July 25th 2025_Catholic Standard

Parishes need to launch ‘revolution

VATICAN CITY (CNS) Pope Leo XIV called on every parish and church group or association to become part of a “revolution” of care and gratitude by regularlyvisitingolderpeople.

“Christian hope always urges us to be more daring, to think big, to be dissatisfied with things the way they are,” the pope wrote in his message for World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, a church celebration that will takeplace July27.

“In this case, it urges us to work for a change that can restore the esteem and affection to which the elderly are entitled,” he wrote in the message releasedJuly10.

The pope’s message expanded on the theme chosen for this year’s world day, which was taken from the Book of Sirach: “Blessed are those who have not lost hope.”

The 2025 celebration marks the fifth edition of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly and Pope Leo’s first message for the day. Pope Francis instituted the world day in 2021; it is observed each

SJ concelebrated with Bishop John. Bishop Persaud, in a Spirit-filled homily, reminded those present that: “The moment we cut off from Jesus, we begin to see how empty we become.”

Pope visits elderly atcare home - p2

Patriarch’s visit hailed ‘a miracle,’ while parishioners in Gazafeel desperation - p3

AChristian Perspective on Social Issues - p4

Sunday Scripture - p5

Ireland’s abortion rates rise 62 percent over 5 years; Catholic advocates call it ‘a tragedy’ - p6

Karaudaranau celebrates feastday - p7

Rome to welcome 500,000 young people for Jubilee of Youth - p7

Pressingissues for the Antilles Church - p8

Children’s Page - p9

Growingin Grace Week 64 - p10

88-year-old catechist from Singapore has brought 2,000 people into the Church - p11

PBCChoir of Grenada arrives inGuyana - p12

Is natural family planning finally breaking into US medical schools? - p14

Pope celebrates Apollo 11 anniversary - p15

Sunday, July 27th

09:00hrs - Mass at St. Joseph the Worker, Linden (joint mass to commemorate 75th Anniversary)

Tuesday, July 29th

18:00hrs –Diocesan Pastoral Council Meeting

Sunday, August 3rd

07:30hrs – Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

In photo above are (from left): Ms. Jael Laud, Ms. Graziella Abraham, Fr. Joel Thompson SJ, Bishop John Persaud, Mr. Joshua Van-Sluytman, Mr. David Smith. ❖ (Adapted from Catholic Media Guyana Facebook page).

Pope visits elderly at care home:

WORLD DAY FOR GRANDPARENTS & THE ELDERLY Sunday July 27th 2025

How beautiful are these words of yours, Lord!

Help us to continue our pilgrimage through time, animated by the hope that comes from You!

Help us in this divisive world, to bring the hope of communion. Help us in this world, wounded by wars, to bring the hope of peace. Help us in this world, which is dehumanizing, to bring the beauty of an ancient smile. Help us to be, for our grandchildren, for our loved ones and for everyone we meet, the memory of your tenderness. Help us to bring, in a world distracted from You, the Hope of a new life that only You can give!

For in You, Lord, nothing is lost For in You, Lord, everything begins again! Amen

Aleteia) - After extending his summer stay at Castel Gandolfo by a couple of days, Pope Leo XIV has shown why he wanted more time: on the morning of Monday July 21, he visited the Santa Marta retirement home for the elderly in Castel Gandolfo.

The Pope was welcomed by the community of religious sisters who care for the elderly, and went to the chapel for a time of prayer, accompanied by the superior of the nuns. The home is run by the Sisters of Santa Marta, a religious congregation founded in Italy at the end of the 19th century and now present in seven countries, notably in Latin America and Asia.

The Holy Father then spent time with about 20 elderly women, who are between the ages of 80 and 101, taking time to greet them individually.

The group prayed together with songs, followed by a brief address from the Pope. He highlighted some themes from the songs and from the Gospel read on Sunday during Mass, which was about Mary and Martha, the patroness of their home and religious congregation.

The Holy Father said that there is a part of Martha and a part of Mary in each of us.

He urged taking advantage of this time of life to live the dimension of Mary, listening to the word of Jesus and praying.

He told the elderly that their prayers are "so important, much greater than we can imagine,” and added: “Age is irrelevant: It is Jesus who wants to draw close to us, who makes himself our guest, who invites us to be witnesses, young or not so young.”

“You are signs of hope,” he concluded, “you have given so much in your lives” and “continue to be this witness of prayer, of faith,” a family that offers the Lord what it has.

After praying the Our Father together, the Pope lingered a little longer to visit the facility and returned to Villa Barberini shortly

before 11:30 a.m.

This year, the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, established by Pope Francis in 2021 and celebrated by the Catholic Church on the fourth Sunday of July, is on July 27, this weekend. The theme for 2025 is "Blessed is he who has not losthope."❖

Patriarch’s visit hailed ‘a miracle,’ while parishioners in Gaza feel horror, desperation

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who entered the Gaza Strip together with Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III, is seen on a July 18, 2025 photo in Gaza City, in the premises of Holy Family Parish. They were offering support, closeness and prayers following the Israeli military strike on the Holy Family Parish compound in Gaza City, which killed three people and wounded ten, including parish pastor, on July 17. (OSV News photo/courtesy Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)

JERUSALEM

(OSV News)

Parishioners of Gaza’s Holy Family Church are feeling “horror” and almost a senseof “desperation” after an Israeli tank shell struck the church, killing three elderly people sheltering there and injuring 10, said regional director of the Jerusalem office ofCatholic Near East Welfare Association, or CNEWA, JosephHazboun

Hazboun has been in regular contact with the parish since the July 17 shelling of the only Catholic Church in theGazaStrip.

“The people have nowhere to go, and even if they had a place to go, they don’t want to leave,” Hazboun told OSV News. “They want the war to end and they want to go back to their life. To find food and to put food on the table for the children and for the elderly and it doesn’t seem to be happening. They want peace.” They have a few more wishes, he said: for the incessant buzzing of drones to stop, for the bombing and shelling to end, for a moment of quiet so they can appreciate the silence once again. But at the moment, he said, all this seems impossible.

The weekend visit of Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa beginning on July 18, who with Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III entered Gaza that morning, was “very comforting and encouraging” for some600people who are sheltering in the parish compound, Hazboun said. Another 260 people are staying at the Greek Orthodox St. Porphyrios Church compound, also in GazaCity.

“At least seeing the leader of the church coming to visit with them in these very difficult and challenging times gives them comfort and support,” Hazboun said.

Having the two patriarchs visit the church immediately after the attack has renewed the world’s attention on

in the Gaza Strip.

Hazboun told OSV News that Palestine Bishop William Shomali, general vicar and patriarchal vicar for Jerusalem, who accompanied Cardinal Pizzaballa to Gaza, said previously that the parish had received a number of alerts by the IsraelDefenseForcesto leaveand to go to what they self-described “safe zones.”

