U.S. bishops unveil prayer service for America’s 250th anniversary centered on migrants
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has released a national prayer service for the country’s upcoming 250th anniversary that places immigration, justice, and the dignity of migrants at the center of America’s semiquincentennial observance.
Titled “A National Prayer Service Honoring the Many Journeys that Shaped America,” the resource was developed by the Committee on Migration and the Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation.
Designed as a template for dioceses and parishes across the country, the prayer service invites Catholics to reflect on the nation’s history through the lens of migration, displacement, slavery, and faith while encouraging advocacy for vulnerable migrant populations.
“In observance of the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026, and rooted in the Church’s pastoral mission of welcome, accompaniment, and solidarity,” the instructions state, the service seeks “to acknowledge and honor the many diverse communities that have journeyed to the United States in search of hope, safety, and opportunity.”
The document also highlights “the voices, sufferings, and enduring contributions of those who were forcibly brought to this land.”
A prayer service rooted in hospitality
The proposed service combines hymns, Scripture readings, intercessory prayers, testimonies, and guided reflections focused heavily on migrants, refugees, victims of trafficking, and immigrant communities.
Organizers are encouraged to adapt the service to local needs and cultures by incorporating music and devotional practices that reflect “the lived experiences of migration, displacement, resilience, and faith.”
The service opens with the hymn “All Are Welcome” by Marty Haugen and includes prayers asking Catholics to “walk in deeper solidarity with immigrant communities” and to advocate for “greater protection, justice, and accompaniment for vulnerable and at-risk migrant populations.”
A prayer to St. Frances Xavier Cabrini — patroness of immigrants and herself an immigrant to the United States — asks for protection for migrant families separated from one another and for the grace to “welcome every stranger as Christ in our midst.”
The document also includes a “call to action” encouraging Catholics to reflect on “concrete and compassionate ways to welcome, protect, promote, and integrate migrants, immigrants, and refugees” while advocating for “just and humane immigration reform that upholds the dignity of every human person created in the image of God.”
The service concludes with a “Prayer for Migrants” asking God to help the Church “welcome, protect, promote, and integrate those who knock at our doors.”
Scripture and civil rights themes woven throughout
The Scripture passages selected for the service strongly emphasize hospitality toward foreigners and care for society’s most vulnerable.
A reading from Deuteronomy 10:12-22 exhorts believers: “So you too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.” The Gospel reading from Matthew 25:31-46 centers on Christ’s words, “I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me.”
The template also incorporates themes of racial justice and historical memory. Intercessions address slavery and modern human trafficking, praying both for victims of exploitation and for “perpetrators of slavery” to repent.
The service further recommends “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often referred to as the Black national anthem and rooted in Black church worship and civic life in the U.S., as an intermediate hymn.
It also includes optional excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream" speech for use in a homily or guided reflection, alongside passages from the bishops’ 2025 special pastoral message on immigration.
Dignity of migrants
In recent years, U.S. bishops have consistently advocated for immigration reform while emphasizing the dignity of migrants, opposition to family separation, and support for refugees and trafficking victims.
The prayer service places those concerns within the broader context of the nation’s identity ahead of America’s 250th anniversary observances.
“This prayer service seeks to provide a sacred space for reflection, remembrance, lament, and hope,” the document states, inviting participants to encounter one another “as members of the one human family and the one body of Christ.”
EWTN News reached out to the USCCB for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
Fulton Sheen’s missionary legacy hailed by Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV on Monday praised the missionary legacy of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, the famed American evangelist who will be beatified Sept. 24 in St. Louis, calling him “a light of faith, hope, and love.”
The pope made his remarks June 1 during an audience with participants in the general assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies, recalling Sheen’s long service as national director of the societies in the United States.
The pope noted that this year marks the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius XI’s establishment of the penultimate Sunday of October as World Mission Sunday, a day devoted to “prayer, reflection, and contributing to the Church’s mission of evangelization.”
Leo expressed his gratitude to those who promote the annual observance, which supports the Church’s missionary work throughout the world.
“For 100 years, this day has been set apart for prayer, reflection, and contributing to the Church’s mission of evangelization, especially in areas where the proclamation of the Gospel is only just beginning and where the Church is still young,” the pope said.
He added that “every Catholic community is invited to pray and offer spiritual and material sacrifices for the missionary efforts in areas of first evangelization and for the support of young Churches.”
