The Catholic Church in East Saint James Parish

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 4, 2025 / 17:47 pm (CNA).

U.S. bishops and other Catholic leaders are offering “prayers of support and solidarity” for world leaders who will discuss climate change and other environmental matters at an upcoming conference.

The 30th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) is scheduled for Nov. 10–21 in Belém, Brazil. World leaders, scientists, and representatives from civil society will discuss ways to implement solutions to combat climate change and form new national action plans. 

Archbishop Borys Gudziak, chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the Committee on International Justice and Peace; and Sean Callahan, CEO of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), are calling for “urgent, courageous action to protect God’s creation and people.” 

“This year’s COP30 convenes while the Catholic Church celebrates the Jubilee Year of Hope,” the leaders said in a Nov. 4 statement. It is “a sacred opportunity to restore relationships and renew creation at a time when the gift of life is under grave threat.”

“Pope Leo XIV called for the participants of COP30 to ‘listen to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor, families, Indigenous peoples, involuntary migrants and believers throughout the world,’” the leaders said.

“Climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation are devastating communities already burdened by poverty and exclusion. Farming and fishing families confront threats to their livelihoods; Indigenous peoples face destruction of their ancestral lands; children’s health, safety, and futures are at risk,” the statement said.

“A decade ago, in Laudato Si’, Pope Francis reminded us that the climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all, and that intergenerational solidarity is not optional,” the statement said. “Failing to steward God’s creation ignores our responsibility as one human family.”

The leaders are calling on world leaders to act “urgently” to implement the Paris Agreement, a 2015 international treaty to limit global warming that “protects God’s creation and people.”

The leaders asked that countries and civil society organizations recommit to implementation that fosters economic opportunities, commits to efforts that reduce climate warming emissions, and pledges loss and damage financing that guarantees priority and direct access to vulnerable communities. 

They also asked that they ensure a just transition to a sustainable economy centered on workers, communities, and creation and make financing for climate solutions timely and transparent while also upholding human dignity.

“As all of us are impacted, so must we all be responsible for addressing this global challenge,” the leaders said. “Together, these actions can work towards integral ecology and ‘give priority to the poor and marginalized in the process.’”

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CNA Staff, Nov 4, 2025 / 16:32 pm (CNA).

Claim: Primary care operations are closing because President Donald Trump defunded Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.

CNA finds: Abortion providers prioritize abortion over primary care, causing closures. Community health clinics across the country continue to offer care without providing abortions.

Breakdown: When President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, taxpayer dollars were no longer allowed to be used to subsidize abortion providers for one year. Because of this, abortion providers don’t currently qualify for federal Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.

Rather than giving up abortion offerings, abortion providers like Planned Parenthood and Maine Family Planning are closing their doors to primary care patients.

Maine Family Planning provides abortions up to 14 weeks as well as birth control and “gender-affirming” health care. Across 18 clinics, Maine Family Planning provided about 600 patients with primary care in 2024. Meanwhile, the group provided more than 600 abortions in the same year, according to its own numbers.

Meanwhile, nearly a quarter of its funding comes from Medicaid. In total, it receives nearly $2 million in Medicaid reimbursements each year, according to the Maine Morning Star.

Maine Family Planning sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services earlier this year, but a federal district court in August rejected its request for taxpayer dollars. On Oct. 31, the Associated Press reported that Maine Family Planning would close its primary care operations.

The organization is not the only abortion provider to shut down primary care rather than opt out of offering abortion. Planned Parenthood locations in California, for instance, are closing primary care facilities while continuing to offer abortions.

“Why do these organizations close clinics — but not abortion programs?” asked the director of Maine Right to Life, Michael McClellan.

“It’s important to note that when organizations such as Maine Family Planning choose to close primary care offices, that decision rests with them,” McClellan said. “Federal funding changes simply ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used — directly or indirectly — to promote or perform abortions.”

McClellan noted that “many other providers across Maine continue to serve patients under these same guidelines.”

Kelsey Pritchard, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America spokeswoman, said that abortion providers don’t prioritize primary care services.