But having seen the forced wanderings of Palestinians who left their homes, thepeopledecidednot togo.

“There is no safe place,” he said.

“Shelters have been bombed, schools have been bombed, tents are being bombed, and people are being shifted from one place to the other. So the same will happen to them, and so at least they will remain where they are. They don’t have to worry about where to go and what tocarry with them.And it seemsthat hereorthere, they willbe bombed.”

prohibition of the indiscriminate use of force and of the forced transfer of the population,” said a Vatican statement issued afterthecall.

“Given the tragic humanitarian situation, emphasis was placed on the urgent need to provide assistance to those most vulnerable to the consequences of the conflict and to allow the adequate entry of humanitarianaid,” it continued.

During a July 18 call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Pope Leo urged Israel’s leader to revive negotiations and enact a ceasefire.

That morning’s call to the pope’s summer residence at Castel Gandolfo came the day after the Israeli army struck Holy Family Church, which Pope Francis had called daily, beginning in October2023.

thesituation inGaza,he noted.

“Although Gaza has been on the screen of millions of people around the world, including the world leaders, now again, it’s more pressure,” he said.

Gaza residents are encouraged that “so many entities and parties and people” are now talking about what is happening in their region, he said.

“They know that the world is watching and following up, but they’re disappointed that not so much is happening regardless of this, the severe attack and the brutality of what is happening, and especially using food and water, starvation as a weapon,” he said.

Hazboun told OSV News that Cardinal Pizzaballa celebrated Mass in the parish every day of his visit, and toured the area to personally assess the situation. The patriarchate has said that the patriarchs also brought in extra provisions for theparishes, but also for the other families in the neighborhood.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement following the June 18-20 visit by Cardinal Pizzaballa that the patriarch “has long been committed to visiting the Holy Family Parish in Gaza twice a year. Yet this most recent visit became, in itself, a miracle and a door of hope amid the ongoing conflict.”

The July 21 statement said that “Amid the ruins of war and the pain of long days, the Holy Family Latin Parish in Gaza continues to stand firm offering a living witness to faith and Christian resilience.”

In his July 20 homily during morning Sunday Mass, Cardinal Pizzaballa assured Gaza Christians that “the unity of the Church and the solidarity of all the Churches in the world” are with them. He emphasized that the church’s concern is not limited to Christians, but also extends to every person suffering

Suhail Abo Dawood, a young postulant who was meant to be in seminary for the past two years and was seriously injured in theattack, wastransferred to Israel, where he is being treated for his wounds in an Ashdod hospital, south of Tel Aviv, as the remaining hospitals in Gaza were not equipped to give him the medical treatment he needed.

One other critically injured person is awaiting coordination for transfer into Israel, while the others suffered mild injuries and have been released from hospital,Hazboun said.

In a video interview with L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s daily newspaper where the young injured postulant has been writing a column, the young man said “love is stronger than war.” He thanked everyone for their prayers and messages.

“I hope I can start my life again and to continue my vocation in Italy, in a video from his hospital bed. The video showed monitors on his shoulder and a tube attached in his nose following an operation to remove shrapnelwhichhad pierced someofhis internalorgans.

The war in Gaza broke out after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Southern Israeli communities in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 people taken hostage. Fifty people remain in captivity, with 20 people believed to still be alive reportedly chained in underground tunnels, according to other hostages who have been released in previous ceasefireagreements.

Pope Leofurtherexpressed his solidarity with Gaza Christians praying by name for those that died in the attack duringhisJuly20Sunday Angelus.

That same day, Cardinal Pizzaballa said Gaza cannot be emptied of Christians.

“In this sea of hatred and violence, which is a clear sign of the power of the devil … albeit so powerful, cannot extinguish life in us,” he said. “So, we must be strong and continue being a living presence here.”❖

The Gaza Health Ministry confirmed July 20 that 58,800 people have been killed since October 2023, with scores of Palestinian civilians killed daily, including at points of humanitarian aid distribution.

On July 21, Pope Leo XIV received a phone call from Palestinian President MahmoudAbbas.

“During the telephone call, the Holy Father repeated his appeal for international humanitarian law to be fully respected, emphasizing in particular the obligation to protect civilians and sacred places, the

and forced displacement of people have to end, and civilians and places of worship have to be protected, Pope Leo XIV saidJuly20.Source: CNS.

“Tragic news continues to arrive these days from the Middle East, especially from Gaza,” he said after reciting the Angelus with those gathered outside the papal palace in Castel Gandolfo yesterday.

“I again call for an immediate end to the barbarity of the war and for a peaceful resolution of the conflict,” he said. “I renew my appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law (please turn to p6)

A Christian Perspective on Social Issues

thy neighbor

By GHK Lall

And who is my neighbor? It certainly can’t be these people living next to me, coexisting with me? Maybe one or two of them, a handful at most, but it cannot be all of them are my neighbors. Can they, O Lord? Why should I be a good neighbor to them, My Lord, when they have been such a surly, haughty, troublesome set of people as can be found anywhere? If not anywhere, they are here in Guyana, and I have to deal with them, day after day, year after year and, most unbearably, every five years. Like this year of Our Lord 2025. It shouldn’t be difficult for any reader, Bible student or not, to know why this challenge of “Love thy neighbor” is brought up at this time in late July 2025.

We are familiar to varying degrees on how the Parable of the Good Samaritan reads. But have we taken to heart the fullest understanding of what was the message that Jesus was teaching? The grace of loving thy neighbor, particularly when the circumstances are not normal, when loving is the last thought on the minds of most citizens, including many Christians. Christians encircles Roman Catholics, which means me and you. Have we in our different ways began the process of separating sheep from goats, with the goats discarded and dismissed? We may turn our faces from the reality that we live, the one behind the words and calls of Scripture. But what do my actions and your actions, as believers and faithful servants, say about how we see our neighbor(s)? Yes, at this time in Guyana, and this time of the year, where the days tumble into each other, and the passions of the environment consume us, and paralyze us. Where have all the teachings gone? What about Jesus and his way at this time? Those running for office, in their fevered quest to latch onto the reins of power, don’t have to make monsters and haters of us. Many Christians, untold numbers of Catholics, do that to themselves. Here is simple test that is quick to administer for all Catholics. Identify with all truth who stands as the most important presence in our lives at this moment. Is it men of the world, and their ways to victory by any means and all costs, or is it Jesus? If the

claim is Jesus, then why do we so willingly go with the flow? There is one side, there is another side; as a practical matter, three sides that gather our attention, inflame our emotions. I know where I stand with how each of the six sides and all of them fused together feature in my citizenship and worship when compared to the man from Galilee. I can prioritize Jesus (effortlessly and constantly). There is no competition. And, I can still duty as citizen. No Christian should allow the tumults of the times in Guyana to put him or her against neighbor. The parable that Jesus so patiently put before the scholar noted indeed, confirmed that the one who is detested is the one who faces the test and passes it. Less with flying colors, and more expansively with his love. Long miles walked. Extra miles traveled to care. Absorb how the Samaritan that is despised becomes the best Christian, the better living example of love thy neighbor. The unbelieving Gentile used as an inspiring example of how we (you and I) should strive to be.

