Stories for August 2026

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Wednesday, Aug. 26

 Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on motivations for liturgical reform
 Let us together promote peace and justice, Pope tells Norway’s Lutheran leaders
 Edmonton archbishop condemns attack on Sikh temple
 US dioceses vary in granting, denying religious exemptions to vaccines
 Knights of Columbus’ Supreme Knight named to Vatican dicastery
 Conversions surge on US college campuses
 Leading German bishop has ‘great concern’ AfD could win election, ‘great respect’ for lay homilies
 Papal message: Christ transforms us in the liturgy
 Vatican gives aid to food initiative for Ukrainian soldiers
 Pope to celebrate Mass for Care of Creation in Pontifical Gardens

Released Tuesday, Aug. 25

 Papal message to Waldensians calls for witness to human dignity in AI era
 Detroit archbishop assigns auxiliary bishops to parish ministry
 Bishop Barron sees unregulated border as ‘morally very dangerous’
 Ukrainian Catholic leader urges defense of nation’s independence
 Singapore cardinal distinguishes Sacred Tradition from traditions
 Father Hamel’s sister, killer’s mother spread message of peace
 Archbishop Gallagher begins 3-day visit to Russia
 Pope Leo: In persons with intellectual disabilities, we see Christ’s gaze
 Pope Leo hails ‘noble mission’ of military, law enforcement personnel

Released Monday, Aug. 24

 Vatican approves English, Spanish translations of Mass for the Care of Creation
 Report: Vatican revokes Buffalo bishop’s imposition of abuse assessment on parish
 Dutch bishop renews criticism of synodality
 Debate about sex ed guidelines for schools in German archdiocese continues after Vatican letter
 Head of Armenian Apostolic Church on trial for refusing to reinstate bishop
 Pope calls for aid for DR Congo amid Ebola epidemic
 ‘Jesus calls us to give a personal response,’ Pope tells pilgrims
 Pope, at Mass in Rimini, reflects on service of binding and loosing
 Follow Christ and be active in the Church’s life, Pope tells poor, disabled in Rimini
 Pope, in Rimini, pays tribute to Communion and Liberation’s heritage, calls it to embrace synodal renewal
 Christ is the greatest gift we can offer others, Pope tells Church in San Marino

Released Saturday, Aug. 22

 Pope visits San Marino, calls for respect for primacy of conscience
 Ohio basilica, national shrine rector relieved of duties following indecency charge
 Lourdes bishop says all Rupnik mosaics will be covered up before papal visit
 NY diocese announces laicization of priest
 Maine diocese reaches ‘7-figure’ abuse settlement with more than 100 people
 Abuse survivors launch ProtestantAccountability.org database
 FBI: 84 victims of anti-Catholic hate crimes in 2025
 German police protect pro-life gathering from protestors; 12 injured
 Nigerian bishop laments political manipulation of religion

Released Friday, Aug. 21

 Pope offers guidance to Catholic lawmakers as they address AI
 SSPX Masses, sacraments barred at Lourdes shrine
 Court prevents Massachusetts city from installing statues of Saints Michael and Florian
 Apostolic nuncio to Ukraine calls for prayer for the conversion of Russia
 Paris archbishop says assisted suicide law is ‘not the end of the fight’
 Pope sees Mediterranean Games as opportunity to build bridges
 Kenyan man arrested for pretending to be a priest
 Imam’s daughter becomes nun
 USCCB publishes liturgical resource for National Mental Health Sunday
 Lebanon’s president calls on Pope Leo to press for Israeli withdrawal

Released Thursday, Aug. 20

 ‘Seek peace and care for creation,’ Pope urges in message for upcoming world day of prayer
 Canadian military chaplains instructed not to refer to God in spiritual reflections; bishops respond
 San Francisco parishes hit with large assessments for abuse settlement
 Swiss bishop calls for broader access to traditional Latin Mass to prevent SSPX growth
 Juries should have 12 members, USCCB argues in Supreme Court brief
 USCCB publishes clergy notes, Q&A on abortion pills
 Brazilian bishops issue report on violence against indigenous peoples
 Pope prays for Polish pilgrims killed in bus accident
 Citing recurrent depression, German bishop resigns at 66
 Pope encourages faithful to cultivate a commitment to peace
 Pope Leo recalls victims of Stalinism, Nazism; pays tribute to Blessed Władysław Findysz