For both Maine Family Planning and Planned Parenthood, Pritchard said that “primary care services clearly aren’t the priority and it’s no surprise they are on the chopping block.”

“Policymakers shouldn’t negotiate with entities that play these cruel games — dropping patients’ real health care needs to double down on ending babies’ lives,” Pritchard said.

Maine Family Planning did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

What options exist for women? 

Community health centers vastly outnumbered Planned Parenthood locations in the U.S., according to a report by Charlotte Lozier Institute.

There are “more than 8,800 community health centers that provide comprehensive care to vulnerable populations and offer women’s health services, in comparison to just 579 Planned Parenthood centers as of spring 2025,” the Charlotte Lozier Institute report read.

Maine has about 70 community health centers offering women’s health — many of which are located in rural areas. More broadly, in Maine there are 131 Federally Qualified Health Centers — clinics that qualify for reimbursement under Medicare and Medicaid.

“Maine residents continue to have access to a wide range of health services through community health centers, federally qualified health clinics, and hospital-based practices that provide comprehensive, life-affirming care for women and families,” McClellan said.

“These clinics offer prenatal and postnatal care, cancer screenings, immunizations, and preventive health services — without performing or referring for abortions,” he continued.

Many “better options” are available, Pritchard said.

“The pro-life movement is happy to help patients locate the care they need and deserve,” Pritchard said.

“The pro-life movement in Maine is deeply committed to supporting both women and their children — before, during, and after birth,” McClellan added. “Through a network of pregnancy resource centers, faith communities, and local service agencies, women can access free pregnancy testing, prenatal support, parenting classes, material assistance, housing help, and referrals for ongoing health care.”

The verdict: Some clinics are closing because they choose to continue providing abortion. Many other clinics continue to provide care for patients in Maine and across the U.S.

Jesus exposed in the Blessed Sacrament. / Credit: Comunidade Javé Nissi via Pexels

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 4, 2025 / 15:04 pm (CNA).

The number of people who believe their faith does not depend on attending Mass has increased as more Catholics are cultivating a personal relationship with Jesus, according to a recent survey of U.S. Catholic beliefs.

ACS Technologies, a church management software and data analysis company, investigated the trends in “American Beliefs Study: Religious Preferences and Practices.” The study researched the religious preferences, practices, beliefs, and media habits of Americans. 

Initially conducted in 2012-2013 and repeated in 2016-2017, 2020-2021, and 2024-2025, the study reflects the responses of roughly 60,000 participants over time. The most recent version of the study surveyed more than 15,000 Americans on Christian preferences, affiliations, values, and beliefs.

ACST Catholic, a business of ACS Technologies, specifically examined the feedback from 3,100 self-identified Catholic participants in the most recent survey. The updated findings were published in a recent guide: “The Evolving Landscape of Catholic Beliefs in 2025.”

The research revealed the percentage of Catholics who say they have a personal relationship with Jesus jumped from 61% in 2021 to 68% in 2025. There was also an increase in respondents who said belief in Jesus does not require participation in Mass, increasing from 68% to 71%.

Nearly half of Catholic respondents reported irregular Mass attendance. They gave reasons that have been consistent in each wave of the study. The most common reasons people reported were that religion is too focused on money, they have fallen out of the habit since COVID-19, religious people are too judgmental, and they do not trust religious leaders or organized religion. 

“The encouraging news from our latest survey is that core Catholic beliefs — such as the Resurrection and the divinity and humanity of Jesus — have grown,” said Terry Poplava, general manager of ACST Catholic and author of the study. 

The data found an increase in Catholics who expressed agreement that Jesus rose from the dead. In 2021, 44% of Catholics strongly agreed Jesus rose from the dead, (67% somewhat and strongly agreed). In 2025, 49% strongly agree (72% somewhat and strongly agree). Regarding the belief that Jesus was both divine and human, agreement increased from 74% to 78%.

What Catholics seek in a parish

As the study found a number of Catholics are questioning parish life, it also examined what people are seeking in a parish.