Guyana needs everyone to be this kind of neighbor. Jesus calls each of us to take the lessons of the parable to heart, and live that love. When it is most needed. When it matters like no other time. There is considerable prejudice in this country, and let there be the honesty to face that fact. Where there is prejudice at the levels seen, then love heads in the opposite direction. Is this who and how I want to be? Is this what I have allowed myself to become, may even contribute to, sturdy Christian and all? Devout Roman Catholic that I am?

The kind of neighbor I am determines the kind of environment that is developed. The quality and consistency of the love thy neighbor that I practice nurtures the quality of the society in which I live. Let us try to live love thy neighbor to the fullest. Let us purge our hearts of the poisons that infect Guyana so grievously. Let us replace looking at neighbor with twisted emotions embittering consciousness, and be about what is respectful, embracing, and the great Christian virtue of loving. Love thy neighbor now.

Gracious and loving God, we thank your for the gift of our priests.

Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments.

Help our priests to be strong in their vocation.

Set their souls on fire with love for your people.

Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom.

Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel.

Allow them to experience joy in their ministry.

Help them to become instruments of your divine grace.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest. Amen

FIRST READING: Genesis 18:20-32

I trust my Lord will not be angry, but give me leave to speak.

The Lord said, ‘How great an outcry there is against Sodom and Gomorrah! How grievous is their sin! I propose to go down and see whether or not they have done all that is alleged in the outcry against them that has come up to me. I am determined to know.

’

The men left there and went to Sodom while Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Approaching him he said, ‘Are you really going to destroy the just man with the sinner? Perhaps there are fifty just men in the town. Will you really overwhelm them, will you not spare the place for the fifty just men in it? Do not think of doing such a thing: to kill the just man with the sinner, treating just and sinner alike! Do not think of it! Will the judge of the whole earth not administer justice?’

The Lord replied, ‘If at Sodom I find fifty just men in the town, I will spare the whole place because of them.’

Abraham replied, ‘I am bold indeed to speak like this to my Lord, I who am dust and ashes. But perhaps the fifty just men lack five: will you destroy the whole city for five?’ ‘No,’ he replied ‘I will not destroy it if I find forty five just men there.’ Again Abraham said to him, ‘Perhaps there will only be forty there’. ‘I will not do it’ he replied ‘for the sake of the forty.’

Abraham said, ‘I trust my Lord will not be angry, but give me leave to speak: perhaps there will only be thirty there.’ ‘I will not do it’ he replied ‘if I find thirty there.’ He said, ‘I am bold indeed to speak like this, but perhaps there will only be twenty there.’ ‘I will not destroy it’ he replied ‘for the sake of the twenty.’ He said, ‘I trust my Lord will not be angry if I speak once more: perhaps there will only be ten.’ ‘I will not destroy it’ he replied ‘for the sake of the ten.’

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 137

Resp: On the day I called, you answered me, O Lord. 1. I thank you,Lord, with all my heart, you have heard the words of my mouth. Before the angels I will bless you. I will adore before your holy temple. Response

2. I thank you for your faithfulness and love which excel all we ever knew of you.

In our Gospel reading from Luke, some disciples of Jesus ask our Lord to teach them how to pray. Jesus instantly

On the day I called,you answered; you increased the strength of my soul. Response

3. The Lord is highyet he looks on the lowly and the haughty he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of affliction you give me life and frustrate my foes. Response

4. You stretch outyour hand and save me, your hand will do all things for me. Your love, OLord, is eternal, discardnot the work of your hands. Response

SECOND READING: Colossians 2:12-14

He has brought you to life with him, he has forgiven us all our sins.

You have been buried with him, when you were baptised; and by baptism, too, you have been raised up with him through your belief in the power of God who raised him from the dead. You were dead, because you were sinners and had not been circumcised: he has brought you to life with him, he has forgiven us all our sins.

He has overridden the Law, and cancelled every record of the debt that we had to pay; he has done away with it by nailingit to the cross.

GOSPEL: Luke 11:1-13

Ask, and it will be given to you.

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach

offers them the beautiful prayer which we, of course, know as the Our Father.

The Our Father truly is the ultimate steward’s prayer. In it, we call upon God in an intimate way, as Father. We ask that His will be done (not ours!) and that His kingdom come(not ours!).

In other words, we remember that He is our Creator, everything is His, and ourfocusin life should be on Hispriorities, not our own. Then we ask Him to

He said

to them, ‘Say this when you pray:

“Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come; give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, forweourselvesforgiveeachonewhoisindebttous And do not putus to the test.”‘

He also said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, “My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him”; and the man answers from inside the house, “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up to give it you.” I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.

‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search,and you will find;knock,and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’❖

supply our needs (to give our daily bread), forgive our sins, and protect us from evil. That is, we proclaim our complete trust in His provision for us and mercy towards us. We, too, commit to extending mercy ourselves (as we forgive those who sin againstus).

As we pray the words of the Our Father, we recognize this basic truth about ourselves and God: God is our Father and we are beloved and infinitely

blessed to be His children. This is the basis of a stewardship way of life.

At the end of the Gospel passage, Jesus encourages us to pursue a relationship with the Father: Ask Him, seekHim, knockon Hisdoor!

He can hardly wait to bless us, His children. Remember that this week, then go, be a blessing to others! Stewardship isjust that simple. ❖

[www.catholicsteward.com/blog/ ]

Ireland’s abortion rates rise 62 percent over 5 years; Catholic advocates call it ‘a tragedy’ Gospel Reflection

It is our Catholic tradition that we memorise certain prayers such as the “Our Father” and the “Hail Mary” and we say them so regularly that we soon learn to mouth them without listening to what we are saying. But if we closely examine the “Our Father” which Jesus teaches in today’s Gospel passage, we will see that it is all we really need as we enter in conversation with God. There is the element of praise as we express how we feel about the goodness and grace of God. Then we ask to be granted our daily needs and for forgiveness for our sins. What is interesting here is that it is not that we ask our Father in heaven for forgiveness so that we in turn can learn to how to forgive but because we already do forgive others. With this prayer we express our recognition that we need to strengthen our relationships, with God and with our neighbour.

We pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done …” and then leave it like that. We have said those words so many times in our lives that they have become practically meaningless and we are not sure what we are really praying for. But God’s kingdom will never come unless we do something to make it a reality. It begins with each of us. We cannot pray for whatever God desires for the world to come true then sit back with folded arms and do nothing about it. Whenever we stretch out a helping hand to a person in need and when we live in truth, kindness, honesty and justice we are making small but important steps towards making God’s kingdom on earth a reality. Saying prayers is the easy part of being Christian. Living out those prayers is what gives meaning to what we say. Then we will be working towards making God’s kingdom a reality in the world .❖

[

A file photo shows a sign with a crucifix and rosary during a pro-life demonstration outside the Irish Parliament in Dublin. Statistics released by the Department of Health in Ireland showed that abortions in Ireland spiked in the space of just five years. (OSV News photo/Cathal McNaughton, Reuters)

(OSV News) - Abortions in Ireland spiked in the space of just five years, government figureshaverevealed.

Statistics released by the Department of Health in Ireland showed that 10,852 abortions were performed in Ireland in 2024 representing a 62.8 percent increase over the 6,666 abortions performed in 2019, when a law permitting abortion on demand in Ireland came into effect following a 2018 referendum on legalabortion.

The latest figure is a record high for Ireland, a 8.16 percent surge over the 10,033 abortions carried out in Ireland in 2023.

Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin and Achonry said in a July 18 statement emailed to OSV NewsthattheIrish government “has done nothing to reduce the numbers of abortions and seems not to care why women choose abortion, or what happens to them afterwards,” adding that “abortion harms women and babiesalike.”

“In a world in which freedom of conscience and the right to peaceful protest are widely promoted and recognized, Irish healthcare professionals are penalized if they refuse to refer their clients for abortion, and citizens risk criminal prosecution if they engage in peaceful protest, even though the Garda Siochana (National Police) said that they did not need this legislation,” he said.

“People who seek to uphold the right to life feel quite disenfranchised in Ireland,” Bishop Doran continued. “In many constituencies in Ireland in the last General Election, there was no candidate who clearly opposed abortion as a matter of principle. The good news, however, was that most of the Oireachtas Members (members of parliament) who had consistently voted against abortion, werere-elected.”

The bishop added: “Most of the same arguments that were used to legitimize abortion seven years ago, are now being used to justify a change in the law to allow assisted suicide and euthanasia. When we said this in the past we

abortions for Irish residents in 2018 to 2,911.

Of the abortions performed in 2024, a total of 10,711 (98.7 percent) were not carried out to protect the health or life of the mother or because of any condition likely to lead to the death of theunbornbaby.

The largest number of abortions occurred in January 2024 (1,056) and the fewest were performed in August 2024 (849).

There were a total of 48,984 abortions in Ireland from the start of 2019 to the end of 2024, according to data from theDepartment ofHealth.

The figures were released days after U.K. government statistics revealed that nearly 1 in 3 conceptions in England and Wales now ends in abortion.❖

Pope calls for end to war in Gaza (From P3)

were ridiculed, but it is absolutely clear now how right wewere.”

David Quinn, the founder and chief executive of the Iona Institute, which promotes Christianity in Ireland, said assurances given to Irish voters by former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar that legal abortion would be rarehaveturned out tobefalse.

“This is not the case at all,” he said in a July 18 statement sent by email to OSV News.

“What does he think now, and what does the present government think?” he continued. “They have been completely silent about it.”

“But I doubt if they will ever admit that the number is unacceptably high, even from a pro-choice point of view,” Quinn said. “The wholethingisatragedy.”

Quinn added that the figures proved that the now-repealed Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution, which until the referendum protected the lives of unborn children, “saved many, many lives.”

Enacted in 1983, the amendment granted the unborn a right to life equal to that of the mother, effectively creating anear-totalbanon abortion.

Catherine Robinson of the Right to Life charity said in a July 15 statement that the increase in abortions in Ireland has been dramatic.

“Less than a decade ago, unborn babies’ lives were protected by law in Ireland,” she said in the statement posted on theRight to Lifewebsite.

“Now, according to the latest data,” lives “are being ended at a rate of over 10,000 peryear.

”

The referendum paved the way for the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act which allowed Irish women accesstoabortion.

In 2018, the year before the law came into effect, a total of 2,879 Irish women traveled to theU.K.to haveabortions.

A further 32 abortions were reported to have taken place in Ireland under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act, taking the total number of

and to respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force and the forced displacement of the population,” he said.

He expressed his “profound sorrow for the Israeli army’s attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City” on Thursday, which killed three Christians and seriously wounded others.

“I pray for the victims: Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad and Najwa Ibrahim Latif Abu Daoud, and I am particularly close to their families and to all the parishioners,” thePope said.

“Sadly, this act adds to the continuous military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza.”

Before praying the Angelus, the Pope spoke to reporters waiting near the entrance to the papal villa after he celebrated Mass in nearby Albano Laziale.

They asked him about the Middle East conflicts, particularly in Gaza, and he said there was a need for parties to “go to the table to dialogue and to put down their weapons because the world can’t take it anymore.”

“There areso many conflicts, so many wars; there is a need to really work for peace, to pray with trust in God, but to also work” toward those efforts, hesaid.

When asked about his telephone call with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 18, the day after the raid, the Pope said, “We insisted on the need to protect the holy places of all religions,” and to work togetherin thisregard.

He added, there was a need for “true respect for people, for sacred places and to try to leave behind so much violence, so much hatred, so many wars.” ❖

Karaudaranau celebrates feast day

Last Sunday July 20th, St. Mary Magdalene Church, Karaudarnau, South Rupununi, Region 9, Essequibo, Guyana, celebrated 96 years as a faith community. The celebration anticipated the feast of St Mary Magdalene on July 22nd.❖(Adapted from St Ignatius Mission FB page)

Journeying with the Word of God

MAKING THE WORD OF GOD YOUR OWN

Step 1: Lookattoday’sReadingsprayerfully.

1st Reading: Abraham intercedes with God for the sake of a few just people in the wicked city of Sodom. God is revealed as beingmerciful.

2nd Reading: Paul reminds us that as baptised people we share in the death and resurrection of Christ. We die to our old sinful ways and rise to new life in Christ.

Gospel: Jesus teaches his disciples to pray by giving them a model prayer. He speaks of the confidence with which we should approach God, our Father.

Step 2: ApplyingthevaluesoftheReadings toyourdailylife.

Rome to welcome 500,000 young people

VATICAN CITY (CNS) More than half a million young people from 146 countries are set to arrive July 28 for the start of the weeklong Jubilee of Youth, which will include a special Jubilee dedicated to Digital Missionaries Catholic Influencers.