World Mission Sunday also reminds older and more established Churches “how important it is that they too join in the missionary spirit of the whole Church,” he said.
The pope said the funds raised through World Mission Sunday make it possible for the Pontifical Society of the Propagation of the Faith to assist more than 1,130 ecclesiastical jurisdictions that depend on the Dicastery for Evangelization’s section for first evangelization and new particular Churches.
Those funds, he said, help establish Church infrastructure, support missionary initiatives, and contribute to the administration of five colleges in Rome for the ongoing formation of priests and consecrated men and women who later return to serve their local Churches.
Leo also highlighted the 110th anniversary of the Pontifical Missionary Union, founded by Blessed Paolo Manna, later declared pontifical by Pope Pius XII and described by St. Paul VI as the “soul” of the other Pontifical Mission Societies.
“I encourage all to participate in its mission of fostering among all the baptized an ever more fervent missionary spirituality and a deeper commitment to the Church’s universal mission of evangelization in this new missionary age,” he said.
The pope then turned again to Sheen, noting that his beatification is scheduled for Sept. 24 in St. Louis.
“It is also providential that this year, on 24 September, in St. Louis, Missouri, a renowned national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States of America, the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, will be beatified,” Leo said.
“Archbishop Sheen was a light of faith, hope, and love that shone through the radio and television media for decades,” the pope continued. “I myself am a witness of his evangelization when I was growing up. His broadcasts touched millions with the hope of the Gospel and his initiatives and efforts resulted in enormous spiritual and material aid to the Churches in areas of first evangelization.”
“May our new blessed be an example for all of the national and diocesan directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies throughout the world,” he added.
Leo also underscored the importance of the Pontifical Mission Societies in a world “increasingly marked by division, war, and conflict among nations and peoples.”
He said the Pontifical Mission Society of the Holy Childhood carries out “a particularly precious mission” by bringing faith and Christian charity to children around the world, especially in places afflicted by hatred and violence. He also praised the Pontifical Mission Society of St. Peter the Apostle for sustaining the formation of Indigenous clergy and consecrated religious in mission territories.
The theme for this year’s World Mission Sunday, “One in Christ, United in Mission,” highlights the unity of believers and the 100th anniversary of the global celebration, the pope said.
The theme “invites all of the members of the Church to a deeper communion in Christ and to a fuller unity in his divine mission of love,” he said.
“I therefore encourage you to keep this teaching in mind, to live an authentic spirituality of missionary unity and communion centered on Christ, and to promote it through your activities among the faithful,” Leo told the assembly.
Citing the Second Vatican Council’s decree Ad Gentes, the pope recalled that the “Church on earth is by her very nature missionary since, according to the plan of the Father, it has her origin in the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
He urged participants to recognize “the urgency of embracing an ongoing missionary conversion” and to seek together ways of “being a missionary Church for the healing of our world, so fraught with tensions, conflicts, and wars.”
“In all that we do for the work of evangelization, may we always place Jesus Christ at the center,” Leo said, invoking the words of St. John the Baptist: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
‘Invisible, silent, misunderstood work’: The pope’s school for diplomats at 325 years
The Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the school in Rome that trains young priests to serve as ambassadors for the pope, is celebrating the 325th anniversary of its founding this year.
Located at Romeʼs Piazza della Minerva and established in its current form in 1850, the academy is a crucial part of the Holy Seeʼs worldwide diplomatic mission and among the oldest institutions of its kind.
Pope Leo XIV marked the anniversary with a visit to the academy on April 27, reminding the community of its primary responsibility as shepherds and of the mission “to bear witness to the truth that is Christ, bringing his message to the forum of nations.”
The academy has trained apostolic nuncios — representatives of the pope and the Holy See to other countries — since 1701. It was founded by Pope Clement XI, initially to train the sons of noble families and later to train diocesan priests for diplomatic service on behalf of the papacy.
An important but often misunderstood service
The academy has produced more than 2,000 Church diplomats since its founding in 1701 and has many notable alumni, including five popes, among them Leo XIII and St. Paul VI. Its roster of graduates also includes eight Vatican secretaries of state, the latest being Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, reflected on the institutionʼs importance with EWTN News. He explained that while the academy is not well known among ordinary Catholics, it is highly relevant to the life of the universal Church.
