The Catholic Church in East Saint James Parish

U.S. President Donald Trump bows his head in prayer with Attorney General Pam Bondi at the Museum of the Bible on Sept. 8, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Trump addressed the White House Religious Liberty Commission during the event. / Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 9, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

President Donald Trump launched an initiative that urges Americans to pray for the country and its citizens in preparation for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026.

The initiative, called “America Prays,” urges Americans to dedicate one hour of prayer every week for the United States and its people. The White House is encouraging the faithful to create prayer groups of 10 or more people to pray together for the nation.

“America’s always been a nation that believes in the power of prayer and we will never apologize for our faith,” Trump said during a speech announcing the initiative at the second hearing of the Religious Liberty Commission, which took place at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 8.

“We will never surrender our God-given rights; we will defend our liberties, our values, our sovereignty, and we will defend our freedom,” said Trump, who is a Protestant Christian. “And with the help of amazing faith communities across the land … we will truly make this the golden age of America.”

The White House suggested that prayer groups organize their meetings by different subjects, such as prayer for government leaders, cultural renewal, protection of freedom, and families. It also encouraged every member to commit to praying daily for a specific issue or person.

In addition to forming groups, the White House encouraged people to join online prayer communities, such as Hallow and Pray.com, both of which are participating in the initiative.

To date, more than 70 organizations and well-known personalities are participating in the initiative. This includes Catholic groups, such as Catholics for Catholics and CatholicVote, and Protestant groups, such as the Southern Baptist Convention and WallBuilders.

On the “America Prays” website, the White House has posted a 22-page document titled “Prayers and Proclamation Throughout American History” that contains historic prayers, sermons, and presidential proclamations. This includes the prayer for George Washington’s army, Benjamin Franklin’s prayer at the Constitutional Convention, and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s D-Day prayer from the day the United States formally started fighting in World War II.

During the speech, Trump invited Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner to the stage to speak about the initiative. Turner is also a Baptist pastor.

“What if 1 million people pray for our country every single week between now and next July Fourth?” Turner asked. “More specifically, what if believers all across this great nation got together with 10 people — friends, family members, colleagues, work associates — 10 people each week to pray for our country and for our fellow citizens?”

“Think about the miracles that would take place over the next year,” he said. “Think about the transformation that you and I could witness in communities all across the land.”

Turner urged Americans “to pray with unwavering faith for the renewal of our nation and our fellow citizens.”

The HUD secretary also said a prayer to “rededicate America to ‘one nation under God’” during his speech, referencing the Pledge of Allegiance.

“As we call our nation to pray, Lord God, as we rededicate our nation to ‘one nation under God,’ Father, we pray for your forgiveness, we pray, Lord Jesus, that you would give us great favor and understanding, Father God, as we bow our knee before you, as we humble ourselves before you,” Turner prayed.

Turner also prayed for “healing and revitalization” and “new life” to come to the country.

null / Credit: Freedom Studio/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 8, 2025 / 18:26 pm (CNA).

President Donald Trump announced the U.S. Department of Education will issue new federal guidelines to protect prayer at public schools.

In a Sept. 8 speech to the Religious Liberty Commission, Trump said the new guidelines will “protect the right to prayer in our public schools and [provide for] its total protection.”

“For most of our country’s history, the Bible was found in every classroom in the nation, yet in many schools today, students are instead indoctrinated with anti-religious propaganda,” Trump said.

“Some are even punished for their religious beliefs, and very, very strongly punished — it’s ridiculous,” he added.

The president said he was inspired to authorize the new guidance after hearing about instances of public school students and staff being censored or facing disciplinary action for engaging in prayer, reading the Bible, or publicly expressing their faith in other ways.

Trump specifically referenced Hannah Allen, who was censored by a Texas school for leading a prayer with other students for a peer who had been injured in an accident. According to the First Liberty Institute, which provided her legal representation, the principal ordered the students to be out of the public view if they were praying.