However, at least 1 million people are expected to attend the final Mass Aug. 3 with Pope Leo XIV in Rome’s Tor Vergata neighborhood, site of the historic World Youth Day during that Holy Year in 2000. More than 2 million people participated in that Mass.

world,” he said at a Vatican news conference.

While 68% of attendees will be from Europe, young people will be coming from four other continents and from war zones and areas of serious conflict, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, a proprefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization,said July 23.

For young people worldwide “Essentially, this moment of celebration and joy also aims to embrace all young people around the world, indicating that it will be a genuine moment of peace and peace-building in the

“I am thinking in particular of the Christian young people of Ukraine, the Middle East, Syria, Gaza and Iran,” said Lamberto Giannini, Rome’s prefect, who coordinates maintaining law and order inthe city.

The seven-day event during the Jubilee of hope will be “in communion with all of them, because it is for them above all that hope is offered today, and not just any hope, but as we have been taught, the hope that does notdisappoint,” he said.

The Vatican news conference featured representatives of the

Italian national, regional and local governments, as well as police and civil protection authorities.

They provided many details about what is slated to be the largest of all the jubilee celebrations scheduled for the Holy Year, which has drawn nearly 17 million people so far, the archbishop said.

Jubilee details

The high points will be walking through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Aug. 2 evening prayer vigil and Aug. 3 Mass with Pope Leo XIV in Rome’s Tor Vergata residential neighborhood, which lies about eight miles southeast of the city center.

The week will also feature about 70 cultural, artistic and spiritual events organized by multiple bishops’ conferences and Catholic groups and associations throughout the city, including the exposition of the relics of Blesseds Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis for veneration.

1.Jesus says to us as he said to his disciples, “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be open to you.” Do you think you approach God in prayer with this kind of confidence and determination?

2.“Your kingdom come.” What have you done (or intend to do) as individual and as community to make God’s kingdom a reality on earth?

3.The disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray .…” Why do you think praying is important to us as individuals and as community?

4.What do you think you need to do in your life in order to be better able to live out the Lord’s Prayer?

Step 3: Accepting the message of God’s Wordinyourlifeoffaith

In a few short and simple phrases, the “Our Father” deals with relationships between God and us. The challenge is to give meaning to what we say by the way we relate and act and not make them just hollow words that are said regularly and meaninglessly.

Step 4: Somethingtothink&prayabout

1.In the Church we are called to repentance and forgiveness. In your experience of “church” where do you see the need for forgiveness and repentance

2.Reflect on what you can do to help make God’s kingdom of justice, peace, love, compassion and forgiveness a reality here in our communities, country and the world. ❖

[From: Journeying with the Word of God, The Religious Education Department, Diocese of Georgetown, Guyana ]

Pressing issues for the Antilles Church

The Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC)heldtheir69th AnnualPlenary Meeting from May 11–16 in the Archdiocese of Kingston, Jamaica. TheCaribbeanregion’sfirstprofessor of Caribbean Theology and Ethics, Professor Anna Kasafi Perkins addressedthebishopsonMay15on severalissues:

These days, I am an aficionado of (Barbados) PM Mia Mottley, who styles herself an “apostle of Bob (Marley)”, quoting him and other Caribbean artistes in her powerful speeches. Today, I join with her in sprinkling Bob’s words in this reflection.

ItisBob,whosays, “somanythingsto say, got so many things to say…” among which are a continual critique ofChristianity,usuallyrepresentedby “the preacher man,” who, according to him, “tells us Heaven is under the Earth” but “can’t fool the people all thetime”.

Weshouldn’tfearBobandhisilkbut recognise them as prophets giving voiceto the Divine. In theshort time allotted,allowmetoraisefourissues, which I, as a laywoman and theologian, see as pressing, demandingofourcollectiveattention and action, and for which responses are present in the rich evolving tradition of your pastoral letters and statements.

The first critical area requiring focused effort is the diminishing engagement of our youth and young adults. Here Bob Marley and the

Wailers charge us with having miseducated the youth in their song ‘Youcan’tBlametheYouth’.

The future of our Church rests upon our ability to connect with and nurture the faith of the next generation. While precise statistical data for every territory within the Antilles Episcopal Conference may vary, a broader trend across the Caribbean signals a concerning decline in Catholic affiliation and active participation, particularly amongyoungerdemographics.

Reports indicate a rise in evangelicalismandagrowingnumber of individuals identifying as unaffiliated, suggesting a shift in the religious landscape. This mirrors globaltrends,furtheremphasisingthe urgency of addressing this issue withinourlocalcontext.

The Caribbean region boasts a significant youth population, with estimatessuggestingthatover60per cent of its inhabitants are under the age of 30. This demographic reality underscoresthecriticalimportanceof effectively engaging this segment of oursociety.

Failure to do so not only risks a declinein theChurch’s presence and influencebutalsorepresentsamissed opportunity to nurture the spiritual growthofasubstantialportionofour community.

Fortunately, the AEC has already acknowledged the vital role of youth and family in the Church’s mission.

TheAEC’sstatedmissionincludesthe

platformsforoutreachisnolongeran option but a necessity, aligning with the spirit of our pastoral letter on A New Way of Being Church in the DigitalMilieu.

We must actively foster youth leadership, providing meaningful opportunities for young people to participate in the life and mission of the Church. Strengthening our catechesis programmes to be more engaging, interactive, and relevant to the daily realities faced by youth is alsoparamount.

Finally, embracing synodal processes thatgenuinelyvaluetheinputandcoresponsibility of young people will create a sense of belonging and ownership within the Church community. (From The Catholic News of T&T)

PART TWO NEXT WEEK: Social justice, and the evolving digital landscape❖

goal “to ignitefaith in ourAEC youth andyoungadultstodiscern,live,and deepentheirChristianvocation”.

Furthermore, the Synod Synthesis emerging from recent discussions reflects “expressions of enthusiasm for the faith, being articulate and passionate about the faith and commitment to the Church” from youth representatives themselves. This inherent enthusiasm provides a fertile ground for renewed engagement. Our pastoral emphasis on the family as the “school of catechesis and evangelisation” also lays a strong foundationforfostering faith from the earliest stages.

To revitalise our youth ministry, we must embrace new approaches that resonate with the lived experiences of young people today. Snippets from various sources suggest the need for more “authenticity, genuine fellowship, a redefinition of mission, holistic youth involvement and personalcare”.

Inanincreasinglydigital age, leveraging online

Teach Us to Pray

Dear Girls and Boys,

As you all know, Jesus spent much time in prayer and he was a great teacher. One day he went to a quiet place to pray. When he had finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, "Lord, teach us to pray."

Jesus answered, "When you pray, say, Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come; give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us. And do not put us to the test."

That is a beautiful prayer, isn't it? It isn't a very long prayer, but there are three things in this short prayer that every prayer should include. First of all, it praises God, our heavenly Father. Second, it asks God to provide for what we need for each day. Finally, it asks for God's forgiveness for the times thatwe fall short of what he expects of us. After 2000 years, we still pray the way that Jesus taught us.