“Certainly, the academy seems a somewhat obscure and closed place, but in fact it is open to the world,” Pennacchio told EWTN News. “Naturally, we do not put ourselves in the newspapers, but I remember these words of Paul VI: ‘an invisible, silent, misunderstood work.’”
That work involves helping to maintain the Holy Seeʼs diplomatic relations with 183 countries. At times, it is delicate, ranging from negotiating with hostile governments to providing aid during natural disasters.
Pennacchio himself served for 44 years as an apostolic nuncio and explained that alumni who become papal diplomats in these countries help bring the pope closer to areas he cannot go in person.
“In my years as an apostolic nuncio, I served in post-genocide Rwanda and later in Thailand, where I oversaw six other Southeast Asian countries and made over 200 pastoral trips in seven years. A crucial aspect of the nuncioʼs role is representing the Holy Fatherʼs solidarity in places he cannot personally reach, providing both spiritual encouragement and material aid by mobilizing organizations like Caritas during natural disasters and conflicts,” Pennacchio said.
Academic, spiritual, and pastoral formation
Currently, 37 priests from 28 countries are in formation at the academy to become papal diplomats. Pennacchio explained to EWTN News that there are three aspects of formation for the future ambassadors of the pope.
“The first level is the academic-intellectual level. Each priest has a specific path, so they also receive training in canon law. Furthermore, they take language courses. At a minimum, they learn at least two other languages and must learn Italian because it is somewhat the language of communication of the Curia.”
“The second level is the spiritual aspect. There are priests here who already have experience as priests in their parishes or in other countries, with at least two years of pastoral life. In the period that we are together, we live as a community.”
“And then the third level is the pastoral one, because the students must continue to be priests. They must not abandon their apostolic zeal, and on weekends, they are assigned to parishes, hospitals, and prisons, where they can develop and exercise their pastoral ministry. Pope Francis also introduced a missionary year. Before being assigned to a diplomatic post, they must complete a year of missionary experience in the country to which they are assigned. After a year there, they return and then receive their first diplomatic post.”
Vatican versus civil diplomacy
Pennacchio also explained the distinction between Holy See diplomacy and civil diplomacy.
“I often compare our role to a train track with two parallel rails. While nuncios serve as ambassadors presenting credentials to the state, we simultaneously represent the Holy Father to the local Church. Unlike civil diplomats who focus on national, commercial, or military interests, ours is a unique, deeply spiritual mission. In the political sphere, our primary goal is always to bring a message of peace and inspire negotiations rather than war,” Pennacchio said.
Catholic scientists to gather near Chicago to discuss human sexuality, future of the universe
The Society of Catholic Scientists (SCS) is preparing to gather for its ninth annual conference June 5–7 at Mundelein Seminary northwest of Chicago, with plans to discuss some of the major issues facing the scientific community.
The society exists as an answer to the call of St. John Paul II that “members of the Church who are active scientists” be of service to those who are attempting to “integrate the worlds of science and religion in their own intellectual and spiritual lives.” SCS does this through annual and regional conferences, college chapters, lectures, and other activities, as well as by a large archive of educational material and articles on its website.
Founded in 2016, SCS has quickly grown to over 2,700 members from 65 countries (75% are from the U.S. and Canada, followed by Spain, Poland, and the UK). Many hundreds of scientists have attended its conferences — along with theologians, philosophers, and historians — while thousands, from professors to high school students, regularly attend its local events.
Stephen Barr, a physicist at the University of Delaware and founder of the group, told EWTN News that SCS gains about 250 new members each year. He expects this year’s convention to attract approximately 130 attendees, including a significant number of young participants.
Barr explained his impetus for founding SCS. “Thereʼs this big perception in society that science and religion are at odds — this has become the conventional wisdom. It’s going to take a lot of work to overcome that,” he said.
“We are there to proclaim that they are not at odds. The mere fact that we exist shows people that there are not just a handful of scientists who are religious, but a large number of scientists who are religious — and not only that, but a large number who are believing, practicing, faithful Catholics.”
Historically, many prominent scientists were Catholic, and several of this year’s talks will highlight that joint history.
Nuno Castel-Branco, a historian of science and Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford, will speak about “The Anatomy of a Conversion: Nicolaus Steno and the Search for Certainty in the Scientific Revolution.”