“Authentic community and meaningful relationships are even more important to people than quality sermons or sacramental celebrations,” Poplava said. “Our parishes have an opportunity to respond to this need and foster the real connections people are longing for.”

The 2021 research found Catholics often seek “warm and friendly encounters” when looking for a new parish. The 2025 response found three things Catholics seek: warm and friendly encounters (63%), quality sermons (56%), and celebration of sacraments (53%). 

Catholics who strongly agree that they seek warm and friendly encounters in a parish grew from 32% to 36%. However, the importance of the celebration of sacraments decreased from 37% to 33% and the quality of sermons slightly decreased from 31% to 30%.

More than half of Catholics reported they prefer a traditional worship experience (53%) to contemporary (30%). Poplava said: “Existing churches are being renovated to appear more traditional, including icons, candles, and windows. All of this is intended to instill a sense of reverence, awe, and respect for the sacred space.”

Despite the data finding that parish life faces “persistent challenges,” it also found that “personal faith is deepening” within the Catholic landscape.

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CNA Staff, Nov 4, 2025 / 06:30 am (CNA).

Catholic schools are faring much better in dioceses in which state-funded voucher programs are available for parents to use to pay school tuition, one researcher has found, though enrollment is still declining in most places.

John F. Quinn, a historian at Salve Regina University in Rhode Island, examined six Catholic dioceses over the last 16 years — three in states with voucher programs and three in states without them — and found that parochial schools are benefiting from vouchers.

He presented his research at the Society of Catholic Social Scientists’ annual conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, in October.

Quinn found that since 2009, the dioceses of Providence, Rhode Island; Fall River, Massachusetts; and Rockford, Illinois — none of which are located in states with voucher programs — have seen school closures and drops, some very large, in their parochial school enrollment.

Providence schools have seen a two-thirds drop, from 16,000 students in 2009 to about 10,000 in 2025, according to the historian. 

The Diocese of Fall River, meanwhile, saw a 36% drop in enrollment, going from 7,800 students in 2009 to 5,000 in 2025. Rockford’s diocese saw a precipitous 52% drop, with 15,500 students in 2009 and 7,400 today. All three dioceses also saw multiple parochial school closures.

The numbers are very different in the dioceses in states that have voucher programs.

According to Quinn, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis only saw its enrollment numbers drop 3% since 2009. Nearly 23,000 were enrolled in its parochial schools in 2009, and the number stands at 22,300 today. The overall population of the archdiocese has also dropped 5% over the same time period, he noted.  

Indiana’s Choice Scholarship Program was launched in 2011 and expanded to nearly all residents in 2025.

Two other dioceses, Orlando and Venice, are both in Florida, a state that approved its voucher program in 1999 and expanded it significantly in 2023.

The Diocese of Orlando has seen a 13% drop, going from 14,500 students in 2009 to 12,750 in 2025.

The Diocese of Venice, a relatively new one established in 1984, has seen a 52% increase in parish school enrollment since 2009 and growth in its number of parochial schools. In 2009, 4,400 students attended three high schools and 10 elementary schools, and today there are four high schools and 12 elementary schools with an enrollment of 6,800.

Quinn acknowledged that Florida has a growing population but said even taking that into account, the voucher programs have indisputably aided the Catholic schools there.

“We are full up with nearly every school at capacity,” Father John Belmonte, SJ, Diocese of Venice Superintendent of Catholic Education, said in September.

History of parochial schooling

“America’s Catholic leaders have long seen parochial schools as critical to the well-being of the Church in America,” Quinn noted. 

He recalled the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1884, at which the bishops “called for every parish to have a school and for all Catholic parents to send their children” to them.

Quinn noted that pastors would sometimes build a parish school first before completing the church building.

In 1965, the high point of parochial school enrollment, 52% of American Catholic children, or 5.2 million students, were enrolled at 13,000 Catholic grammar and high schools. 

Quinn cited the National Catholic Educational Association’s annual report, released in the spring, that showed just under 1.7 million students are currently enrolled in the nation’s current 8,500 parochial schools.

