 2 of "House of David" is streaming now on Prime Video with a Wonder Project subscription. 

St. Thomas Aquinas/St. John Henry Newman. / Credit: Public domain

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV declared St. John Henry Newman, along with St. Thomas Aquinas, as a patron saint of the Catholic Church’s educational mission in his recent apostolic letter on education, “Drawing New Maps of Hope.”

In the letter, the pontiff draws a connection between the two saints, separated by six centuries but united by the same mission: teaching within the Catholic Church.

Paul Gordon, professor of Catholic social doctrine and contemporary history and literature at the Ángel Ayala Institute of Humanities, reflected on the Holy Father’s letter in a recent conversation with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Union between faith and reason

As the Scottish professor noted, both Newman and Aquinas were theologians who promoted dialogue between the sciences, especially between faith and reason, positioning the gift of faith as a guide in the search for truth. 

In the apostolic letter, published on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Gravissimum Educationis, the pope recalls the words of Newman, who will also be declared a doctor of the Church on Nov. 1: “Religious truth is not only a part, but a condition of general knowledge.”

According to Pope Leo, this involves an invitation to “renew the commitment to knowledge that is as intellectually responsible and rigorous as it is profoundly human.”

A keen insight into modern times

Aquinas, known as the “angelic doctor,” plumbed the depths of the Christian faith “in the light of Aristotle’s philosophy” and Christianized the ideas of the Greek philosopher, Gordon explained.

“St. Thomas Aquinas introduced Aristotle’s philosophy into the Catholic Church at the beginning of the modern world, in the 13th century,” he added.

For his part, Newman, who was the first rector of the Catholic University of Ireland, “unified faith and reason” with his keen insight into modern times.

Gordon also noted that Newman is one of the most celebrated converts to Catholicism in recent times, making the pope’s gesture “another milestone marking the return to Rome” that Newman himself experienced.

Though criticized by many at the time, Newman “was among the first” who ”dared to leave Anglicanism, which is still the official and established Church” in Great Britain, and go “over to the Catholic Church because he knew that’s where the truth resided,” Gordon said.

Newman’s conversion paved “the way for many other converts in my country and in English-speaking countries.”

Gordon said he thinks Pope Leo XIV intends to emphasize the importance of ecumenism in light of Newman’s courageous and brave example: “He shows us that we must pray for the unity of the body of Christ, because division is a sin.” 

A light for teaching today

Both saints can serve as a light for the teaching profession in today’s world, Gordon emphasized, where “education, especially at the university level, has become a kind of utilitarian vocational training where spirituality has no place.”

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

St. Thomas Aquinas/St. John Henry Newman. / Credit: Public domain

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV declared St. John Henry Newman, along with St. Thomas Aquinas, as a patron saint of the Catholic Church’s educational mission in his recent apostolic letter on education, “Drawing New Maps of Hope.”

In the letter, the pontiff draws a connection between the two saints, separated by six centuries but united by the same mission: teaching within the Catholic Church.

Paul Gordon, professor of Catholic social doctrine and contemporary history and literature at the Ángel Ayala Institute of Humanities, reflected on the Holy Father’s letter in a recent conversation with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Union between faith and reason

As the Scottish professor noted, both Newman and Aquinas were theologians who promoted dialogue between the sciences, especially between faith and reason, positioning the gift of faith as a guide in the search for truth. 

In the apostolic letter, published on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Gravissimum Educationis, the pope recalls the words of Newman, who will also be declared a doctor of the Church on Nov. 1: “Religious truth is not only a part, but a condition of general knowledge.”

According to Pope Leo, this involves an invitation to “renew the commitment to knowledge that is as intellectually responsible and rigorous as it is profoundly human.”

A keen insight into modern times

Aquinas, known as the “angelic doctor,” plumbed the depths of the Christian faith “in the light of Aristotle’s philosophy” and Christianized the ideas of the Greek philosopher, Gordon explained.

“St. Thomas Aquinas introduced Aristotle’s philosophy into the Catholic Church at the beginning of the modern world, in the 13th century,” he added.

For his part, Newman, who was the first rector of the Catholic University of Ireland, “unified faith and reason” with his keen insight into modern times.

Gordon also noted that Newman is one of the most celebrated converts to Catholicism in recent times, making the pope’s gesture “another milestone marking the return to Rome” that Newman himself experienced.

Though criticized by many at the time, Newman “was among the first” who ”dared to leave Anglicanism, which is still the official and established Church” in Great Britain, and go “over to the Catholic Church because he knew that’s where the truth resided,” Gordon said.

Newman’s conversion paved “the way for many other converts in my country and in English-speaking countries.”

Gordon said he thinks Pope Leo XIV intends to emphasize the importance of ecumenism in light of Newman’s courageous and brave example: “He shows us that we must pray for the unity of the body of Christ, because division is a sin.” 