“A few years ago, Hannah organized a group of her classmates to pray for an injured peer,” Trump said. “The school principal declared that Hannah’s generous act of love was prohibited from taking place in front of the other students.”

After correspondence with First Liberty, the school changed its policies and stopped prohibiting students from prayer in the public view as long as the prayer does not disrupt normal school activities, according to the legal group.

Trump noted in his speech that “Hannah very strongly stood her ground and she won.” He said the federal Department of Education is issuing the new guidance “to support students like Hannah.”

“Hannah, I just want to thank you for letting the light of your faith shine for all of those to see,” the president said. “We really appreciate it.”

The commission heard stories from other students who faced similar censorship of their faith, such as an elementary school student who was forced to remove a face mask because it had the words “Jesus loves me” written on it. 

Another student spoke about how he was initially told he could not reference God in his valedictorian speech and another elementary school student told the commission about her school initially preventing her from singing a Christian song at a talent show.

In all of these cases, the schools ultimately relented and the students were permitted to practice their faith publicly.

U.S. Department of Justice headquarters building in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia

CNA Staff, Sep 8, 2025 / 18:06 pm (CNA).

A new report from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has found that the Biden administration engaged in a “consistent and systematic pattern of discrimination” against Christians, including Catholics.

The 48-page document, titled “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias Within the Federal Government,” is the first issued by the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias established by President Donald Trump in February and chaired by Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The task force is charged with ensuring that “any unlawful and improper conduct, policies, or practices that target Christians are identified, terminated, and rectified.”

“The federal government will never again be permitted to turn its power against people of faith,” the report states. “The days of anti-Christian bias in the federal government are over.”

The report fulfills the first mandate the task force received from Trump to provide “an initial assessment of the harm caused when religious liberty is denied.”

It begins by saying that even though Christianity “has not only inspired individuals and transformed the nation … the political, social, and humanitarian contributions of Christians have been devalued, their beliefs marginalized, and their communities unlawfully targeted by their own government.”

“Where there should have been ‘equal justice under law’ there was unequal treatment — policies and practices that singled out Christian people, Christian houses of worship, and Christian convictions for disfavored treatment,” the report continues.

It goes on to highlight instances of alleged bias across federal agencies during the Biden years.

At the DOJ during the Biden administration, the report found a lack of effort to prosecute anti-Christian bias, instead pursuing “novel theories of prosecution” against individuals demonstrating their faith. 

A notable example involves the imprisonment of about two dozen Christians, many of them Catholic pro-life activists, under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act for protests outside abortion facilities. 

Trump pardoned these individuals upon taking office. In contrast, the report asserts that the Biden DOJ failed to apply the FACE Act to protect places of worship and crisis pregnancy centers from similar disruptions. 

In addition, the report flags the FBI’s 2023 memo labeling “radical-traditionalist” Catholics as “domestic terrorism threats” as a particularly egregious instance of bias.

Multiple federal agencies faulted for discriminatory practices

The report also found that the U.S. State Department favored hiring individuals of other religions while discriminating against Christian employees, particularly noting that leave for Christian holidays was less likely to be granted compared with non-Christian ones. 

The report criticizes the State Department for seeking to impose “radical LGBTQ gender ideology” on foreign governments and staff, including mandatory use of preferred pronouns and rainbow flags, which it says violated the sincerely held beliefs of many Christian employees.

The task force also accuses the Biden-era State Department of “limited humanitarian relief to Christians relative to other populations” and the administration’s “muted” response to attacks on Christians globally. 

The U.S. Department of Defense, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Department of Labor are also cited for “deprioritizing, mishandling, or denying requests for religious exemptions” to the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, affecting Catholic and other Christian personnel who sought accommodations based on faith-based objections.

Under the Biden administration, the task force found that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development discriminated against Christians by “treating social media posts celebrating Christian holidays, such as Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter, differently than posts celebrating other religious or interest group holidays, including Pride Month, Ramadan, and Diwali by taking down the Christian posts and leaving up the rest.” 