Our Father in heaven, holy be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins; as we forgive those who sin against us. Do not put us to the test, but deliver us from evil Amen. ❖

God hears my prayers.

Parishes need to launch ‘revolution of care’ for the elderly (From Front Page)

In his message for this year’s celebration, Pope Leo said the Jubilee Year, which is a time of liberation from injustice and inequality, is an appropriate time for all the faithful to help older people “experience liberation, especially from loneliness and abandonment.”

To help everyone participate in the Holy Year, especially those who are physically unable to make a pilgrimage to Rome, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life created a pastoral kit with suggestions for holding a Jubilee celebration in places where the elderly live.

“The grace of the Jubilee is always for everyone!” the dicastery wrote, indicating that the kit and other resources are available at www.laityfamilylife.va.

“Our societies, everywhere in the world, are growing all too accustomed to letting this significant and enriching part of their life be marginalized and forgotten,” Pope Leo wrote, speaking of the elderly.

“Given this situation, a change of pace is needed that would be readily seen in an assumption of responsibility on the part of the whole church,” he wrote.

“Every parish, association and ecclesial group is called to become a protagonist in a ‘revolution’ of gratitude and care, to be brought about by regular visits to the elderly, the creation of networks of support and prayer for them and with them, and the forging of relationships that can restore hope and dignity to those who feel forgotten,” he wrote.

Jubilee indulgence for visiting elderly who are alone

That is why Pope Francis wanted the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly to be celebrated primarily through an effort to seek out elderly persons who are living alone,” Pope Leo wrote. “For this reason, those who are unable to come to Rome on pilgrimage during this Holy Year may obtain the Jubilee indulgence if they visit, for an appropriate amount of time, the elderly who are alone … making, in a sense, a pilgrimage to Christpresentin them.”

The church describes an indulgence as a remission of the temporal punishment a person is due for their sins. Pilgrims are able to receive a special indulgence during the Holy Year by visiting one of four papal basilicas in Rome or other designated sites and taking part in prayer, a liturgical celebration or the sacrament of confession.

Pope Leo wrote that “visiting an elderly person is a way of encountering Jesus, who frees us from indifference and loneliness.”

“Embracing the elderly helps us to understand that life is more than just the present moment, and should not be wasted in superficial encounters and fleeting relationships,” he said in his message.

Speaking as an older person, Pope Leo, who will turn 70 in September, wrote, “We possess a freedom that no difficulty can rob us of: it is the freedom to love and to pray,” and to be there for one another in faith as “shining signs of hope.”

“Let us lovingly pass on the faith we have lived for so many years, in our families and in our daily encounter with others,” he wrote. “May we always praise God for his goodness, cultivate unity with our loved ones, open our hearts to those who are far away and, in particular, to all those in need.”

“In this way, we will be signs of hope, whatever our age,” he wrote. ❖

“If it is true that the weakness of the elderly needs the strength of the young, it is equally true that the inexperience of the young needs the witness of the elderly in order to build the future with wisdom,” his message said.

Examples of faith

Grandparents offer examples of “faith and devotion, civic virtue and social commitment, memory and perseverance amid trials,” he wrote.

“The precious legacy that they have handed down to us with hope and love will always be a source of gratitude and a summons to perseverance.”

SOUTHERN CLUSTER’S PILGRIMAGE TO PARAMARIBO, SURINAME

Thursday October 2nd to Monday October 6th 2025

Registration is now open to other Parishes in the Diocese

Registration forms are available from Father Carl Philadelphia at St. Pius X Church, West La Penitence (620-7555), and the Bishop’s Office on Brickdam.

Please submit the completed registration form along with the registration fee of $5,000 by Monday July 28th.❖

By Renika Anand

Colours of a rainbow

Maya Angelou, an American poet once said “We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.”

One of the first observations we may make as we grow up is the fact that every single person is different. Every single person experiences the world in a unique way and is influenced by many factors such as their gender, their culture and even their religion. One of the most beautiful parts of our world lies in this fact - the fact that we are all extraordinarily unique. Oftentimes, this uniqueness is used as a weapon to persecute and discriminate against others, when it should instead be used as an opportunity to include others and form new bonds.

If we choose to believe that certain colours should not be included in the rainbow, we may never see it for its true magnificence. In a similar manner, if we do not accept the diversity of our world, we may never truly see it for its beauty.

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” - Galatians 3:28 ❖

Singapore who has brought 2,000 people into the Church

to the elderly who want to join the church. (OSV News photo/Christopher Khoo)

SINGAPORE (OSV News) As the church prepares to mark the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly July 27, meet 88-year-old Andrew Goh a scooter-riding catechist in Singapore who has spent 34 years bringing the faith to the elderly and housebound and has helped more than 2,000 people enter the church.

Goh was in the insurance line for many years but decided to do this special ministry full time after he was baptized in 1991. “God is so kind, so good,” he said of his faith experience, adding that he felt he had to “repay” God’s goodness.

After his baptism, he began to hear stories about how some adults who were Catholic had elderly parents who were not. Furthermore, these children were somehow uncomfortable to ask for religious instruction for their parents.

Reaching Out to Elderly

Goh noted that the RCIA or the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, aimed chiefly at preparing and initiating unbaptized men and women who wish to enter the Catholic Church conducted in majority-Chinese Singapore is mainly in English and Mandarin, catering largely to adults and youth who speak these languages. However, for the elderly who speak only dialect, “they are neglected,” he told OSV News.

He then decided to start a ministry catering to them, such as praying for elderly people in hospitals, visiting those who are housebound, and holding catechism classes in parishes.

Goh speaks English, Mandarin, the Chinese dialects of Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese and Hainanese, as well as Peranakan. Peranakans are descendants of the early Chinese settlers in Southeast Asia who intermarried with the local people. These unions resulted in a unique fusion of Chinese and local cultures.

Speaking Many Chinese Dialects

Goh comes from a Hokkien-Peranakan background, which makes speaking certain Chinese dialects easy for him. For other dialects such as Cantonese and Hainanese, he took the trouble to learn from others.

Catechism lessons for his elderly catechumens, most of whom are in their 70s and 80s, are simple affairs, focusing on the main tenets of the faith.

Goh uses children’s books with their large colourful pictures to make certain religious concepts easy to understand, such as the sacraments of the church, the story of Adam and Eve and Jesus’ miracles. He has also come up with his own set of printed materials which contain instructions in Mandarin and English and easy-tounderstand diagrams.

The octogenarian has been performing his ministry in as many as five parishes over the years. He currently teaches catechism weekly at the Church of the Holy Family and the Church of St. Alphonsus, called the Novena Church. A total of about 30 people attend these classes, including some who were previously baptized through his instructions.