A light for teaching today

Both saints can serve as a light for the teaching profession in today’s world, Gordon emphasized, where “education, especially at the university level, has become a kind of utilitarian vocational training where spirituality has no place.”

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

Sister Allison Gliot, a Daughter of St. Paul, is the author of the “In Aeternum” series as well as other nonfiction and children’s books. She also works as an acquisitions editor for Pauline Books and Media. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Pauline Books and Media

CNA Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

When a religious sister felt inspired to write a Catholic vampire trilogy, she knew the inspiration came from Jesus — but she did not know if the other sisters would think she was “crazy.”

Vampire novels are not known for inspiring teens to become Eucharistic ministers, attend Eucharistic adoration, or discern religious life. But the “In Aeternum” series is different. The books aim to draw their fans to Christ.

After she felt Jesus “stir up the story idea,” Sister Allison Regina Gliot, a Daughter of St. Paul, got to writing.

“The nuns are going to think I’m crazy that I wrote a vampire book,” Gliot remembered telling Jesus in prayer.

But after the leap of faith, Gliot’s story has made it into print.

The “In Aeternum” trilogy begins with “The Curse He Chose,” which centers on Elizabeth, a Catholic teenager who gets caught up in a fight between vampires and is forced to go on the run with a vampire outcast named Christopher. The story continues in the second book, “The Light They Left” — announced Oct. 31 — which will be released on Jan. 2, 2026, by Pauline Books and Media, the publishing house of the Daughters of St. Paul.

Why a vampire novel? 

The Daughters of St. Paul, also known as the “media nuns,” evangelize through media — from social media to storytelling to, apparently, young adult Catholic vampire books.

“There are a lot of teens and young adults who love fiction, who love supernatural fiction, who love urban fantasy and sci-fi stories,” Gliot said. “And so if we can provide a Catholic option, it can genuinely move them forward in their relationship with God and their relationship with the Church.” 

Besides being hugely popular among young adults — especially with the “Twilight” craze of the early 2000s — vampire novels have something else to offer. 

Classic vampire stories had explicitly Catholic elements, Gliot noted. In Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” for instance, the Eucharist, holy ground, and a crucifix all help protect against vampires.

Gliot, who grew up reading vampire stories, wondered: “Why did that get cut out?”

The “deep devotion” that the Daughters of St. Paul have for the Eucharist first drew her to the community. By interweaving spiritual realities throughout the novel, Gliot hoped her writing could support young readers in their faith regarding things like the Eucharist.

“By having characters like vampires who are super attuned to invisible spiritual realities, it helps readers see and realize that those realities are actually real,” she explained.

“Vampires are not real, but the Eucharist actually is Jesus,” she said.

Her books deal not only with vampires but also with having a relationship with God — and all the challenges that come with it.

The main character, Elizabeth, struggles with things that Gliot herself has wrestled with in her faith.

“One of the things that Elizabeth fears in showing her anger towards God is: What does that say about her?” Gliot said. “If some part of her hates God, is she going to run into the limits of God’s love? Or is God only helping her because she’s doing what he says?”

Meanwhile, the outcast vampire Christopher “has to learn how to experience” God’s love and forgiveness.

In the story, vampires have “rejected their humanity” to the point that they forget their human past. But in Book 2, Christopher’s memories start to come back.

“He struggles a lot with forgiving himself and struggles to accept forgiveness from others,” Gliot said. “And so accepting forgiveness from God is an even harder thing in some ways for him.”

The story has “organic Catholicism woven in,” she explained. The power of the sacraments and other theological elements are “all wrapped up into the action and the emotional stakes of what’s going on in the story.”

Several other sisters and a priest reviewed the manuscripts to make sure “that readers are not going to walk away with any misconceptions about Catholicism,” Gliot said. The book even includes a “fact or fiction” section at the end as a resource for readers.

The biggest theological idea that comes up in the series is that “God never gives up on us — that you are never so far gone or so far fallen that you can’t come back to him, but you have to make that choice to come back,” Gliot said.

“He’s there, he wants you, but it’s up to you to start taking those steps towards him and responding to that grace,” she said.

For future readers 

As she wrote, Gliot felt a call from Jesus to pray for her future readers. 

“What future readers?” she remembered asking herself. 

But she prayed anyway. 

When the first book came out, Gliot began to see these prayers coming to fruition. 

Readers have reached out to Gliot over social media and through handwritten letters “to share how much they love the book and cannot put it down and how they’re sharing it with all their friends,” she said. 

But what has moved her most is when readers have reached out saying that the book “changed their relationship with God” for the better. 

“I’ve had readers share that they have become Eucharistic ministers at their parish after reading my book or that they’ve started discerning religious life or going to daily Mass,” Gliot said. 

“God is present with the reader, just like he was present with me when I was working on the book,” she said.