The report says the Biden-era Department of Labor closed its Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and replaced it with a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office.

The report concludes that “the evidence uncovered is unmistakable: During the Biden administration, people of faith, particularly Christians, were repeatedly subjected to anti-religious bias at the hands of their own government.”

The Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias is comprised of representatives from various federal agencies and plans “to investigate the full scope of anti-Christian bias that pervaded the federal government during the Biden administration,” producing a comprehensive follow-up with its findings and recommendations by February 2026.

Credit: ArtOlympic/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Sep 8, 2025 / 17:46 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, denied accusations of a cover-up following the recent arrest of a Madison priest for alleged sex crimes.

Father Andrew Showers, 37, was arrested last month after an undercover operation by local police found that he allegedly attempted to meet with a 14-year-old girl for sex.

Showers has since been charged with attempted child enticement, attempted use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, and attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age. 

In a separate case only recently made public, 23-year-old Patricia Moriarty had filed a police report alleging that Showers sexually assaulted her in January 2024. Moriarty’s father, John Moriarty, reported the incident to the diocese shortly after but did not provide the name of the priest or a copy of the police report, according to the diocese.

The victims advocacy group Nate’s Mission blamed the diocese for mishandling the incident, saying the diocese “failed to act.” 

In response, the Madison Diocese provided a timeline of the report, saying its staff had asked for details such as the name of the priest, a copy of the police report, and the investigating police department but had not received a response from the father of the victim.

“Had we known that Father Showers was the priest in question behind the 2024 allegation, immediate action could and would have been taken,” the diocese stated.  

In response, Nate’s Mission called the diocese’s statement “a textbook example of victim-blaming.” 

“To suggest that Ms. Moriarty and her father are responsible for the Church’s failure to act because they did not feel comfortable with diocesan reporting procedures is deeply offensive,” the Sept. 6 statement read. 

In the statement, Nate’s Mission also brought up a previous incident with Showers in 2021, which the diocese had omitted in its first response to the revelations about Showers. 

Showers reportedly had “questioned a middle-school child about masturbation and pornography,” according to the advocacy organization. The boy’s parents reported the incident, which happened during confession, to both the diocese and the police, who determined that no criminal activity had occurred. 

In regards to his daughter’s assault, John Moriarty said the diocese “had more than enough to act if they wanted to.”

“My daughter deserved protection, and so did every other person Father Showers came into contact with after my call,” the victim’s father said in a Sept. 6 statement. “The diocese failed us — and they failed the public.”

In a recent letter to the diocese, Bishop Donald Hying of Madison praised the victim for coming forward and said he was “heartbroken by the harm and distress that has been caused by the alleged actions of one of our priests.”

But Hying also said that Nate’s Mission “painted a scandalous version of events that is simply not true.”

“Regarding this latest allegation, had we known the identity of the priest being accused of this abusive misconduct, he would have been removed from active public ministry immediately,” Hying said in the Sept. 6 letter.

The diocese will not be funding Showers’ legal expenses nor will it be providing him legal representation, according to the letter. 

“Be assured that I have not and will not excuse or defend any member of the clergy who commits sexual abuse of any kind,” Hying said. 

Showers was released from custody after posting a cash bond. His initial court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 30. If he is found guilty, he faces up to 50 years in prison. 

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Rochester, New York. / Credit: DanielPenfield via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

CNA Staff, Sep 8, 2025 / 12:37 pm (CNA).

One of the nation’s largest sexual abuse settlements unfolded in a federal bankruptcy court in Rochester, New York, on Friday, bringing about resolution for the nearly 500 survivors of child sex abuse by clergy within the Diocese of Rochester.

After a six-year legal battle, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of New York approved a $246 million settlement, which will average approximately $500,000 per survivor.

The settlement concludes a process that began when the diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019 following the passage of the New York Child Victims Act, which allows abuse victims to file civil lawsuits until they are 55 years old. The law temporarily lifted the statute of limitations, enabling survivors to pursue claims against their abusers.