In 1965, nearly 70% of all parochial school teachers, or 115,607, were religious sisters, priests, or brothers, according to the Cardinal Newman Society. 

By 1990, only 2.5% of parochial school faculty were priests or religious, and that number remains the same today.

Quinn said costs started rising as more lay teachers replaced religious and priests in the classroom.

The Intercession of Charles Borromeo supported by the Virgin Mary dome fresco by Johann Michael Rottmayr in St. Charles’s Church, Austria. / Credit: godongphoto/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Nov 4, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

St. Charles Borromeo, whose feast day the Catholic Church celebrates Nov. 4, was a cardinal and a prominent teacher of the Catholic faith. He generously donated much of his considerable wealth to charity and sacrificed his own health to help plague victims at a time when many other authorities fled.

And, despite what you might have heard, he probably wasn’t obese.

Why does that matter? Well, because Charles is popularly invoked as a patron saint of stomach ailments and also of obesity and dieting. These patronages — and whether or not he was himself obese — are not mentioned in hagiographies of St. Charles, so it’s unclear how this particular association began. Charles was known for helping the poor in times of famine and for practicing self-mortification, and he was certainly not known to indulge in food to excess.

Whether or not his invocation by dieters is appropriate, what is clear is that St. Charles Borromeo had a massive influence on the Church.

Charles was born in 1538 near Milan. He was born wealthy — in fact, he was part of the famously rich and influential Medici family — but sought to use his wealth to benefit the Church rather than himself.

Owing in part to his well-connected family, Charles soon assumed staggering responsibilities, serving as a papal diplomat and supervisor of major religious orders.

Charles was a central figure in the Council of Trent (1545–1563), which among other things served as the Church’s official answer to the Protestant Reformation. Its twofold mission was to clarify Catholic doctrine against Protestant objections and reform the Church internally against many long-standing problems. As a papal representative, Charles participated in the council’s conclusion in 1563, when he was only 25, and was ordained a priest during the council. He also played a leading role in assembling its comprehensive summary, the Catechism of the Council of Trent.

Charles’ uncle, Pope Pius IV, appointed him archbishop of Milan in 1563, and soon after he became a cardinal. He found his diocese in a state of disintegration, after two generations of virtually no local administration or leadership. Charles got straight to work establishing schools, seminaries, and centers for religious life. He constantly directed the work of restoration of ecclesiastical discipline and the education of the young, even down to minute details. He tried as much as possible to live a simple life and give to the poor whenever possible, and he practiced self-mortification.

The clergy during this time were in many cases lax and careless, living scandalous lives, such that the people had grown to be equally negligent and sinful. While bishop of Milan, St. Charles oversaw many dramatic and effective reforms of the clergy, the liturgy, and of religious education. He encountered much opposition to those reforms, so much so that a group of disgruntled monks attempted to kill him, but he was miraculously unharmed when an assassin fired a gun straight at him while kneeling in prayer at an altar.

He was very active in preaching and ministry and was famous for bringing back many lapsed Catholics to the Church. As a result, today he is honored as the patron saint of catechists and catechumens, people who teach and learn the faith. In fact, he was the founder of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, which systematically instructed children in the faith — the forerunner of the modern “Sunday school.”

In 1571, the region where Charles was working suffered a severe famine, during which he worked tirelessly to help the starving, supporting at his own expense as many as 3,000 people daily for three months. At the same time, Charles himself suffered various ailments, including a low fever.

A few years later, a plague struck Milan. Charles was convinced that the plague was sent as a chastisement for sin and sought to give himself all the more to prayer and to service to his people. He paid personal visits to plague-stricken houses to comfort those suffering, and as a spiritual penance, he walked in procession, barefoot, with a rope around his neck and a relic in his hand.

At the end of 1584 Charles suffered a skin infection in one of his legs but still continued to travel to take care of his diocese. He died young at the age of 46 on Nov. 3, 1584, and was canonized 26 years later, in 1610.

This story was first published on Nov. 4, 2022, and has been updated.

President Donald Trump holds a press briefing with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in August 2025. / Credit: Joey Sussman/ Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 3, 2025 / 18:30 pm (CNA).

