Local
Juanita Kulhanek and her son, Mike, near the Santa Iglesia Catedral Basílica de la Encarnación in Malaga, Spain, during their 2024 pilgrimage to European holy sites.

Lay initiative helps Catholic elderly maintain vital link to the Church and sacraments

Months after their father’s 2023 death from colon cancer, one of Theresa’s younger brothers was diagnosed in his mid-50s with tongue cancer. While he was both grieving and receiving his cancer treatment, her brother returned to the Catholic faith, said Theresa, who attends Holy Trinity in South St. Paul and asked that her last name not be used.
Nation + World
Rescue workers and local boat operators take part in ongoing search and recovery operations near the overturned passenger ferry on Lake Kariba in Kariba, Zimbabwe, Aug. 12, 2026, a day after the vessel capsized. Pope Leo XIV expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the tragic Aug. 11 ferry accident that has killed more than 90 people.

Pope offers prayers for Zimbabwe ferry disaster as death toll passes 90

Pope Leo XIV sent condolences to the families of the victims of a tragic ferry accident in Zimbabwe that has killed over 90 people.
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Keys to the Kingdom

The keys to the kingdom of heaven

Several years ago, when I lived in another rectory, I was given a master key that could get me anywhere on campus. I was aware of the responsibility and didn’t want to lose the key because I knew the consequences.
Rescue workers and local boat operators take part in ongoing search and recovery operations near the overturned passenger ferry on Lake Kariba in Kariba, Zimbabwe, Aug. 12, 2026, a day after the vessel capsized. Pope Leo XIV expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the tragic Aug. 11 ferry accident that has killed more than 90 people.

Pope offers prayers for Zimbabwe ferry disaster as death toll passes 90

Pope Leo XIV sent condolences to the families of the victims of a tragic ferry accident in Zimbabwe that has killed over 90 people.
Family reunion

Small groups as part of God’s family

A bunch of “small groups” got together earlier this month on a family farm. The first small group we grow up with and are part of is the family — from a farm, village, town or big city. This reunion happened to be at the home of one of my in-laws. As the youngest of eight, my wife grew up there.
Juanita Kulhanek and her son, Mike, near the Santa Iglesia Catedral Basílica de la Encarnación in Malaga, Spain, during their 2024 pilgrimage to European holy sites.

Lay initiative helps Catholic elderly maintain vital link to the Church and sacraments

Months after their father’s 2023 death from colon cancer, one of Theresa’s younger brothers was diagnosed in his mid-50s with tongue cancer. While he was both grieving and receiving his cancer treatment, her brother returned to the Catholic faith, said Theresa, who attends Holy Trinity in South St. Paul and asked that her last name not be used.
Mary at the Annunciation

Mary’s unique relatability

Mary has uniquely experienced every state of human relationship with God except sin. Because by grace she was conceived without original sin, she began her existence in a state akin to Adam and Eve before the fall. As a Jew, she grew up part of the people of God living in the Mosaic covenant. At the Incarnation, she became the first Christian and part of the New Covenant instituted by Christ. Everyone can find in Mary a relatable example of receptivity and faithfulness to God.
Pope Leo XIV greets people around noon in Piazza della Liberta in Castel Gandolfo near Rome Aug. 16, 2026. After leading the Angelus prayer, the pope decried the violence in the West Bank and called on the international community to "work toward advancing the two-state solution."

Pope calls for end to West Bank violence, pursuit of two-state solution

Warning against increased violence in the West Bank, Pope Leo XIV urged world leaders to decisively pursue an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
The Jubilee Family Shrine in Sleepy Eye. COURTESY SCHOENSTATT SISTERS OF MARY

September events planned for Jubilee Family Shrine’s 50th anniversary

Events Sept. 18-20 will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Jubilee Family Shrine at Schoenstatt on the Lake in Sleepy Eye.
FlynnCoverFT

In 2017 interview, Archbishop Flynn recounted knowing Blessed Stanley Rother

Prior to his death in 2019, Archbishop Harry Flynn remembered his friend, Father Stanley Rother, in a 2017 episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show. Father Rother was a priest from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, who was martyred in rural Guatemala in 1981. Father Rother and Archbishop Flynn met while attending Mount St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Later, Father Rother’s bishop gave him permission to go to Guatemala to minister as a missionary, Archbishop Flynn said in the 2017 episode.
Sister Vicky Larson, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, gives her presidential address Aug. 12, 2026, during LCWR's 70th anniversary assembly in Orlando, Fla. A member of the Presentation Sisters of South Dakota, Sister Vicky completed her one-year term as president at the close of the Aug. 11-14 assembly. OSV NEWS | DAN STOCKMAN, GLOBAL SISTERS REPORT

Religious life must find harmony amid change, LCWR’s president tells assembly

The future of religious life depends on different congregations, with different charisms, working together like a symphony, the president of the United States' largest leadership conference for Catholic sisters told the group's members.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda

Archbishop Hebda tells story of Blessed Stanley Rother

At a young age, Blessed Stanley Rother and his siblings were willing to put their lives in the Lord’s hands, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said. Father Rother was convinced early on in life that the Lord might be calling him to be a priest, the archbishop explained.
Faith
Keys to the Kingdom

The keys to the kingdom of heaven

Several years ago, when I lived in another rectory, I was given a master key that could get me anywhere on campus. I was aware of the responsibility and didn’t want to lose the key because I knew the consequences.

A voice from heaven?

Seeking an understanding heart

Commentary

Mary’s unique relatability

Learning to read the map

Why I am Catholic
Practicing Catholic

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