Bankruptcy attorney Ilan Scharf described the day as a “milestone for survivors in the Rochester area after being the first bankruptcy filed in New York” after the passage of the Child Victims Act.

Survivors expressed a mix of emotions, with many ready to move forward.

Gregory Stanley noted: “The healing can start now, which is more important than the money. I’m just glad it’s over.” Merle Sweet echoed this sentiment, saying: “Relief. It’s all finally over,” while John McHugh added: “I am actually, for the first time, excited for the future.”

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, representing 97 victims, emphasized the survivors’ resilience, stating in a press release that the process validated their experiences and contributed to a safer world for children, setting an example of determination for others globally.

Survivor Carol Dupre shared the profound impact on her community. “This was a real wounding of a lot of people and their families. There’s literally thousands upon thousands of people that have been negatively affected by what happened to us,” she said.

Bishop Salvatore Matano of the Diocese of Rochester addressed the media after the settlement, offering a message of hope and regret. “I pray that this is certainly a step toward their healing,” he said of the victims. “I apologize to them. I deeply regret what transpired in their lives, which, as the judge said, never should have happened.”

He continued: “While this process legally concludes today, I take them in my heart every day of my life, and every time I approach the altar, they will be in my memory, asking the good Lord to give them the strength and the courage to continue on, and that they be blessed in the years ahead.”

Matano issued a letter the same day in which he said the “settlement provisions can be effectuated” in the next several weeks. Of the $246 million settlement, $55 million will be paid by the diocese and affiliated entities, according to the letter, and the rest by the diocese’s insurers.

The bishop concluded the letter addressing abusers, saying he entrusts “them to Jesus, the final judge, and I pray they have acknowledged their offenses and used their remaining years to seek his mercy and have prayed fervently for those they have hurt.”

Tom Vander Woude with two of his grandchildren, Michael and Bobby Vander Woude (from left to right). The Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, is investigating Tom Vander Woude’s cause for sainthood almost two decades after he died saving his son. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Tom Vander Woude Guild

CNA Staff, Sep 8, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Suffocation awaited a young man with Down syndrome when the eroded surface of a toxic sewage tank crumbled beneath his feet.

Joseph Vander Woude would have died alone in the cramped tank surrounded by toxic fumes, but his father jumped in, pushing him toward the surface with his last breath.

Even as his lungs filled with toxic gases, Tom called out to the farmhand who was trying to pull Joseph out.

“You pull, I’ll push,” he said.

Tom eventually faded into unconsciousness, still propping Joseph up until emergency responders pulled them both out of the 7-foot-deep tank.

By the time they did, Tom was dead.

It was Sept. 8, 2008, when Tom, 66, left behind his wife and seven sons. But Tom’s legacy wouldn’t end there.

Seventeen years later, a group of Catholics is now working with the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, to open his cause for sainthood.

“You’re shocked that he’s gone, and you miss him, and you don’t know what’s going to replace that void, if it ever will be replaced,” his fifth son, Chris Vander Woude, told CNA. “But then you’re like, that’s a hero.” 

More than 1,500 people attended Tom’s funeral Mass, including the local bishop, more than 75 priests, and more than 60 altar boys.

Tom’s story continues to resonate. A guild founded in his name is interviewing those who knew him, while the diocese has named a postulator and vice postulator to investigate his cause for sainthood.

Depending on what they find, his case could go to Rome.

Signs of holiness

In the Catholic Church, three things can put you on the path to sainthood: martyrdom, heroic virtue, and now — after a 2017 move by Pope Francis to expand sainthood — a sacrificial death. 

Keith Henderson never knew Tom, but as he learned about him, he was inspired to found the Tom Vander Woude Guild that is advocating for his cause by sharing his story. Alongside the guild, the Diocese of Arlington has taken several preliminary steps to open his cause, including naming a postulator and vice postulator, who are investigating and promoting the cause.

As Henderson has learned more about Tom, he found that “his entire life was one of tremendous faith and selfless service to everyone he met.”