Steno was a Danish scientist in the 1600s. A pioneer in both anatomy and geology, he became a Catholic bishop in his later years and has been beatified by the Catholic Church.
Ignasi Rosell of the Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera will share a presentation called “John Henry Newman, New Doctor of the Church: His Vision of the University and the Place of the Sciences,” and Berta Moritz of "Science Meets Faith" will present “Gregor Mendel in Brno and Vienna: An On-Site Perspective.”
Part of SCS' mission is being a public witness to the compatibility of faith and science and a first-of-its-kind event at this yearʼs conference will address that issue directly: an event designed to prepare Catholic scientists to deliver effective talks on science and faith. Science and Faith Speaker Training is a one-and-a-half-day workshop that will take place before the main conference begins. A grant from The Templeton Religious Trust supports this event.
Another top-of-mind topic for science-curious Catholics is human biology and sexuality, and two talks from prominent scientists will clarify aspects of these issues.
James J. Lee, a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota, will discuss “The Evolution of Sexual Reproduction and Differentiation” and Maureen L. Condic, a professor at The Catholic University of America whose research focuses on the role of stem cells in development and regeneration, will present a lecture on “The Biology of Human Nature and Human Individuation.”
“A lot of social issues nowadays touch upon the meaning of sex and what it means to be human,” Barr told EWTN News. “What is sex? What is a human being? We donʼt necessarily aim to have talks that address hot-button issues — actually, we try to steer clear of highly contentious social issues — but clearly a lot of theological questions revolve around the nature of sex and the nature of human beings.”
Another conference presentation will illuminate the latest research about the future of the universe. Robert J. Scherrer, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt University, where he also served as department chair for 13 years, will present “How the Universe Will End.”
“The universe is accelerating, but it seems that will end at some point,“ Barr said. ”Itʼs not so clear anymore whether the universe is going to expand forever or collapse, and that is a very interesting question. It also has some theological interest if weʼre thinking about the end of the world and the next world and how theyʼre connected.”
Computer scientist Gregory F. Johnson, principal software engineer at Zap Surgical Systems, a spin-off of the Stanford Medical School, will discuss Gödelʼs Incompleteness Theorem and how it launched “a mathematical and philosophical revolution.”
“That talk is personally interesting to me, as Gödelʼs Theorem is regarded as having great philosophical implications,” Barr said. “But I think all the talks this year Iʼm going to learn something from, and thatʼs exciting. I like it when I go to a talk and come out knowing more than I did when I went in.”
The 2026 conference is open to SCS members and associates and will be livestreamed for free. The conference schedule and speaker biographies can be found here.
Vatican cardinal returns to native city for beatification of priests killed by communists
A Vatican cardinal born in the Czech city of Brno will return there on June 6 to preside at the beatification of two priests executed by the communist regime in what was then Czechoslovakia.
“To go and be there, near where I was born and where my family is from, is of course a very moving experience, and I am looking forward very much to it,” Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, told EWTN News.
Czerny was born 80 years ago, but due to a communist threat his family soon emigrated to Canada. Though he remembers the 1950s in Montreal, he said, “I never imagined what was happening behind the Iron Curtain.”
Getting to know Jan Bula and Václav Drbola
The Diocese of Brno, which will mark its 250th anniversary next year, will celebrate the first beatifications in its history. The diocese expects thousands of visitors at the cityʼs exhibition center, where a spiritual and cultural program will run all day, and it prepared a novena for the nine days leading up to the beatification.
“The coming days should help us get to know Jan Bula and Václav Drbola personally better, so that they will be close to us and become our spiritual friends,” Bishop Pavel Konzbul explained, stressing that he does not want “the beatification to be a one-time event.”
Jan Bula (1920–1952) and Václav Drbola (1912–1951) faced increasing pressure from the communist regime that took power in 1948 in Czechoslovakia. The regime imprisoned them without cause and accused them of complicity in a shooting that killed three communists, although both were already in prison at the time. They were condemned to death in staged trials in the early 1950s.
To prepare the faithful, the diocese has published educational, prayer, and catechetical materials. A six-minute animated film about the martyrs' lives was produced using AI, along with a documentary. Around 40 catechists also went on a pilgrimage this year to places linked with the two priests.
The organizer said the catechists were given “firsthand experience to get to know the churches, parishes, and other places where both martyrs worked” to “spread the story and legacy of Jan Bula and Václav Drbola among children and youth.”