Released Wednesday, Aug. 19

 Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on sacred music
 USCCB announces initiative against abortion pills
 St. Bernadette’s relics to tour the United States
 Cologne cardinal says defining synodality a ‘major challenge’ for Church
 Australian state’s inquiry raps Catholic schools over ‘bullying and discrimination faced by LGBTIQA+ students’
 Baptisms in Ireland fall 30% over 10 years
 Cardinal Parolin recalls St. Agatha, prays for persecuted Christians
 Vatican vegetable garden goes 100% organic
 American CEO, 2 Notre Dame professors named consultors to Vatican dicastery
 Pope mourns victims of Zimbabwe ferry accident

Released Tuesday, Aug. 18

 Florida bishops push back against AG over vaccine mandates
 Ukrainian Catholic priest charged with over $740K in thefts in Pennsylvania
 Catholic schools shouldn’t mimic secular schools, Columbus bishop says
 Sydney archbishop complains to ombudsman over media coverage of assisted suicide
 Los Angeles archbishop leads Eucharistic procession through Skid Row
 Leading English prelate laments international religious freedom violations
 Parish vandalized in Tel Aviv
 Cardinal Parolin pays tribute to St. Agatha
 Cardinal Pizzaballa visits beleaguered Palestinian Christian village
 Vatican News emphasizes longstanding papal support for 2-state solution
 Pope offers prayers, condolences for Indonesian earthquake victims

Released Monday, Aug. 17

 Germany sees increase in adult baptisms amid overall baptism decline
 San Antonio priest found guilty of schism, excommunicated, laicized
 160,000 Vietnamese faithful take part in Marian pilgrimage
 Russian missile strike damages Ukrainian Catholic cathedral
 Florida bishops ask governor to stay execution
 Zambia’s bishops decry suspension of vote counting in presidential election
 Vandals damage AC at San Antonio parish
 Dutch bishop, in open letter to Pope, argues against synodality
 Analysts link persecution of Church in Nicaragua to regime’s succession strategy
 Finnish MP, convicted for remarks on homosexuality, files appeal to European court
 Ukrainian Catholic leader hails 20th-century nationalist leader as remains repatriated
 Priest performs exorcism at ranch formerly owned by Jeffrey Epstein
 Europe’s tallest statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is blessed in Poland
 Severe earthquake strikes Flores, the ‘promised land for vocations’

Released Sunday, Aug. 16

 Unite yourselves to Christ, Pope tells Mexican young people
 Pope Leo calls for end to violence against West Bank Palestinian civilians
 Learn from the Canaanite woman, Pope tells pilgrims

Released Saturday, Aug. 15

 Arizona Supreme Court defines elements of clergy-penitent privilege
 Illinois bishop joins lawsuit against state’s assisted-suicide act
 Archbishop Coakley hails ‘forgotten virtue’ of patriotism
 Cardinal Poola laments persecution of Christians in India
 Jewish scholar elected president of Catholic Biblical Association of America
 Catholic village attacked in Bangladesh
 Pontiff invokes Virgin Mary’s intercession upon Holy Land, Ukraine, Russia, Colombia
 Iconography of the Dormition and Assumption allows us contemplate our destiny, Pope tells pilgrims
 Czech archdiocese cancels LGBTQ+ pilgrimage amid threats
 Papal visit to Pucallpa could prove decisive for Church in Amazon region, Peruvian prelates predict
 The Blessed Virgin Mary’s Assumption points us to true beauty, Pope Leo preaches

Released Friday, Aug. 14

 Pope draws attention to displaced minors in message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees
 Pope Leo calls for liturgical formation, fidelity to rubrics of the Mass
 Colombian bishops announce day of prayer, fundraising campaign
 English bishop charged with rape is released on bail
 Vatican newspaper examines Afghanistan’s plight, 5 years after fall of Kabul
 Bishops of the Pacific urge caution over deep-sea mining
 Arson attack on Polish church averted
 Vatican spokesman denounces new Massachusetts abortion law
 In Haiti, bishop sees Church as ‘last remaining retaining wall’ against gangs
 Australian bishop reacts to predecessor’s sexual assault conviction