“His selfless life and death serve as a model for how laypeople can pursue holiness in the 21st century,” he told CNA.

“He was very joyful. His charity abounds,” Chris added. “He was always helping people.”

But at the same time, Tom was ordinary.

Chris remembers his dad as “quiet” and more of a “St. Joseph character.” Born on April 24, 1942, Tom was a “South Dakota farmer boy” who married his high school sweetheart, Mary Ellen. It was a “country boy meets city girl” type of love story, Chris said. 

Tom would go on to become many more things — math whiz, Navy pilot, commercial pilot, farmer, father, and now, potential saint. 

“He was just an ordinary sort of a guy who made an extraordinary impact in so many ways, and on so many people during his life,” Henderson said.

By all accounts, Tom was a busy man: a commercial pilot with a demanding schedule, an attentive father of seven, and a dedicated farmer.

But Tom attended daily Mass often, prayed the rosary every day, and made a weekly Holy Hour from 2 to 3 a.m. — odd hours due to his flying schedule. 

“Dad was the unquestioned leader and protector of the family, and he led spiritually, too,” Chris said. “No matter what dad did that day, if it was flying or farming, he was on his knees saying the rosary.” 

Getting Josie off the sidelines 

For Chris it has been “surreal” to share his father’s story. People are praying for his father’s intercession in all sorts of scenarios — often related to having a child with special needs, Chris said. 

Tom’s third-oldest son, Dan Vander Woude, recalled how Tom went out of his way to ensure that Joseph, affectionately known as “Josie” by his family, was included.

When he was young, part of Joseph’s physical therapy entailed crawling on the ground. Tom was right there with him, crawling on the floor. 

When a grown-up Dan asked his father to coach a JV basketball team, Tom was all in — as long as Joseph could be there, too.

“I thought Joseph would simply do the warm-ups with the team and cheer them on from the bench,” Dan recalled. 

But to Dan’s surprise, during one basketball game, Tom had convinced the other coach and the referees to let Joseph play.

“Joseph went into the game and wasted no time getting a couple of fouls and chucking up some long shots,” Dan said. “Joseph was beaming because Dad had given him the opportunity to play in a real game.”

“I was deeply moved that my dad was always committed to getting Joseph off the sidelines and into the game — in basketball and all areas of life,” Dan said. 

‘Just do the right thing’

After the sewage tank accident, Joseph spent several days at the hospital recovering. Healthy now, Joseph takes care of his 81-year-old mother on the family farm. 

“Seventeen years later, Joseph actually takes care of Mom,” Chris said. “It’s just amazing to see God’s plan and providence.”

Joseph carries the groceries, gets the door for his mom, and offers her his arm when she needs it. 

“You always see Joseph and mom together — very similar to early on, you always saw Joseph and dad together in his last few years,” Chris said. 

Tom’s family continues to grow, with 39 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. His eldest son, Father Tom Vander Woude, is a Catholic priest. 

Chris had decided to spread his father’s story after telling it to a parish in Boston one day. 

“Many people were crying,” he recalled. “They were on the edge of their seats. A lot of it resonates with them.”

“Knowing that people were grateful for being able to hear the story — that was a big catalyst,” he said. “If they were grateful, there’s probably a lot of other people out there that would love to hear his story.” 

Since then, Chris is set on sharing his father’s story. In addition to several podcasts and talks he has given at local Virginia parishes and in Maryland, he plans to speak at parishes in Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, New York City, and several other states. 

“He’s a very humble man, so he’s probably not very happy with all the notoriety,” Chris said. 

Tom wasn’t one to turn a phrase, but Chris does remember a simple saying of his dad’s. Tom used to say: “Just do the right thing,” Chris recalled. “Usually, that’s pretty simple. We’re the ones that make it more complicated by thinking of all the different circumstances or possibilities.”

“Dad never aimed to do anything extraordinary. He just aimed to live every day as best he can,” Chris said. “And so I think that’s an example for all of us.”