Life as a hymn of praise
The two priests' witness was also recounted at a May 20 conference in Rome, “The Blessed Martyrs of Communism,” organized by the Embassy of the Czech Republic to the Holy See at the Czech Pontifical College Nepomucenum, where Czerny reflected on their martyrdom. The date marked the anniversary of Bulaʼs execution in 1952.
“Their life was a hymn of praise that burst out of the depths of promise and rose up above the tumult of the world,” Czerny said at the opening, adding that the two priests “turned the courtroom into a pulpit and the prison into an altar.”
When the bishops in Czechoslovakia decided to inform the faithful about the worsening situation in 1949 through pastoral and circular letters, many priests did not read them out. “They were afraid of the consequences,” said Father Karel Orlita, head of the diocesan phase of the beatification process. Bula and Drbola, however, read the pastoral letter in church, which testified to their courage, Orlita underscored.
The postulator of the Roman phase of the process, Maria Bresciani, said “the profound reason for their persecution was their Christian identity, influence on the faithful, loyalty to the pope and the Church, and their ability to shape peopleʼs consciences, mainly of the young.”
Both speakers agreed that Bula and Drbola were not stubborn or fanatics but simply decided to remain faithful to Christ, in peace and without hatred. Communists even singled out Bulaʼs influence on peopleʼs consciences as problematic, claiming he “abused the trust among people that he had as a priest.”
“They were popular with their parishioners and active in community life, and the reverence for them has a long tradition after their death,” said Eva Vybíralová of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes.
She noted that Bishop Felix Davídek, who was secretly ordained in Czechoslovakia and had known Bula from the seminary, considered him a “candidate for canonization and one of the protectors of the secret Church.”
Bula and Drbola were rehabilitated in 1990 and will become the first beatified victims of the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century on the territory of todayʼs Czech Republic.
Trump suggests pope unaware of Iran nuclear stance despite Leo’s repeated calls for disarmament
President Donald Trump warned against a nuclear‑armed Iran, reacting to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnsonʼs May 28 meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, where the mayor said they discussed U.S. immigration and the Iran conflict.
Trump posted: “Someone should explain to the pope that the mayor of Chicago is useless, and that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.” He also shared screenshots of the mayor’s posts with pictures of him and the Chicago-born pope sharing gifts and praying. Trump made the comments in a May 30 post on Truth Social.
The president has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that Leo wants the Middle Eastern country to develop nuclear armaments.
Leo has rejected those allegations. On May 5 at Castel Gandolfo he stated that the Church "has spoken for years against all nuclear weapons." Later, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin stated that the Holy See "has always worked, and will continue to work, on nuclear disarmament."
The White House and Chicago mayor’s office did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
Trump sharply criticized Pope Leo XIV in April, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” and saying he is “not a fan” of the pope.
Trump expressed his disapproval of Leoʼs public statements denouncing the U.S.-led war on Iran. The Holy Father has repeatedly called for peace amid the ongoing conflict.
The pope has said he is “not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel.”
Pope Leo XIV: The Trinity teaches that every creature is made for communion
Pope Leo XIV said Sunday that the mystery of the Holy Trinity teaches Christians to see every creature as made for communion — and warned that division, polarization, and contempt for differences leave the world spiritually barren.
Speaking before the Angelus on May 31, the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the pope reflected on Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus in the Gospel of John, saying the feast reveals that God’s own life is a communion of love into which humanity is invited.
“The Trinity helps us to love everyone and everything: We discover that every creature is made for communion, relationship, and encounter,” Pope Leo said from the window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter’s Square. “On the other hand, we understand why division, polarization, and contempt for diversity bring destruction, sadness, and barrenness to the world.”
The pope said the Church’s Easter journey, which concluded last week with Pentecost, helps believers contemplate the divine life given to humanity in Christ — a communion of love that draws believers in through the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit, he said, “unites the Father and the Son” and “has been poured into our hearts.” In this way, he added, “the Church becomes a sacrament of communion, a place of encounter, love, and life where heaven and earth already touch.”
Turning to Nicodemus, whom the Gospel describes as an important figure in Israel who came to Jesus at night, Leo said Christ “welcomed him and took his search for answers seriously.”
Jesus, the pope said, “surprised Nicodemus by suggesting that it was even possible for an adult to be reborn and led him to realize that the life of God could transform his own life.”
