Stories for September 2026

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Monday, Sep. 21

 Pope Leo exhorts Latin American bishops to visit parishes, be prayerful, teach clearly
 US bishops’ National Migration Week focuses on migrant children
 Gaza Catholic school reopens after almost 3 years of war
 In Havana’s darkness, Cubans turn to faith
 Pope offers encouragement to Special Olympics athletes
 France has over 27,000 fewer parishes than in 1980
 Lourdes shrine covers Rupnik mosaics ahead of papal visit
 Pope calls for evaluation of Diocese of Rome’s activities, advises priests to ‘do less, and do it better’

Released Saturday, Sep. 19

 Man charged with terrorist threats against St. Louis archdiocese
 New USCCB resource discusses AI data centers
 Pope confirms election of Olivetan Benedictine abbot
 Vatican diplomat calls for greater access to technology in developing countries
 Uruguay’s bishops, Pontiff discuss secularism, family life
 New West Virginia bishop expands traditional Latin Mass
 Holy Land Franciscan laments deadly Gaza building collapse
 Blood of St. Januarius liquifies
 Not wars, but the weaving of peace produces civilization, Pope tells study center

Released Friday, Sep. 18

 Beautification of Oregon parish designed by prominent Modernist architect sparks controversy
 Bishop Barron appointed to US international religious freedom commission
 South Korean bishops, Protestant communities speak out against abortion pill
 Cardinal Cupich: AI presents ‘unique challenges and serious threats’
 Altar destroyed, statue smashed in Bari chapel
 USCCB publishes ‘faith before politics’ handout
 Cardinal Reina calls on Rome’s parishes to evangelize amid family breakdown, housing crisis
 Nigerian bishop says over 200 churches have been destroyed in his archdiocese
 Vatican diplomat decries hate speech, says it ‘cannot claim the protection of liberty’

Released Thursday, Sep. 17

 New Vatican Note proclaims success of dialogue [News Analysis]
 Syriac Catholic Church synod begins process of deposing Patriarch
 Pope Leo: New martyrs are ‘stars that shine out in the darkness of selfishness and oppression’
 Cardinal Koovakad: Vatican II’s ‘intuition’ on interreligious dialogue has become part of Church’s structure
 Cardinal Fernández: Interreligious dialogue does not entail hiding one’s Christian identity
 Cardinal Koch: Judaism is the ‘mother soil from which Christianity sprang’
 Holy See deplores continued production, use of cluster munitions
 US bishops establish AI task force, meet with tech company representatives
 Pope encourages prayer for young people through intercession of St. Stanislaus Kostka, St. Aloysius Gonzaga
 Turn to Our Lady of Sorrows, Pope says in rare greeting to Slovak pilgrims
 Cardinal Parolin urges Catholics not to emigrate from the Holy Land
 Auschwitz survivor, midwives meet with Pontiff

Released Wednesday, Sep. 16

 Vatican, in first, to submit film for Oscar consideration
 Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on the human community
 Vatican dicasteries publish document marking 60 years of interreligious dialogue
 Archbishop Gallagher calls for nuclear nonproliferation
 Cardinal Müller recounts day on film set with Mel Gibson
 Bishop Flores asks confrères, faithful to exercise verbal self-restraint before election
 Cardinal Brandmüller questions episcopal conferences, calls for restoration of local synods
 93 ambassadors offer reflections to Pope Leo
 Cardinal Farrell emphasizes the Cross as World Youth Day preparations continue
 USCCB: 1986 pastoral letter on the economy remains relevant today
 Vatican diplomat calls on companies, investors to combat slavery, human trafficking
 Vatican newspaper highlights plight of Gaza’s children

Released Tuesday, Sep. 15

 Pope Leo ends COVID-era salary cuts
 New leader appointed at a critical time for Belarus’ Byzantine Catholics
 Massachusetts Catholic parents fighting for custody of their trans teen: report
 Vatican diplomat calls for subsidiarity in international development decisions
 End deportation of ‘large numbers’ of Haitians, Archbishop Coakley urges President Trump
 Amid tensions, leading Canadian bishop says ‘we are neighbors’
 Pope provides for expansion of Vatican Archive and Library
 Chinese priest sees Sino-Vatican agreement as ‘realistic response’
 Russia is not a defender of Christian values, Ukrainian Catholic leader says
 USCCB publishes map of home-mission dioceses
 Pope visits Vatican Library, says reading books can feed the desire for God