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened military action against Nigeria if it fails to end Christian persecution.

“If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria and may very well go into that now-disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump said in a social media post Nov. 1.

The commander-in-chief further revealed he has instructed the Pentagon to “prepare for possible action.”

“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!” he added: “WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to the post on Saturday, writing: “The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately. The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”

The post alluding to possible military action comes after Trump announced he would designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC) on Oct. 31.

Under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the U.S president must designate countries that engage in or tolerate “particularly severe violations of religious freedom” as CPCs. Violations include torture, prolonged detention without charges, and forced disappearence, according to the State Department.

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN,’” Trump said Oct. 31.

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts during a September 2025 interview with CNA. / Credit: Jack Haskins/EWTN News

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 3, 2025 / 17:52 pm (CNA).

The Heritage Foundation is receiving backlash after Kevin Roberts, its president, defended Tucker Carlson’s recent controversial interview with Nick Fuentes. 

Roberts said in a video message on social media Oct. 30 that “the venomous coalition attacking [Carlson] are sowing division” and that “their attempt to cancel him will fail.” While the Heritage Foundation president said he disagreed with and abhorred Fuentes’ views, he said “canceling him is not the answer.” 

“When we disagree with a person’s thoughts and opinions, we challenge those ideas and debate,” Roberts said. “And we have seen success in this approach as we continue to dismantle the vile ideas of the left.” 

During the interview, Fuentes, who said he is Catholic, at one point said he admired Joseph Stalin and lamented against “organized Jewry in America.” For his part, Carlson at another point said he disliked Christian Zionists “more than anybody” and referred to Christian Zionism as a “brain virus” and a “Christian heresy.” 

Reports also surfaced that the Heritage Foundation had spent roughly $1.2 million sponsoring Carlson’s show, for about $75,000 per episode for a 12-month period beginning in June 2024. 

Fallout ensued after Roberts’ video, with Heritage Foundation staffers posting a meme with the caption “Nazis are bad” in reference to Fuentes’ antisemetic views and self-professed admiration of Hitler. 

The Hill initially reported further dissatisfaction among staffers and that Ryan Neuhaus, Roberts’ chief of staff, had been relocated Friday to another position within the organization. This came after Neuhaus reposted multiple statements in defense of Roberts’ video. Neuhaus has since resigned. 

Legal scholar and moral philosopher Robert P. George weighed in on the debate surrounding Carlson’s interview Nov. 1, writing: “Engaging and forcefully arguing against people who deny the inherent and equal dignity of all is one thing, welcoming them into the movement or treating their ideas and ideologies as representing legitimate forms of conservatism is something entirely different.”

He said American conservatism faces a challenge from those like Fuentes “seeking acceptance in the conservative movement and its institutions” with the ultimate goal of subverting “our commitment to inherent and equal human dignity.” 

“It is incumbent upon those of us who maintain the ‘ancient faith’ (to borrow a phrase from Lincoln) to make clear to friend and foe alike that we will not permit the integrity of our movement and its institutions to be compromised,” George concluded. 

President Donald Trump’s administration says Nov. 3, 2025, that it will partially fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits after several states sued to force a court order. / Credit: Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 3, 2025 / 17:08 pm (CNA).

President Donald Trump’s administration will partially fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits amid the ongoing government shutdown as Catholic nonprofits are working to accommodate people’s needs through charitable giving.

Food stamp benefits from SNAP came to a temporary halt Nov. 1 after Congress failed to reach an agreement to end the government shutdown or approve a stand-alone SNAP funding bill.

Several states sued, which led a federal court to order the administration to fully or partially fund the program. According to a Nov. 3 court filing, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agreed to drain the SNAP contingency fund to ensure some benefits are received this month.

The contingency fund can supply Americans on food assistance with about $4.6 billion in funds, which is about half of the $9 billion that was expected to be given. It is unclear when the benefits will show up on recipients’ Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.

Neither the USDA nor the White House responded to a request for comment.