A painting of St. Joachim, the little Virgin Mary, and St. Anne in the Church of San Francesco in Reggio Emilia, Italy. / Credit: Renata Sedmakova/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Sep 8, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

The Catholic Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on its traditional fixed date of Sept. 8, nine months after the Dec. 8 celebration of her immaculate conception as the child of Sts. Joachim and Anne.

The circumstances of the Virgin Mary’s infancy and early life are not directly recorded in the Bible, but other documents, legends, and traditions describing the circumstances of her birth are cited by some of the earliest Christian writers from the first centuries of the Church.

These accounts are not included in the canon of Scripture and thus lack authority, but they do reflect some of the Church’s traditional beliefs about the birth of Mary.

One such non-Scriptural source is the early second century “Protoevangelium of James,” an infancy gospel offering pious legends about Mary that nevertheless affirms some of the earliest teachings of the Church on the Blessed Mother.

The Protoevangelium describes Mary’s father, Joachim, as a wealthy member of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Joachim was deeply grieved, along with his wife, Anne, by their childlessness. “He called to mind Abraham,” the early Christian writing says, “that in the last day God gave him a son, Isaac.”

Joachim and Anne began to devote themselves extensively and rigorously to prayer and fasting, initially wondering whether their inability to conceive a child might signify God’s displeasure with them.

As it turned out, however, the couple was to be blessed even more abundantly than Abraham and Sarah, as an angel revealed to Anne when he appeared to her and prophesied that all generations would honor their future child: “The Lord has heard your prayer, and you shall conceive, and shall bring forth; and your seed shall be spoken of in all the world.”

After Mary’s birth, according to the “Protoevangelium of James,” Anne “made a sanctuary” in the infant girl’s room and “allowed nothing common or unclean” on account of the special holiness of the child. The same writing records that when she was 1 year old, her father “made a great feast and invited the priests, and the scribes, and the elders, and all the people of Israel.”

“And Joachim brought the child to the priests,” the account continues, “and they blessed her, saying: ‘O God of our fathers, bless this child, and give her an everlasting name to be named in all generations’ ... And he brought her to the chief priests; and they blessed her, saying: ‘O God most high, look upon this child, and bless her with the utmost blessing, which shall be for ever.’”

The protoevangelium goes on to describe how Mary’s parents, along with the Temple priests, subsequently decided that she would be offered to God as a consecrated virgin for the rest of her life and enter a chaste marriage with the carpenter Joseph.

St. Augustine described the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary as an event of cosmic and historic significance and an appropriate prelude to the birth of Jesus Christ. “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley,” he said.

The fourth-century bishop, whose theology profoundly shaped the Western Church’s understanding of sin and human nature, affirmed that “through her birth, the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.”

This story was first published on Sept. 5, 2010, and has been updated.

The Vatican Gardens at Castel Gandolfo. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

CNA Staff, Sep 7, 2025 / 14:56 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV announced a historic partnership between the Vatican and two famous Chicago restaurateurs, Art Smith and Phil Stefani, to open a restaurant at Borgo Laudato Si’, a 135-acre “zero environmental impact” complex in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. 

Pope Leo XIV inaugurated the project during a livestreamed ceremony on Sept. 5, viewed at a Chicago watch party attended by Stefani, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and other prominent figures.

The new restaurant will be located at Borgo Laudato Si’, which is within the historic Papal Villas, a 17th-century summer residence for popes. The site promotes Pope Francis’ teachings on environmental stewardship.

At the inauguration of Borgo Laudato Si’ village on Friday, Pope Leo XIV said it “is one of the Church’s initiatives aimed at realizing the ‘vocation to be custodians of God’s handiwork.’”

Earlier this year, a committee led by the late Pope Francis selected Smith and Stefani to oversee the unprecedented project, which will debut in spring 2026 as the estate’s sole restaurant and caterer, serving breakfast and lunch, and will include a small market.

The restaurant will serve Italian fare made from fresh, locally-sourced food with international influences, blending Chicago and Peruvian flavors in honor of Pope Leo XIV. 