Released Thursday, Aug. 13

 American named to Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences
 Texas parish mural vandalized
 USCCB publishes revised Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People
 South Sudanese prelate sees cultural dance as ‘powerful instrument’ for peace
 Earthquake caused serious damage to half of area churches, Colombian archbishop reports
 Australian bishop found guilty of sexually abusing young men
 Pope encourages Czech youth to witness to Christ’s love
 Pope Leo attributes Poland’s 1920 victory over Soviet Union to Virgin Mary’s intercession
 Pope prays for Colombian earthquake victims, sends alms
 Program announced for Pope’s visit to San Marino, Rimini

Released Wednesday, Aug. 12

 Pope calls on US religious sisters to foster unity, promote vocations
 Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on the liturgical year, emphasizes Sunday Mass
 Florida bishops advocate for Haitian community as ICE prepares for deportations
 Pakistan’s Christians, other minorities call for recognition of rights
 Pittsburgh bishop ends traditional Latin Mass at parish
 Colombia’s bishops appeal for solidarity, hope following severe earthquake
 Pope mourns Colombian earthquake victims, prays for the dead
 Massachusetts legalizes abortion through 9 months of pregnancy
 Ukrainian Catholic leader warns against Russian propaganda
 Theme announced for 2027 World Day of Peace: ‘Disarming Technology, Serving Peace’
 Pope Leo confirms Cardinal Marx as coordinator of Council for the Economy, appoints new members

Released Tuesday, Aug. 11

 Relics of St. Martin stolen from German parish
 Schools should be ‘laboratories of synodality,’ leading Philippine prelate says
 Chaldean Patriarch discusses current situation of Iraq’s Christians
 Report: CDF members, in 2016, voted against supernatural origin of Medjugorje events
 Ceuta’s bishop criticizes Moroccan and Spanish officials, calls for prayer
 Philippine nuns rescue women from human trafficking
 Jordan’s government begins preparations for 2000th anniversary of Christ’s Baptism
 West Bank Christians face increasing intimidation from Israeli settlers, priest says

Released Monday, Aug. 10

 Nigerian priest elected SIGNIS president
 Rhode Island bishop to celebrate Masses for ‘LGBTQ+ individuals, families, and friends’
 Be inspired by August saints, Pope tells young people
 Report: Nigerian seminarian, other kidnapping victim released
 Pope laments killing of civilians in Ukraine, Russia
 Indian Christian organization leader arrested for remarks on Hinduism
 Pope issues appeal for Sudanese civilians amid prospect of mass atrocities
 Msgr. Rossetti resumes deliverance ministry after removal as DC exorcist
 Christ walking on water teaches us to avoid presumption and despair, Pope tells pilgrims
 66% of Americans favor the death penalty
 Pontiff marks 900th anniversary of return of St. Agatha’s relics to Catania
 Texas diocese announces additional location for traditional Latin Mass
 Pontiff recalls 700th anniversary of origin of Marian shrine in Calabria

Released Saturday, Aug. 8

 The Dominican friars: a numerical overview
 Vatican dicastery thanks Lord for gift of priests
 Patriarch Kirill, in new book, calls on Russians not to shirk ‘duty to be victors’
 The dominant culture has ‘permeated ecclesial circles,’ Cardinal Sarah warns in wide-ranging interview
 Relic, 2 tabernacles desecrated at Madrid parish following repeated vandalism
 Leading Spanish prelate calls Ceuta migrant surge an ‘invasion’
 USCCB warns new Medicaid regulations will lead to administrative burdens, coverage loss
 Indonesian man raises funds to build 219 churches
 Mexico’s President Sheinbaum meets with Cardinal Parolin, hails Pope’s humanitarian vision
 Vatican newspaper editor praises Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey
 Vatican announces series of contemporary art exhibitions at universities
 ‘You are disciples before being influencers,’ Vatican official tells communicators
 Church in Cuba distributes US humanitarian aid
 Logo, motto announced for apostolic journey to France
 New Vatican coin set features Pope Leo, St. Francis