Makes Regular Visits to Homebound

In addition to this, he makes eight house visits weekly to teach those housebound.

Over the decades, Goh has helped more than 2,000 people get baptized and has more than 560 godchildren. However, this ministry is not without its challenges. Goh shared with OSV News that some people leave after two or three lessons. There were also others who later decided to join other Christian churches.

Goh, who still enjoys robust health, zips around Singapore on his trusty scooter to perform his unique ministry. He now has a few assistants helping him in his weekly classes but he acknowledges that help can be hard to come by.

Asked what will happen if one day he becomes too weak to continue this ministry, he said that “there are already people who can speak dialects,” adding that they can be attracted to join this ministry if the church pays them a regular allowance. “They will come in, those who are retired,” he said.

Catechumens Learning MuchfromGoh

In the meantime, Goh’s catechumens shared that they are learning much from the sessions.

Betty Tan, 76, who attends the classes at Novena Church with her 85-yearold sister, said she is “learning how to pray, how to make the sign of the cross and howJesus helped others.”

Simon Low, 75, who attends the sessions at the Church of the Holy Family, said he looks forward to “going deeper” into learning the faith, and also to being baptized.

The World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly July 27 is celebrated in the Jubilee Year under the theme “Blessed are those who have notlosthope.”❖

Dear Editor,

The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) commends the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for the decisiveness with which they responded to the rape and sexual violence against a 20-year old Amerindian young woman in the Raghoo Bar in Soesdyke. We strongly encourage the other Government Agencies with responsibilities for law, women and Amerindian matters to sustain a similarly energetic response.

Indigenous females are, for cultural reasons, particularly vulnerable to being duped into abusive situations in coastal Guyana, but their vulnerability is not unique. Sexual violence against women and girl children is endemic in Guyana requiring them to be constantly vigilant of their surroundings and whereabouts, which mini-bus to use, street to walk on, clothes that mightsend a wrong message.

Public reactions of horror at incidents such as that which occurred in Soesdyke contrast sharply with the growing acceptance of sexually objectifying women routinely projected in the proliferation of strip clubs, trafficking of girls for prostitution and

GHRA calls for more sustained measures response to stop violence against women andyounggirls

lewd posts on social media. The one seems never to be connected with the other.

Too often, immediate passionate indignation from Ministers, the police, politicians and religious leaders eventually simmers down into more routine, evasive action. The most shocking example of such behaviour was the mere removal from office of a Minister of a Government Minister widely considered by public opinion to be s responsible for rape of a young indigenous woman. Alarmingly, his name recently appeared on the new electoral list of candidates of the ruling party. This kind of evasion is no longer acceptable.

The Guyana Human Rights Association is calling for this heinous incident to be treated, not as an isolated vicious attack, but as the latest in a string of sexual crimes against women. The GHRA fully supports cancelling the licence and closure of the Raghoo Bar. Executive Committee

Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA)

the

Thursday,July 31stat 7pm. The

Brothers

is a its high academic standards and values -based education..❖

breaking into US medical schools?

(OSV News) - Dr. Marguerite Duane didn’t know about fertility awarenessbased family planning until she had finished medical school. When she learned by happenstance that there were natural and effective ways to track a woman’s cycle, she was shocked.

“Why didn’t I learn about this in medical school?” thought Duane, who at that point was 29 and in her medical residency. “Why didn’t I learn about this in college? Why didn’t I learn about this when I was going through puberty and starting my cycle?”

Today, Duane has devoted much of her career to educating medical professionals about natural family planning, or NFP, which also can be called fertility awareness-based methods,orFABMs.

Duane is the co-founder and executive director of FACTS about Fertility, a medical educational organization. As an adjunct associate professor at Jesuit-run Georgetown University in Washington, she teaches an elective about FABMs. Duane is also the director of the Center for Fertility Awareness Education and Research at Duquesne University College of Osteopathic Medicinein Pittsburgh. She hopes by the end of her career, she won’t need to advocate for NFP any more.

“This is good women’s health care, it’s not just good for Catholics. It’s simply good science,” Duane told OSV News.

“We need doctors who are trained, and the challenge is most doctors aren’t. That’s what’s limiting the widespread adoption ofthese methods.”

Though many NFP organizations do a great job educating couples about their fertility, FABM users often run into difficulties when they share their knowledge in the exam room.

“These women and couples go to the doctor and the doctors (say), ‘That doesn’t work, let me give you this pill,'” said Duane. She’s experienced it personally, and she’s not alone.

“FACTS did a study a few years ago where we surveyed women about their experiences talking with their clinicians about their use of FABMs, and fully a third of the women said they had a doctor laugh at them, mock them or ridiculethem,” shesaid.

Duane first began the “FABMs for Family Planning and Restorative Reproductive Women’s Healthcare” elective at Georgetown in 2010.

The first half of the class focuses on the different available methods, such as the Billings Ovulation Method, the Creighton Model and the Marquette Model. It’s taught largely by guest lecturers, including some of the creatorsofthesemethods.

The second half focuses on how cycle charting can help diagnose common women’s health conditions, including

premenstrual syndrome, or PMS; polycystic ovarian syndrome, PCOS; and endometriosis.

The elective has helped students really learn the science behind a woman’s cycle and feel comfortable recommending FABMsto future patients.

“It’s always amazing to me sitting in these live case studies (lectures) I can literally see the scales falling off the eyes of these students who for three years have been fed (the idea) that birth control is the best thing since sliced bread, that the pill is the panacea for all that ails women,” she said.

Today, the elective is available to any medical student in addition to Georgetown students, and 1,000 students have taken the course. A continuing education course is available for current medicalprofessionals, too.

One of Duane’s newest roles is as director of the Center for Fertility Awareness Education and Research at

Duquesne. In 2022, the school announced that an anonymous donor had given $2.5 million to provide medical students with fertilityawareness training as part of their overallmedical education.

“We are thrilled to have a gift that helps us educate medical professionals to use a wide array of tools at their disposal to treat the whole person,” said Dr. John Kauffman, dean of the medical school, in a press release announcing the training. “Fertility awareness is a tool that goes beyond family planning and ensures that physicians have a comprehensive understanding of their patient’s health.”

To the best of Duane’s knowledge, it is the only medical school in the United States that integrates education on FABMs at every level of the medical school curriculum. “This is huge this has never happened before,” said Duane. “I’ve been teaching this course at Georgetown but it’s an elective, you haveto want to takeit.”

She s also talking to other medical and nursing schools about how to include education about a woman’s cycle into their curricula. “I’ve received calls from the founding dean of Benedictine College (in Atchison, Kansas), which will be opening up a medical school,” she said. “I’ve met with the dean at Catholic University of America School of Nursing (in Washington), so I definitely think there’s an openness to this.”