Leo noted that Nicodemus later defended Jesus before the Sanhedrin, urging others to listen before condemning him.
“He had received the Spirit of communion from God through Christ himself, which opens the heart to new truths and to true renewal,” the pope said. “Whoever does not welcome this Spirit grows old quickly, in sorrow, feeling all alone and without joy in their hearts.”
By contrast, Leo said, the solemnity of the Trinity is “a day of celebration.”
“God’s feast is also ours,” he said, citing St. Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians: “Rejoice, strive for perfection, encourage one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
After leading the Angelus, the pope recalled the prayers for peace raised throughout the Church during May, a month traditionally dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
“In this month of May, a united chorus of prayers for peace has resounded throughout the Church,” he said. “Above all, through the prayer of the holy rosary — like an unbroken chain — the peoples ravaged by war have been entrusted to the intercession of the Virgin Mary.”
“May divine wisdom enlighten the consciences of those in authority and guide their decisions toward a sincere search for a just and lasting peace,” he said.
Leo also marked Italy’s 25th National Day of Relief, expressing closeness to the sick and those who care for them.
“I offer my spiritual closeness to the sick and those who care for them; and I thank and encourage all who promote a culture of solidarity and care,” he said.
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Bishop highlights Church’s ministry to seafarers facing danger and isolation
“The Church has always accompanied people of the sea,” Bishop Frank Schuster, auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Seattle, told EWTN News ahead of his Washington, D.C., visit for the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Mariners and People of the Sea on May 22.
“We had a couple of seafarers of our own among the apostles — Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishermen,” said Schuster, who serves as the bishop promoter of Stella Maris in the U.S.
Stella Maris, first known as the Apostleship of the Sea, is the Church’s official ministry for seafarers and mariners. Formal Catholic port ministry began in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1920 but was not officially recognized by the Vatican until 1922, when Pope Pius XI granted his approval. The ministry was renamed “Stella Maris” on its 100th anniversary in 2020, a nod to St. John Paul II’s 1997 motu proprio Stella Maris.
While the main role of port chaplains with Stella Maris is to celebrate Mass and the sacraments aboard ships, their work includes providing counsel and aid to sailors.
“One of the reasons why this ministry is so vitally important is — if you do a quick search of the United Nations, you’ll find this number — it’s fascinating that 80% of all tradable goods have, in some fashion, had to at some point travel by ship,” Schuster said.
“They’re performing a service,” he said, “so when they arrive to our ports, we come on board delivering gifts and different items that they might find helpful such as toothbrushes, bars of soap, shaving cream, and razors.”
‘A ministry of accompaniment’
“It’s a ministry of accompaniment,” Schuster said, explaining that the ministry of port chaplains often includes walking with seafarers struggling with mental health or trauma from their time on board a ship.
“Some of these seafarers often have trauma in their past,” Schuster said. “I’ve talked to several seafarers who have been on the Hormuz route — if you’re a sailor on one of these ships and you’re watching missiles fly over you, you are constantly worried about being attacked.”
“And so, we can also just be a good ear and listen,” he said. “But also, if we see signs of real depression, we can be helpful there in terms of referrals to make sure that these seafarers get the help that they need.”
Stella Maris also often assists crews on abandoned ships, according to Schuster.
“There may be a ship out there where the company abandoned the seafarers, so they’re no longer getting paid and they’re just kind of sitting out there on a boat because the country won’t let them leave the boat abandoned,” he explained, citing the crew of the Dali cargo ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Key Bridge in March 2024.
A port chaplain with Stella Maris in Baltimore regularly checks in on several members of the Dali crew who have remained in the city amid the ongoing investigation of the incident, the bishop noted.
Schuster said his favorite part about his role as bishop promoter of Stella Maris is “just getting on board the ships and being able to do ministry.”
“Before I was a bishop, I was a pastor of a parish, and that meant daily accompaniment of people from a variety of different backgrounds and a variety of different needs, and I missed that one-on-one ministry,” he said.
“So when I get on board a ship and minister to a crew, being able to celebrate Mass, sit down to eat with them and talk about life, it feels like Iʼm a pastor again. And it feels good.”
12 things to know and share about the Holy Trinity
The Catholic Church teaches that the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith. But how much do we know about this mystery? What is its history? What does it mean? And how can it be proved?