As the shutdown reached its 34th day on Nov. 3, lawmakers were still disagreeing over extending taxpayer subsidies that lower health insurance costs under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and providing funding for a wall on the southern border, food assistance, and military pay. Most of the 2.9 million civilian federal workers are not receiving paychecks.

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia, questioned the USDA inspector general nominee John Walk on Oct. 30 about why the contingency fund wasn’t being used, which prompted the litigation from states.

“There’s nothing legally stopping the administration from making emergency food assistance funds that they’re just sitting on available for Georgia kids and families in November,” Warnock said. “But even as we debate what to do about these ACA subsidies, it is indisputable that the USDA under the Trump administration is choosing to pull hungry children into this fight.”

Filling the gap

Catholic organizations that provide food assistance to low-income people have been trying to fill the gap amid the funding losses. Catholic Charities USA launched a national fundraising effort Oct. 30 to “come to the aid of our vulnerable brothers and sisters during this time of dire need,” according to a news release.

Donations made through the new portal “will be used to buy and ship food directly to Catholic Charities agencies throughout the country that operate food pantries, soup kitchens, food delivery programs and a variety of other initiatives to support those facing hunger or food insecurity,” the news release noted. 

Some local Catholic Charities affiliates told CNA last week that they were committed to helping families in need access food but expressed concern that their organizations may be unable to fully supplement the billions of dollars in lost funding.

John Berry, president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the United States, said in a statement on Oct. 31 that the funding loss was “a bipartisan moral failure” and alleged that both parties “weaponized the defenseless.”

“This crisis is not a distant tragedy: It is right in front of our face in the look in a mother’s eyes as she worries that her innocent children may soon feel the ache of an empty stomach,” Berry said.

“Its roots run deep in the decisions of policymakers who have chosen partisan brinkmanship over human dignity, and the consequences demand an urgent moral critique through faith and reason,” he said. “This is not a partisan failure. Ironically, it’s one of the few times that both sides of the political aisle have managed to do something together — morally fail in their efforts to appeal to their supporters.”

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in an Oct. 28 statement urged lawmakers to find a solution that reopens the government and funds SNAP.

Broglio called the funding loss “unjust and unacceptable” and “catastrophic for families and individuals who rely on SNAP to put food on the table.” He said it “places the burdens of this shutdown most heavily on the poor and vulnerable of our nation, who are the least able to move forward.” 

The shutdown is already the second-longest government shutdown. Unless it is quickly resolved, it will likely surpass the longest government shutdown, which was 35 days long and occurred during Trump’s first term.

null / Credit: ShutterstockProfessional, Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Nov 3, 2025 / 11:37 am (CNA).

The Catholic Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Friday, Oct. 31, making it the 41st U.S. diocese to seek court-supervised reorganization in the wake of clergy sexual abuse claims.

Bishop Robert Marshall Jr., who has led the 50-parish diocese in central Louisiana since 2020, announced the petition in a letter and video posted to the diocese’s website. 

“As your bishop, I apologize to abuse survivors for the harm, pain, and suffering they experienced and continue to experience in their lives,” Marshall wrote. “This action is occurring because some past priest-perpetrators sexually abused minors, actions that are evil, sinful, and go against everything the Church and the priesthood represent.”

Eighty-five survivors have already filed claims, according to the diocese, with more expected after the court sets a bar date. More than half the allegations date to the 1970s or earlier; nearly every named perpetrator is deceased. 

A 2021 Louisiana law temporarily lifted the statute of limitations, triggering the surge in claims. The law allows victims to pursue civil damages indefinitely for abuse occurring on or after June 14, 1992, or where the victim was a minor as of June 14, 2021, with a three-year filing window (which ended June 14, 2024) for older cases.

The diocese lists $16.7 million in assets and $9.5 million in liabilities. It pledges $4 million plus limited insurance proceeds to a victim compensation trust. “The diocese believes it can contribute $4 million to a plan trust that will be used to compensate abuse survivors,” according to the frequently asked questions section of the diocese’s website.