Released Monday, Sep. 14

 English bishops welcome defeat of assisted-suicide legislation
 French Masonic leader calls for abolition of independent schools
 Coadjutor named for accused cardinal
 Leading Nigerian prelate calls on priests to be politically non-partisan, charitable on social media
 Vatican dicastery highlights Church’s charitable works in Cambodia
 Cameroon archbishop drafting catechism on peace following abductions of priests
 Vatican newspaper highlights humanitarian emergency in Yemen
 Pope Leo remembers 9/11, calls for renewed prayer for peace
 ‘Gift and forgiveness are the foundation of our existence,’ Pope tells pilgrims
 Pope recalls 250th anniversary of Slovak diocese
 Pope encourages Benedictine women religious to be ‘ever more rooted in Christ’
 Be like Nehemiah and seek the common good, Pope counsels Fratelli Tutti encounter participants

Released Saturday, Sep. 12

 17th-century German church vandalized
 Chicago archdiocese settles 9 abuse suits for $5.4M
 Ministry of Pontifical Mission Societies’ national director restricted amid allegations
 Cardinal Cupich, nuns win reprieve against Illinois assisted suicide law
 Pope extends best wishes for Jewish high holy days
 4th Fratelli Tutti Synodal Encounter begins in Rome
 Vatican cardinal calls on leaders of other religions to work together to build peace
 Italian bishop resigns at 64 following apostolic visitation
 Vatican permitted traditional Latin Mass in 34 dioceses in 2025
 ‘Very intense’ meeting between Pontiff, El Salvador’s bishops
 Pope speaks with Ukrainian bishop about diplomatic, spiritual push to end war
 Archbishop Hicks: Homily at 9/11 memorial Mass
 Vatican newspaper marks 9/11 anniversary; NY archbishop among contributors

Released Friday, Sep. 11

 English bishop seeks dismissal of rape charges
 Andorran PM says abortion to be legal by April, with or without Vatican support
 WCC leader calls for healing, reconciliation in Korea
 Cognitive impairment does not diminish human dignity, Vatican diplomat says
 English prelates urge action ahead of assisted suicide vote
 Pope declares Guadalupan Jubilee Year; plenary indulgence for pilgrims
 Continue to promote culture of peace, Pope tells Catholic Nonviolence Initiative
 Upcoming Vatican conference to highlight new martyrs
 Remain with Jesus in prayer, Pope emphasizes to new bishops
 Vatican newspaper highlights plight of ‘zombies’ of Nairobi

Released Thursday, Sep. 10

 Indianapolis archbishop grants Mass dispensation amid ICE detention fears
 Supreme Court declines injunction in Catholic mother’s vaccine case
 Sri Lankan bishops call for probe into mass graves
 USCCB issues statement for 9/11 anniversary
 Vatican, World Council of Churches discuss salvation, reconciliation
 Pope to preside over assembly of Diocese of Rome
 Pope, at audience, offers rare greeting to Croatian pilgrims
 Pope thanks Arab dialogue participants for efforts to promote harmony
 Ukrainian Greek Catholics thank Pontiff for support
 Malaysian Catholics begin national pastoral convention
 Latin American Catholic organizations call for ‘transformative dialogue’ on extractivism

Released Wednesday, Sep. 9

 More than 20,000 German churches may be abandoned over next decade
 Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on human dignity
 Witness to unity and become contemplatives, Pope tells Focolare bishops
 Indian archdiocese releases documentary on Mother Teresa
 Pontifical Academy for Life president: Catholics can support ‘imperfect’ euthanasia law
 New Jersey Catholic Conference calls for continued pro-life witness after governor signs law
 Synod study groups offer proposals for ad limina visits; relations between bishops, religious superiors
 Archbishop Gallagher recalls Cardinal Merry del Val’s example of diplomacy
 USCCB publishes homily suggestions ahead of midterm elections
 Another bishop consecrated in China
 Without the Gospel, Church programs become ‘blah blah,’ Vatican prefect tells new bishops
 El Niño threatens Africa, Vatican newspaper warns
 Let us commit ourselves to living as Jesus did, Pope tells West African youth

Released Tuesday, Sep. 8

 10,000 pro-lifers fill London’s streets at March for Life
 USCCB publishes brief text on AI
 Lay pastoral coordinator murdered in Philippines
 Vatican diplomat: Women should play a much greater role in peace processes
 Patriarch, Notre Dame launch Jerusalem peace research initiative
 Indonesia’s bishops rue corruption
 Ukrainian Catholic leader reflects on AI, risk of dehumanization
 ‘Mary is the dawn of a different day,’ Pope preaches at Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel

Released Monday, Sep. 7

 Maine’s Supreme Court, in divorce case, restricts mother’s religious influence on child’s upbringing
 Liechtenstein’s parliament backs abortion
 German Catholic, Protestant leaders deplore AfD victory
 Ghana’s bishops call for restraint following chief justice’s remarks
 Vatican newspaper reviews Cardinal Sarah’s new book on Gregorian chant
 Avoid ‘extremes’ in liturgical inculturation, Vatican official tells new bishops
 Bose monastery hosts conference on St. Pachomius
 USCCB publishes Stella Maris chaplain list
 Leading Canadian, Mexican, US bishops hold fraternal meeting
 L’Osservatore Romano highlights Cambodian ‘villages of hope’
 Pope Leo XIV to Vatican families: ‘Families give life and love’
 Vatican official: Marriage is a vocation to be proclaimed to young people

Released Sunday, Sep. 6

 Pope Leo laments recent attacks on Ukraine, renews peace appeal
 Fraternal correction, united prayer can help us grow in mutual love, Pope tells pilgrims
 Pope encourages Perpetual Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament in their vocation

Released Saturday, Sep. 5

 Record-breaking Mass attendance at Ohio State University
 L’Osservatore Romano hails publication of Breviary of St. Francis of Assisi
 Jordan is an example for entire Middle East, bishop says
 Scholas Occurrentes, Vatican official ponder ‘AI and human meaning’
 Latvia’s president, Pontiff discuss peace
 Nearly 30% of Pakistan’s Catholics expected at national Marian pilgrimage
 Celebrate your Catholic origins and follow Newman’s example, Pope tells Oriel College delegation
 Holy See renews call for ratification of Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
 278 million children denied right to education because of war, other factors, Vatican newspaper laments

Released Friday, Sep. 4

 Kuwait cabinet minister affirms commitment to freedom of belief, worship
 Man accused of murdering Kansas priest found not competent to stand trial
 Cardinal Cupich, nuns sue Illinois to stop law forcing them to help patients kill themselves
 EU bishops argue against erasure of names from baptismal records
 Vatican newspaper mourns Centro Aletti’s Michelina Tenace
 Venice Patriarch rues approval of assisted suicide
 USCCB publishes Order of Enthronement of the Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
 US bishops’ Labor Day statement highlights challenges of AI
 Assist the victims of nuclear weapons testing, Vatican diplomat urges
 Vatican newspaper highlights World Nomad Games

Released Thursday, Sep. 3

 Pontiff, Colombia’s president discuss earthquake
 Cultivate your relationship with Christ and entrust yourselves to Mary, Pope tells seminarians
 Focus on the essentials and do not be afraid, Pope tells Arab bishops
 Haitian prelate appeals to President Trump to allow Haitians to remain in US
 Cardinal Woelki ‘deeply shaken’ by situation of Christians in West Bank
 Ogdensburg diocese seeks to end bankruptcy with $83M abuse fund
 Another German bishop resigns; cites ‘toll of office’
 Hong Kong court upholds Cardinal Zen’s conviction
 International Theological Commission publishes document on the Trinity and ecology
 Iran’s crackdown on Christians intensifies
 Pope Leo pays tribute to St. Gregory the Great

Released Wednesday, Sep. 2

 Cardinal Ouellet wins defamation suit against accuser
 The Church must listen to the world and serve it, Pope says in audience on Vatican II
 Christ is the only source of eternal life, Cardinal Baggio says at Season of Creation prayer service
 Cardinal Czerny marks Amazon apostolate’s anniversary, calls for examination of conscience
 Nigerian bishops decry Islamist attack on mosque
 New nuncio begins mission in Germany
 Jerusalem’s Christian schools close after Israel denies permits to Palestinian staff
 Vatican newspaper editor raps ‘deniers of climate change’
 Texas bishop establishes 1st parish named after Ghanaian ISIS martyr
 Forgive us for turning water into a commodity, Pope prays
 Carmelite sisters building a monastery to ‘last a thousand years’ in Pennsylvania
 Contemplate creation and encounter the Creator, Pope preaches at world prayer day Mass

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Mon21 September
Ordinary Time

Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

Image for Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

Today is the Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist. At the time that Jesus summoned him to follow Him, Matthew was a publican, that is, a tax-collector for the Romans. His profession was hateful to the Jews because it reminded them of their subjection; the publican, also, was regarded by the…

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