Here are 12 things to know and to share.
1. Where does the word “Trinity” come from?
It comes from the Latin word “trinitas,” which means “three” or “triad.” The Greek equivalent is “triados.”
2. When was the word first used?
The first surviving use of the term (there may have been earlier uses that are now lost) was about 170 A.D. by Theophilus of Antioch, who wrote: “In like manner also the three days which were before the luminaries are types of the Trinity [Τριάδος], of God, and His Word, and His wisdom. And the fourth is the type of man, who needs light, that so there may be God, the Word, wisdom, man” (“To Autolycus,” 2:15).
3. What is the Trinity?
The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it this way: “The Church expresses her trinitarian faith by professing a belief in the oneness of God in whom there are three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three divine Persons are only one God because each of them equally possesses the fullness of the one and indivisible divine nature. They are really distinct from each other by reason of the relations which place them in correspondence to each other. The Father generates the Son; the Son is generated by the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son” (No. 48).
4. Is the Trinity the central mystery of the Christian faith?
Yes. The compendium explains: “The central mystery of Christian faith and life is the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity. Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (No. 44).
5. When did the Church infallibly define the Trinity?
The dogma of the Trinity was defined in two stages, at the First Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.) and the First Council of Constantinople (381 A.D.).
First Nicaea defined the divinity of the Son and wrote the part of the Creed that deals with the Son.
This council was called to deal with the heresy known as Arianism, which claimed that the Son was a supernatural being but not God.
First Constantinople defined the divinity of the Holy Spirit and wrote the part of the Creed that deals with the Spirit.
This council dealt with a heresy known as Macedonianism (because its advocates were from Macedonia), which denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit. This heresy was also called Pneumatomachianism (from a Greek phrase meaning “fighting the Spirit”).
6. How can the Trinity be proved?
The Trinity can only be proved through the divine revelation that Jesus brought us. It cannot be proved by natural reason or from the Old Testament alone. The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “God has left some traces of his trinitarian being in creation and in the Old Testament but his inmost being as the Holy Trinity is a mystery which is inaccessible to reason alone or even to Israel’s faith before the incarnation of the Son of God and the sending of the Holy Spirit. This mystery was revealed by Jesus Christ and it is the source of all the other mysteries” (No. 45).
Although the vocabulary used to express the doctrine of the Trinity took time to develop, we can demonstrate the different aspects of the doctrine from Scripture.
7. How can we show from Scripture that there is only one God?
The fact that there is only one God was already made clear in the Old Testament. For example, the book of Isaiah proclaims: “You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me” (Is 43:10).
It continues: “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god” (Is 44:6).
8. How can we show that the Father is God?
The Father is proclaimed as God numerous times in the New Testament. For example, St. Paul declares: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Cor 1:3).
And: “There is ... one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Eph 4:4-6).
9. How can we show that the Son is God?
This is proclaimed in a variety of places in the New Testament, including at the beginning of the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” (Jn 1:1, 14).
And later: “Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (Jn 20:27-28).
10. How can we show that the Holy Spirit is God?
In the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit is portrayed as a divine Person who speaks and who can be lied to: “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’” (Acts 13:2).
And: “But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? ... You have not lied to men but to God’” (Acts 5:3-4).
11. How can we show that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are distinct Persons?
The distinction of the persons can be shown, for example, in the fact that Jesus speaks to his Father. This would make no sense if they were one and the same person.
“At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will’” (Mt 11:25-26).
The fact that Jesus is not the same Person as the Holy Spirit is revealed when Jesus — who has been functioning as the Counselor (Greek, “Parakletos”) of the disciples — says he will pray to the Father and the Father will give them “another Counselor,” who is the Holy Spirit.
This shows the distinction of all three Persons: Jesus who prays; the Father who sends; and the Spirit who comes: “And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you” (Jn 14:16-17).
12. How can we show that the Son is generated by the Father and that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son?
The fact that the Son is generated by the Father is indicated by the names of these Persons. Sons are generated by fathers. The second Person of the Trinity would not be a Son if he were not generated by the first Person as his Father.
The fact that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son is reflected in another statement of Jesus:
“But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me” (Jn 15:26).
This depicts the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son (“whom I shall send”). Here the outward operations of the Persons of the Trinity reflect their mutual relations with each other. It may also be said that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son.