Ingredients will come from a solar-powered greenhouse within Borgo Laudato Si’, which is modeled after St. Peter’s Square’s colonnade, and other local sources. The complex, which includes gardens, vineyards, training programs in organic farming, pesticide-free winemaking and olive harvesting, will also offer retreats for business leaders and ecology education programs.

The ecological complex also includes state-of-the-art insulation, photovoltaic, and circular water management systems.

Smith, a James Beard Award winner and former personal chef to Oprah Winfrey, is celebrated for his work with Common Threads, a nonprofit, and currently runs Reunion and Blue Door Kitchen & Garden in Chicago. 

Stefani, whose Italian restaurant empire began in 1980 with Stefani’s, operates the Stefani Restaurant Group, running Tavern on Rush, Stefani Prime, Tuscany, Castaways Beach Club, Stefani’s Bottega Italiana, and Broken English Taco Pub. 

“As a Catholic and Italian, this project is a dream for my family and me,” Stefani said. “To be part of a culinary experience on Vatican property is deeply meaningful to us. But we also share this honor with the city of Chicago. We have the unique opportunity to bring a taste of home, some of that unique Chicago spirit, to a global audience.” 

Johnson called Smith and Stefani “true Chicago legends” and the partnership a “striking and serendipitous win” for the city.

Another Chicago tie is Father Manuel Dorantes, appointed administrative management director of the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education in November 2024. Previously pastor of St. Mary of the Lake-Our Lady of Lourdes Parish on Chicago’s North Side, Dorantes joined Pope Leo XIV at Friday’s ceremony.

Jason Adkins, the executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, speaks to “EWTN News In Depth” anchor Catherine Hadro on the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. “Almost everyone ... in our Catholic community has a connection to Annunciation,” he said. / Credit: “EWTN News In Depth.”/Screenshot

CNA Staff, Sep 6, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).

A leading Catholic advocate in Minnesota is calling for an “all-of-the-above” approach to school safety and security in the wake of the Aug. 27 mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis that claimed the lives of two children and injured more than 20 children and adults.

Jason Adkins, the executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, told “EWTN News In Depth” anchor Catherine Hadro on Friday that “nonpublic school students” should have access to the same levels of security as those in public schools.

“We’ve been consistent advocates for [security] policies that include, and are nondiscriminatory against, nonpublic school students,” he said.

“We think that when the state makes a commitment to protecting students and to promote public safety, [that it’s] a basic public safety issue that should be available to all students, irrespective of where they go to school,” he argued further.

Adkins noted that Minnesota Catholic leaders in the past have implored state lawmakers to provide security funding for local nonpublic schools, though those calls went unheeded prior to the Aug. 27 shooting. “People have noticed that,” he said.

“Looking at school safety programs, nonprofit security grants, all these things — we have to take an all-of-the-above approach to looking at public policy solutions that limit gun violence in our communities,” he said.

Focusing just on guns will ‘fall short’

The Annunciation shooting once again touched off what is a regular debate in U.S. politics regarding school safety and gun crime. Some advocates have called for broad new gun control laws, while others have argued for arming teachers in classrooms.

In a statement this week amid a special session of the Minnesota Legislature, Adkins acknowledged that “continued discussion is warranted about access to certain weapons and high-capacity magazines.”

“At the same time, a special session that focuses only on gun regulations will fall short, as the issue runs deeper than firearm access,” he argued, calling for a focus on school security measures “that ensure the safety of all students.”

Adkins told Hadro, meanwhile, that policymakers and leaders “have to have honest conversations and take a look at every facet of this problem and explore creative solutions.”

In addressing the problem, meanwhile, he said those seeking solutions “have to see with the eyes of Christ.”

“Ultimately, there’s no political solution to what’s a theological and spiritual problem,” he said. “The answer to all these problems and challenges is ultimately the call to holiness.”