Chapter 11 will freeze all pending lawsuits and funnel them into one court-supervised settlement. “Without a structured process of this kind, funds would be exhausted in the first settlements or cases that go to trial, leaving nothing for all the other claims waiting to be heard,” the diocese explained.

Parishes, which are separately incorporated from the diocese, remain untouched by the bankruptcy filing. Restricted donations, including the annual diocesan appeal and seminarian funds, are protected, and daily Masses, parish schools, and charities continue uninterrupted.

The bankruptcy filing comes as the diocese, experiencing declining numbers of priests, seminarians, and Mass attendance, is in the midst of a reorganization plan launched in 2024 titled “Together as One Church: Embracing the Future of Hope.” The plan will entail “closures and reconfigurations” of parishes and missions, according to the diocese.

In this context, Marshall, after consulting the priest council, finance council, and the Vatican, called the Chapter 11 filing “the most prudent course.”

The case, filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana, is projected to last 18 to 24 months and cost $1 million to $2 million in fees — far less than larger dioceses.

In 2019, the diocese published names of credibly accused clerics and has adopted the U.S. bishops’ safe environment policy. “We remain committed to transparency,” Marshall said.

The Alexandria filing follows the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ $230 million settlement last week.

St. Martin de Porres. / Credit: AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, Nov 3, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

On Nov. 3, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Martin de Porres, a Peruvian Dominican brother who lived a life of humble service and charity and became the first Black saint of the Americas.

Here are seven fascinating facts about this inspiring saint:

1. His father refused to acknowledge him.

De Porres was born in Lima, Peru, in 1579. He was the son of a Spanish nobleman and former Panamanian Black slave. His father, Don Juan de Porres, refused to publicly acknowledge the boy as his own because Martin was Black, like his mother. Being biracial would prove challenging for Martin de Porres throughout his life. 

2. He started practicing medicine before he was 13.

De Porres served as an apprentice to a doctor, and before the age of 13 he began to learn the practice of medicine. He would eventually become a barber, which at the time performed minor medical and surgical procedures like pulling teeth or emptying abscesses. 

3. He faced discrimination as a Dominican.

De Porres entered the Dominican order in 1603. Becoming a Dominican brother proved to be challenging for de Porres because a Peruvian law at the time prevented people of mixed race from joining religious orders. Therefore, he lived with the community and did manual work, earning himself the nickname “the saint of the broom” for his diligence in cleaning the Dominicans’ quarters.

Eventually he was allowed to enter the order, despite the law, and worked in the infirmary tending to the sick and among the impoverished of Peru. “I cure them, but God heals them,” de Porres would say when curing the sick. He also had the task of begging for alms that the community would use to clothe and feed the poor. He also established an orphanage and planted an orchard from which those in need could freely take a day’s supply of fruit. 

4. He levitated and bilocated.

De Porres was deeply prayerful, so much so that many of the brothers witnessed him levitating in intense prayer and embracing the crucified cross. De Porres reportedly also had the gift of bilocation, and some of his contemporaries said they encountered him in places as far off as Japan even as he remained in Lima. Some claimed he had appeared to them supernaturally behind locked doors or under otherwise impossible circumstances. 

5. He refused to eat meat.

De Porres loved animals. He refused to eat meat and ran a veterinary hospital for sick animals that seemed to seek out his help. Portrayals of the saint often include cats, dogs, and even the rats to whom he showed compassion.

6. He is the patron saint of multiple manual labor occupations.

De Porres was known for the various assignments he carried out and which earned him the title of patron saint of barbers, the sick, and street cleaners. On the 50th anniversary of St. Martin de Porres’ canonization, Father Juan Anguerri, director of the St. Martin de Porres Home for the Poor, said: “These are often thankless tasks, but yet through his humble service, St. Martin sent a message to revitalize these jobs.”

7. He was canonized more than 300 years after his death.

Martin de Porres died on Nov. 3, 1639, at age 60. He was canonized by Pope John XXIII on May 16, 1962. At his canonization Mass, John XXIII called him “Martin of Charity.” 

This story was first published on Nov. 3, 2021, and has been updated.