For more on the procession of the Holy Spirit, click here.
This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, on June 7, 2020, and has been updated and adapted by EWTN News.
Human dignity, national security 'not in conflict,' U.S. bishops say amid Trump 'aliens' campaign
The U.S. bishops are reiterating their calls for immigrants in the U.S. to be treated with dignity as the Trump administration launches a campaign that likens immigrants living in the country illegally to extraterrestrials.
The White House on May 28 launched a government website "Aliens.gov," a retro sci-fi-styled site that claims the government has "kept a closely guarded secret" about "aliens" and an "invasion" for decades.
The site mimics sci‑fi aesthetics, with a bold, geometric sans‑serif typeface in neon green and black, like 1950s movie posters used to advertise Cold‑War‑era sci‑fi films featuring monstrous extraterrestrials.
“Aliens have been walking among us, living in our neighborhoods, and interacting with us in our daily lives,” the site claims, alleging that “aliens” have “shopped in the same stores, attended the same classes as our children, and lived seemingly normal human existences.”
Promoting an “alien arrest map” of immigrant detentions around the country, the site states bluntly that people without legal status “do not belong here.”
The website urges visitors to “report suspicious aliens” to an “ICE tip line.”
In U.S. law, the word alien is a formal legal classification meaning a person who is not a U.S. citizen or national, a definition that appears in the Immigration and Nationality Act and is used in statutes, regulations, and court decisions.
Dignity, national security ‘not in conflict,’ bishops says
Immigrants have long been portrayed through metaphors in U.S. culture, from 19th‑century political cartoons that depicted Irish, Italian, and Chinese newcomers as monsters or subhuman creatures to modern rhetoric framing migrant groups as “invaders,” “infestations,” or something other than fully human.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) lamented “the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants” in a special message in November 2025.
In February, the bishops condemned a plan from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to increase the capacity of migrant detention centers around the U.S. The government earlier this year indicated it would spend about $38 billion to bolster detention space.
Victoria, Texas Bishop Brendan Cahill, chair of the bishops' immigration committee, called the plans “deeply troubling” at the time.
“The thought of holding thousands of families in massive warehouses should challenge the conscience of every American," the bishop said.
Asked about the governmentʼs new “aliens” campaign on May 29, USCCB spokeswoman Chieko Noguchi told EWTN News that the bishops have “continuously condemned vilification of immigrants and dehumanizing rhetoric and consistently advocated for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures.”
“They’ve also repeatedly asserted that human dignity and national security are not in conflict,” she said, pointing to the bishops' special message.
The bishops at that time said they “oppose[d] the indiscriminate mass deportation of people,” with the prelates praying “for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.”
The bishops in February urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the U.S. constitutional policy of “birthright citizenship” wherein any individual born on U.S. soil is counted as an American citizen.
The dispute before the court was launched after Trump in January 2025 signed an order directing that children born to parents in the country illegally were not entitled to U.S. citizenship.
Pope Leo XIV — the first pope in history from the United States — has also weighed in, affirming in November 2025 that while nations have “a right to determine who and how and when people enter,” countries “have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have.”
“When people are living good lives — and many of them (in the United States) for 10, 15, 20 years — to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful, to say the least,” is not acceptable, the pope said on Nov. 18, 2025.
Regarding the bishops' Nov. 12, 2025 message on immigration, the pope remarked: “I appreciate very much what the bishops have said. I think it’s a very important statement. I would invite, especially all Catholics, but people of goodwill to listen carefully to what they said."
In a statement to EWTN News, meanwhile, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on May 29 argued that news reports “too often” ignore “the victims [of illegal immigration] and their stories.”
"These victims and their families are why we work around the clock to arrest and deport illegal aliens from our communities," the department said, describing crimes committed by undocumented immigrants as "completely preventable.”
“What makes someone a target of ICE is if they are in the U.S. illegally,” the statement continued, arguing that “nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of criminal illegal aliens who have been convicted or have pending charges.”
ICE data shows most people arrested and booked into ICE custody do not have criminal convictions, and some analyses show the 70% figure comes from redefining “criminal” to include pending charges, foreign allegations untested in a U.S. court, and people who have never been found guilty of a crime.
Roughly 25–30% of people arrested by ICE have a prior conviction, according to analyses of ICE arrest and detention data, including work by the Cato Institute and the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse based on ICE data.