From left to right: Actor Marcin Kwaśny as Maximilian Kolbe and Christopher Sherwood as Karl Fritzsch in “Triumph of the Heart.” / Credit: Triumph of the Heart movie/Sherwood Fellows

CNA Staff, Sep 6, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Anthony D’Ambrosio grew up Catholic and always viewed his faith as one of the most important aspects of his life — even entering seminary for a brief period of time. However, he felt called to leave seminary and go into youth ministry. He fell in love and was about to get engaged when he was diagnosed with a life-altering medical condition — a chronic mold infection with a major symptom being severe and even life-threatening insomnia.

D’Ambrosio’s relationship ended, he couldn’t maintain a job, and his faith unraveled. It was during the sleepless nights that he began to discover the story of St. Maximilian Kolbe, which led to creating a movie about the saint — “Triumph of the Heart.” It will be released in theaters on Sept. 12.

St. Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish Franciscan friar, priest, and martyr who volunteered to die in place of another man in the German death camp of Auschwitz. Kolbe spent the last 14 days of his life in a starvation bunker alongside nine other men. “Triumph of the Heart” focuses on Kolbe’s last days on earth spent in the starvation bunker.

While writing the film, D’Ambrosio began to see his own battle with insomnia as “being a bit of a stand-in for starvation,” he told CNA in an interview. The fact that Kolbe was also able to accompany three other men “to that miracle of staying alive for 14 days without food or water with him” was also meaningful for D’Ambrosio because “I knew that if Kolbe could have helped men in that situation to find a reason to live, that he could help me to find a reason to live.”

As D’Ambrosio spent more and more time with Kolbe’s story, he began to “see what true sanctity looked like, what love looked like.”

“This idea that he had volunteered to take on the suffering of these men in order to be with them — that really began to melt my own heart and to open me back up to God’s presence,” he added.

It was then that D’Ambrosio began his journey to create the film. He began to write the script, pilgrimaged several times to Poland to learn more about Kolbe, lived with the Franciscan friars in Poland, studied his story with the librarian who handles his archives, and ultimately worked with an American crew and partnered with Poles to tell the martyr’s story.

Despite facing numerous challenges while making the film, D’Ambrosio said the most beautiful aspect was seeing “how generous the Catholic world has been.”

“Triumph of the Heart” was an entirely crowdfunded movie — meaning all production costs were covered thanks to donations from individuals.

D’Ambrosio shared that not only did everyday Catholics generously donate financially, but they also donated airline miles for the crew to be able to travel and many volunteered to go to Poland on their own dime to help with the production while the team was there for three months filming.

“I mean the whole movie is just a compilation of the stories of people who have sacrificed immensely in order to tell the story,” D’Ambrosio said.

When reflecting on the life and story of Kolbe, D’Ambrosio said it serves as a great reminder to Catholics that “when everything is hopeless, really, truly, love has the power to overcome darkness and to change the world.”

“The choice to have to maintain love and hope and faith in the face of darkness is the most powerful expression of God’s love and presence that any person can offer the world,” he added.

Despite having his life’s work destroyed by the Nazis and witness his country of Poland be conquered and destroyed by the Germans, Kolbe maintained his faith, and for D’Ambrosio “that has been the part of his life that has resounded the most throughout history and throughout time.”

“I think for anybody that is struggling in any way in their lives right now, they can look at his suffering and look at the fruit of it and make sense in many ways — maybe not make sense but they can like find a balm and find a compass for their own action the way that I did,” he said.

D’Ambrosio emphasized that the movie is primarily about hope and said he finds it “very apropos that this year was declared to be a Jubilee of Hope and that somehow Kolbe’s movie and his story is coming out in the jubilee year.”

The filmmaker said he hopes viewers “will come away with this catharsis — with this feeling of all of that was worth it if that’s what heaven is like.”

“I think that the way that the movie leaves people is like a little promise of ‘Hey, it’s going to be OK. The place we’re going is better and all of the suffering and trials and tribulations that you go through here now and all the crosses that you bear, they will be fully redeemed and you will be completely filled up and made new.’”