Vatican to publish Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical May 25
The Vatican announced Monday that Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical will be published on May 25 with the title Magnifica Humanitas.
Pope Leo will speak at a presentation for the release of the social encyclical — a papal letter to the Church — at 11:30 a.m. Rome time on May 25 in the Vaticanʼs Synod Hall.
The Vatican also confirmed that the full title of the encyclical is Magnifica Humanitas: “On the Protection of Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” Magnifica Humanitas is Latin for “magnificent humanity.”
Leo signed the letter, which is expected to provide moral guidance on the digital revolution and emerging technologies such as AI, on May 15.
The speakers at the encyclicalʼs presentation will be: Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith; Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, prefect of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development; Anna Rowlands, professor of ethics and political theology at the University of Durham in the United Kingdom; Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic USA; and Léocadie Lushombo, it, professor of theological ethics at the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California.
Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin will offer concluding remarks.
May 15 marked the 135th anniversary of the publication of Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical on capital and labor, Rerum Novarum, “Of New Things” — the first in a long line of social encyclicals produced in the modern era of the Catholic Church.
Pope Leo XIV indicated at the beginning of his pontificate that he intended to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Leo XIII by responding to todayʼs industrial revolution: “developments in the field of artificial intelligence.”
Addressing the College of Cardinals on May 10, 2025, the new pope said he chose to take the name Leo XIV for various reasons, “but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution.”
“In our own day,” he continued, “the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor.”
SSPX and Rome: a half century of canonical tensions
The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) went from full communion with Rome to formal rupture in less than two decades, a break that has never been fully healed.
On May 13, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, warned that the episcopal consecrations without a papal mandate — which the society has announced will take place July 1st — will constitute a schismatic act entailing automatic excommunication, the very same scenario the SSPX bishops experienced in 1988.
Origins
The SSPX fraternity was founded in Switzerland as a priestly society of diocesan right by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and canonically erected in 1970 within the Diocese of Fribourg, with the approval of the Ordinary; that is, in full communion with Rome. The SSPX celebrates exclusively the Traditional Latin Mass and maintains doctrinal differences regarding certain teachings and reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
The first cracks in the relationship with the Catholic Church emerged just four years after its founding. In 1974, following an apostolic visitation to the seminary he had established in the Swiss town of Écône, Lefebvre publicly expressed his rejection of various teachings of the Second Vatican Council, not only regarding liturgical matters but also concerning broader doctrinal issues.
In a statement to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Italian sociologist Massimo Introvigne, one of the leading international experts on Lefebvrism, the “truly insurmountable” stumbling block for the Lefebvrists was the document Dignitatis Humanae. Promulgated in 1965, this document represented one of the most audacious theological and pastoral shifts of the Second Vatican Council, in which the Church affirmed the principle of religious freedom for the first time.
Dispute over religious freedom
“According to Lefebvre, only the Catholic Church should be guaranteed the right to religious freedom; other religions may, at most, be tolerated,” summarized the sociologist, who also explains that this entails a rejection by the Lefebvrists of any openness toward ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.
The core of the disagreement regarding Dignitatis Humanae was the subject of intense correspondence with the then-prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who held that position between 1981 and 2005 before being elected pope as Benedict XVI.
In a letter titled “Liberté religieuse. Réponse aux ‘dubia’ présentés par S.E. Mgr. Lefebvre,” (Religious Freedom. Response to the ‘dubia’ presented by H.E. Archbishop Lefebvre) dated March 9, 1987 — one year prior to Lefebvreʼs excommunication — Ratzinger attempted to persuade Lefebvre that there was no rupture regarding religious liberty between the Magisterium preceding the Second Vatican Council and Dignitatis Humanae, and that the concept could be upheld on theological and philosophical grounds that exclude relativism.
“We have preserved the correspondence exchanged between the two, which reveals how, in the end, Cardinal Ratzinger concluded that Archbishop Lefebvre’s positions were diverging from orthodoxy and from communion with Rome,” Introvigne explained.
Introvigne, who interviewed Lefebvre on several occasions before his death in 1991, noted a little-known fact: the archbishop participated in all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council as superior general of the Fathers of the Holy Spirit and even signed all the conciliar documents.
However, Lefebvreʼs views became more radicalized after the council when he “began to be concerned about what he considered to be progressive drifts within the Church — drifts which, in his view, were moving away from tradition,” the expert explained.
In that context, in 1970, he founded a seminary in Switzerland with the aim of offering a traditional priestly formation. “Gradually, throughout the 1970s, he also began to formulate responses that led him toward positions of rupture,” Introvigne noted.
The first rupture
These responses led, in 1975, to the canonical suppression of the fraternity by the bishop of Fribourg, a decision that Lefebvre challenged unsuccessfully.
A year later, the situation escalated with his suspension ab ordinum collatione (from the conferring of orders) and, subsequently, a divinis, which prohibited him from performing any sacred act, including the celebration of Mass.
Although these categories belong to the 1917 Code of Canon Law then in force, their legal effect today is unequivocal: Lefebvre was deprived of the lawful exercise of his ministry.