Released Friday, Aug. 7

 Vatican announces program for papal journey to France
 Kansas diocese establishes college seminary
 Australian bishops issue statement, ‘Living the Gospel in Times of Social Division’
 Cardinal Parolin, at Guadalupe, emphasizes presence, witness, and prayer
 Nigerian cardinal’s remarks about presidential advisors spark controversy
 War is disfigurement, Cardinal Tagle preaches on Feast of the Transfiguration
 Franciscan minister-general issues letter, ‘Clare, Woman of Peace’
 Safeguard voting rights, USCCB subcommittee chairman urges
 Cardinal Ambongo calls Church in Africa to embrace a deeper culture of listening
 541 people currently living at Gaza parish
 The Theatines: a numerical overview

Released Thursday, Aug. 6

 Listen to God, ‘dare to obey the Holy Spirit,’ and ‘be new saints,’ Pope Leo preaches in Assisi
 Follow Christ and do not fear lifelong commitments, Pope tells young people in Assisi
 Warm papal greetings for Polish people, Jasna Góra pilgrims
 USCCB committee chairman welcomes Gaza disarmament agreement
 German diocese criticizes donor’s offer of money for baptisms
 Mexico’s bishops mark 100th anniversary of persecution
 Latin American bishops, religious launch ‘Care unites us’ campaign
 Vatican newspaper highlights Ebola’s spread in DR Congo
 South American bishops welcome announcement of November papal trip
 Confucian-Christian dialogue’s final statement focuses on common convictions
 Pope mourns Mozambique’s Cardinal Langa, recalls him as ‘distinguished shepherd’

Released Wednesday, Aug. 5

 Pope to visit Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru in November
 Pope resumes audiences on Vatican II, encourages faithful to pray the Liturgy of the Hours
 Mozambique’s Cardinal Langa dies at 98
 Queens parish suffers 4th act of vandalism
 2 newly identified St. Augustine sermons found in Poland
 Michigan bishop responds to local ICE actions
 3 churches in French archdiocese desecrated
 Military leader tells bishops there is religious freedom in Myanmar
 Vatican newspaper calls for ‘sustainability-focused strategies’ amid nuclear power plant shutdowns
 Moroccan archdiocese assists migrants returning from Spanish city of Ceuta
 Vatican official brings relics from St. Peter’s Basilica to home parish in Indonesia
 Cardinal Koovakad highlights convergences, differences between Christianity, Confucianism
 Be a network, not a bureaucracy, Vatican prefect tells SIGNIS
 Pope Leo: Digital communication must serve truth and human dignity
 Pope encourages Knights of Columbus to foster unity and charity

Released Tuesday, Aug. 4

 Pope appoints apostolic administrator amid investigation of Cardinal López Romero
 San Antonio archbishop issues pastoral letter on solidarity with migrants
 New York agrees: Nuns may continue ministry without being forced to assist suicides
 Report: Beijing pressured US Catholic organization to withdraw invitation to scholar
 Man charged with federal firearms offense after shots fired at New Mexico church
 US-Canadian ecumenical conference focuses on ‘visible justice’
 Triduum begins at Santa Maria Maggiore
 Cardinal Parolin travels to Guatemala to mark 90 years of diplomatic relations
 Theme song released for 2027 World Youth Day

Released Monday, Aug. 3

 USCCB posts ‘Introduction to NeoFertility’
 Priest brutally murdered in Nigeria
 In Belarus, Polish priests ‘increasingly not allowed to continue their work’
 Gunmen abduct 3 from Nigerian church
 Vatican newspaper, Spanish bishops’ official warn against politicization of Moroccans in Ceuta
 Florida AG warns bishops over vaccine mandates in Catholic schools
 Christ calls you to be missionaries, Vatican official tells 6,000 Mexican youth
 Pope recalls suffering of Albanian faithful under Communist regime
 Pope encourages youth in Medjugorje to rediscover beauty of encountering the Lord
 ‘Listen to the Lord’s call and follow him decisively,’ Pope tells Ecuadorian young people

Released Sunday, Aug. 2

 Pontiff highlights Portiuncula indulgence
 Pope prays for Ceuta, renews prayer for peace
 ‘Christ truly satisfies humanity’s hunger,’ Pope tells pilgrims

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Wed26 August
Ordinary Time

Wednesday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time

Image for Wednesday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time

Some areas celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Częstochowa. According to tradition, the icon of Jasna Góra was painted by Luke the Evangelist on a tabletop built by Jesus himself, and the icon was discovered by St. Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine and collector of Christian relics in the Holy Land. The…

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