The growing interest of medical educators as well as the growing awareness of the culture of FABMs makesDuane hopeful forthe future.

“I think it is moving in the right direction,” she said. “Restorative reproductive medicine as a topic is more and more in the headlines, and (recently) ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) came out against it and attacking it, so clearly we’re starting to makeheadway.” ❖

Pope celebrates moon landing anniversary with peek at the heavens, call to astronaut

Pope Leo XIV visits the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 20, 2025, to mark the anniversary of the first crewed mission to land on the moon in 1969. He looked through its main telescope and viewed its other instruments after praying the Angelus in the city's main square, the Vatican press office said. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) Peering at the sunlit skies through a Vatican-owned space telescope and calling the last surviving member of the Apollo 11 spaceflight mission was how Pope Leo XIV celebrated the anniversary of the firstcrewed moon landing.

U.S. astronaut Michael Collins flew the command module around the moon while Neil Armstrongand Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first humans to land and walk on the lunar surface.

Pope Leo, who would have been 13 years old when the lunar module, the Eagle, touched down, video-called the 95-year-old Aldrin late July 20, “sharing with him the memory of this historic achievement a testimony to human ingenuity,” the Vatican press office said.

They reflected together on Psalm 8, the office said, which marvels at the limitless grandeur of God, the smallness of human beings in creation and the amazing dignity and power that God has graciously bestowed upon them.

During the return flight back to Earth, Aldrin, a Presbyterian, had read two verses of Psalm 8 from the King James Bible in a radio communication with NASA’s mission control, saying, “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou has ordained; What is manthatthou art mindful of him?”

Pope Leo and Aldrin together “reflected on the mystery of creation, its greatness and its fragility,” the press office said July 20, releasing a photo of the pope and Aldrin with his wife, Anca Faur, taken during their video call.

Aldrin then posted on his X account, @TheRealBuzz: “Anca and I were grateful and touched to receive the

highest blessing today, from His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV on the 56th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.”

“What an honor! We prayed for good health, long life, and prosperity for all humankind,” the astronautwrote.

The Vatican press office said Pope Leo blessed the astronaut, his family and his coworkers atthe end of the call.

Visit to Vatican Observatory

Earlier in the day, Pope Leo visited the Vatican Observatory, the headquarters of a team of Jesuit astronomers and scientists, located on the grounds of the papal summer villa in Castel Gandolfo.

The pope showed great interest in how the observatory’s double astrograph telescope worked to take plate-glass photographs of the night sky, according to video clips released by the Vatican after the visit.

The pope also visited the observatory’s refractor telescope. The pope, who has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the Augustinianrun Villanova University near Philadelphia, asked U.S. Jesuit Father David Brown to position the massive instrument toward a particular spot for a look.

Father Brown, an astronomer specializing in stellar evolution, serves as caretaker of the telescopes in Castel Gandolfo, and he assiduously followed the pope’s request, maneuvering the telescope and the mechanized platform they were standingon.

St. Paul VI also visited the observatory the night of July 20-21, 1969, looking at the moon through its Schmidt telescope before he watched the actual landing and the first moon walk on television at the papal summer villa.

Pope Paul VI views the moon through the viewfinder of the Schmidt telescope at the time of the first landing on the moon,

20,

was photographed on display at the Vatican Observatory headquarters in Albano Laziale, Italy, Sept. 28, 2018. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Messages from religious leaders were among the artifacts collected to be flown on the lunar lander, and they remain there to this day for posterity. The messages include one personally handwritten by St. Paul alongside the printed text of Psalm 8.

St. Paul also sent a message honoring and blessing the three astronauts after they landed on the moon, calling them “conquerors of the moon, pale lamp of our nights and our dreams.” He then met Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin atthe Vatican Oct. 16,1969.

The observatory traces its origins back to an observational tower erected in the Vatican Gardens by Pope Gregory XIII in 1578 so celestial studies could aid the reform of the Western calendar. Over time, a number of posts for celestial observation were set up along the Vatican walls and elsewhere in Rome.

Pope Leo XIII formally established the Vatican Observatory placed on a hillside behind the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in 1891 as a visible sign of the church’s centuries-old support for science. He also let the Holy See take part in a decades-long international survey of the night sky called the “Carte du Ciel.”

The Jesuits have been entrusted with the Vatican Observatory since 1935, when Pope Pius XI decided to move the observatory from the Tower of the Winds in the Vatican to the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.

Two powerful telescopes were installed there in the 1930s under two separate domes located on the roof of the papal palace.

A separate building in the villa’s gardens houses the historic Carte du Ciel telescope from 1891 and a Schmidt telescope from 1957 that Pope Pius XII purchased with his own money as a gift to the observatory. It also houses an exhibit showcasing historical scientific instruments, artifacts and meteorites from the observatory’s collections.

The Jesuit observatory staff set up a second research center in Tucson, Arizona, in 1981 after Italian skies got too bright for nighttime observation. And in 1993, in collaboration with Steward Observatory, they completed the construction of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope on Mount Graham considered one of the best astronomical sites in the continental United States.❖

By Francis Canzius

The Roadside Calvary

Sunday March 7, 1965. The roadside Calvary Shrine at St. Joseph Husband of Mary R.C. Church at Little Diamond E.B.D. overlooks the East Bank public road.

At a ceremony to bless the Shrine, Bishop R.L. Guilly SJ said he hoped that the life-sized figures of Jesus on the Cross with his mother Mary and the Apostle John would be like a sermon to all those who pass by either on their way to the airport or other parts of the upper EastBank.

As part of the blessing, Bishop Guilly led the congregation in praying the fifth sorrowful mystery of the Rosary –the Crucifixion of Jesus. The marble statues were made in Italy and were presented to the Church by an anonymous donor ❖

July 26th: Sts. Joachim & Anne (Jesus’

Grandparents)

In the Scriptures, Matthew and Luke furnish a legal family history of Jesus, tracing ancestry to show that Jesus is the culmination of great promises. Not only is his mother’s family neglected, we also know nothing factual about them except that they existed. Even the names of Mary’s parents -Joachim and Ann - come from an old tradition going back to the second century.

The heroism and holiness of these people, however, is inferred from the whole family atmosphere around Mary in the Scriptures. Whether we rely on the legends about Mary’s childhood or make guesses from the information in the Bible, we see in her a fulfillment of many generations of prayerful persons, herself steeped in the religious traditions of her people.

The strong character of Mary in making decisions, her continuous practice of prayer, her devotion to the laws of her faith, her steadiness at moments of crisis, and her devotion to her relatives all indicate a close-knit, loving family that looked forward to the next generation even while retaining the bestof the past.