Despite this, he continued to ordain priests, and the fraternity continued to expand its activities, “all under objective conditions of canonical illegality;” that is, outside of ecclesial norms, as explained to ACI Prensa by professor of Roman Law, Father Pierpaolo Dal Corso.
1988: Episcopal consecrations and schism
The definitive breaking point occurred on June 30, 1988, when Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without the required pontifical mandate, openly defying the authority of the Roman pontiff, John Paul II. According to Dal Corso, that act constituted “a wound of extreme gravity to the hierarchical communion of the Church” and had a clear schismatic dimension.
In the face of this new and grave act of insubordination, the then-Congregation for Bishops declared the Society of St. Pius X to be schismatic on July 1, 1988.
Dal Corso rejects the thesis of the supposed “state of necessity” invoked by the fraternity to justify the consecrations of 1988. Although the Code of Canon Law recognizes this concept as an exempting or mitigating circumstance, the Vatican clarified in 1994 that it was not applicable in this case, given the pope’s explicit warning and the extreme gravity of the act.
“A state of necessity cannot be used to legitimize opposition to the authority of the Successor of Peter, nor to cast doubt upon the infallibility of the pope and the indefectibility of the Church,” Dal Corso said.
The following day, John Paul II promulgated the motu proprio Ecclesia Dei, in which he affirmed that Lefebvre, the bishop who consecrated with him, and the four men consecrated as bishops had incurred latae sententiae (automatically upon the commission of the offense) excommunication in accordance with Canon 1364 of the 1983 Code for the crime of schism.
Lefebvre died in 1991 without having shown public signs of repentance, an indispensable condition for an eventual canonical reconciliation.
Gestures of rapprochement without full regularization
In subsequent pontificates, there were significant attempts at rapprochement.
In 2007, Benedict XVI promulgated the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, which recognized the legitimacy of using the 1962 Missal, otherwise known as the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, an act which the fraternity highly values.
“It was an important step toward rapprochement, as it legitimized from a merely liturgical standpoint celebrations according to the 1962 Missal of John XXIII; they never accepted the missal resulting from the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council,” Dal Corso explained.
Two years later, in 2009, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunication incurred for the specific offense of episcopal ordination without a pontifical mandate.
However, as Dal Corso emphasized, this remission “did not affect the excommunication for schism,” which remained legally in force. The canonical status of the fraternity therefore remained irregular.
Pope Francis took further pastoral steps, granting SSPX priests the faculty to hear confessions and granting diocesan bishops or other local ordinaries the authority to give SSPX priests the ability to celebrate licitly and validly the marriages of the faithful who follow the Societyʼs pastoral activity. These measures, however, did not entail full juridical regularization.
Now, under the leadership of the Italian priest Davide Pagliarani, the fraternity has announced new episcopal consecrations for July 1, 2026, a date chosen with seemingly deliberate intent. “It is the very same day as the consecrations of 1988. Beyond being a provocation, it symbolically signifies a reaffirmation of that stance,” the expert explained.
Meanwhile, the prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, has reiterated that lacking the requisite pontifical mandate, should they take place, these episcopal ordinations will constitute a schismatic act.
Introvigne said the current scenario brings the situation back to the one that existed before the papacy of Benedict XVI. As long as the doctrinal rejection of certain parts of the Second Vatican Council persists, he said, “reconciliation is impossible. The future, as the saying goes, is in the hands of God.”
Canonical status of the faithful
Regarding the faithful who adhere to the SSPX, Dal Corso said that the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts clarified in 1996 that excommunication for schism does not automatically apply to those who attend or participate in worship celebrated by the SSPX.
In this regard, Monsignor William King, JCD, professor of canon law at The Catholic University of America, told ACI Prensa that “if a person attends a Mass celebrated by a priest in schism, that individual is not excommunicated, unless he attends that Mass deliberately because he does not accept the authority of the pope or the authenticity of the Catholic Church.” That is to say, for formal schism, it is necessary that the person freely and consciously embrace the essential core of schism: the denial of the pope’s authority, outwardly manifested.
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.
‘That They May Be One’: New film explores call to Christian unity
Inspired by Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21, a new movie called “That They May Be One” is exploring the theme of Christian unity — both across history and in the present day.
The film blends documentary-style interviews with prominent figures in the faith community and reenactments that bring key moments to life. Perspectives from both Catholic and Protestant leaders are featured in the film, including interviews with Father Mathias Thelen, Pastor James Ward, evangelist Francis Chan, and Catholic biblical scholar Mary Healy, who also serves as a producer of the film.
The movie will be in theaters nationwide May 19 and 20.
Adriana Gonzalez, the Catholic executive producer behind the film, told EWTN News in an interview that the inspiration for the film came from her own passion regarding Christian unity as well as a talk she heard in 2020 given by Healy.
Gonzalez said she felt it was necessary to make the documentary because in today’s society “thereʼs greater division, greater animosity, so greater unity is just logically beneficial because we want to stand strong against a world that really attacks Christianity.”
Another reason she believes this movie is needed “is because we do witness a move of God today and so much of it is based on unity in the Holy Spirit ... So, who knows when that last day will come, but yet, there is a preparation that moves forward in history and in the progression of the Church, and I do believe that unity is one of those things that must be wrought by the Holy Spirit to prepare the bride of Christ.”
Gonzalez highlighted that this film also addresses some of the misconceptions many have regarding the pursuit of Christian unity, namely that it "waters down our Catholic faith.”
One of the main reasons this fear needs to be debunked, she explained, is because “the Church itself calls all of her faithful to pursue unity in the body of Christ.”
“This was established in the Second Vatican Council,“ she said. ”St. John Paul II reiterated it in his encyclical Ut Unum Sint. And so itʼs a call from the Church herself to all the faithful, not just to the hierarchy, to all the faithful, to pursue unity.”
Michael Girgenti, the actor who portrays Jesus in the film, added that he often sees Christians of many denominations focusing on “wanting to be right versus maybe teaming up on trying to bring others who donʼt know Christ to Christ.”
He added: “The Churchʼs mission until the end of ages is to gather as many souls and to unite them to Christ and thatʼs literally what the documentary focuses on as far as like yes, thereʼs a bunch of different denominations, but thereʼs also even more people who reject the Lord, donʼt know the Lord, and we have to do what we can, together, to bring and show them the light of Christ.”
Gonzalez emphasized another aspect of Christian unity that personally impacted her passion toward the topic and believes all Catholics should contemplate.
“What moves me toward really being passionate about this … is just thinking that our dear beloved Jesus — who is the center and head and core of everything in our faith — prayed this the night before he died,” she shared. “It seems to me like ‘Oh wow, that should be enough to compel every single Christian on the face of the earth to say, ‘Lord, how can I be a part of an answer to this prayer that you prayed just hours before you knew you were going to get arrested and crucified?’”
Girgenti shared that he hopes Christian viewers of the film will be reminded that “itʼs not about trying to prove and convince everyone whoʼs right” but instead would be “more inspired to just talk and preach about the Lord.”
As for nonbelievers, he said he hopes “they accept the invitation to know him [Jesus]. I hope they accept the invitation to go deeper, to try to read Scripture, to try to go to church, and to follow the light that he is providing us always.”
Gonzalez added that she hopes viewers will pursue a renewal in “falling in love with Jesus again because then one of the natural consequences of that is unity in the body of Christ.”
Christian faith looms large at ‘Unite The Kingdom’ protest in London
This weekend, tens of thousands of protesters gathered under an overcast sky in central London for a rally led by political activist and recent Christian convert, Tommy Robinson.
Under Union flags and banners of ‘Make England Great Again’, protesters chanted anti-government slogans such as “We want Starmer out.” Many attendees said they felt white working-class Britons are being marginalized and Christian values eroded.
Robinson – whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – converted to Christianity while in prison in 2025, serving a sentence for contempt of court. Christianity has become an increasingly visible theme at these gatherings, with Robinson posting the Lord’s Prayer on X before the event.
“British patriots need to realize that if they want the country to be great again, they need to go back to our Christian heritage,” Luke Barker from The Lord’s Work Trust said, as he handed out leaflets to the passing crowd titled ‘Common Sense: What the Bible has to say on the issue of immigration’. “We’re to welcome the stranger … but there are rules that come with that”, he maintains.
At just 17, ‘Young Bob’, whose real name is Gregory Moffitt, has 140k followers tuning into his controversial political debates on X. Asked whether he thought the protest was in line with Jesus’ message of welcoming the stranger and loving your neighbour, he told me: “St. Thomas Aquinas talks about the economic procession of love, and he gives the example, where you obviously express more love to your mother than you would a foreigner … just because I love my neighbour doesnʼt mean they have to live in my house”.
Along with many of his followers, Robinson frequently criticizes Islam. “They say theyʼre a religion of peace and love,” protester Kenny Moffett said, “but you see what goes on in those countries. People are being beheaded, women being stoned to death, women being made to cover up and never to be seen again.”
London’s Metropolitan Police deployed over 4,000 officers to police three major events that coincided in the capital. By early Saturday evening, the force had confirmed 43 arrests, including at the Unite The Kingdom protest and a Palestinian demonstration taking place nearby.
Some 11 foreign “far-right agitators” were blocked from entering the country to attend the event according to the Home Office, including American influencer Valentina Gomez.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer responded to the protests saying: “Weʼre in a fight for the soul of this country, and the Unite the Kingdom march this weekend is a stark reminder of exactly what we are up against."
“Its organizers are peddling hatred and division, plain and simple. We will block those coming into the UK who seek to incite hatred and violence.”
Asked why he thought Christianity had become such a big focus of the protests, Rev. Chris Wickland said: “Many people are beginning to realize that their heritage, and the way of life they like, comes from Christianity. And they realize that if they donʼt defend Christianity, the way of life they know is gone”.
“My grandad was a vicar in the Church of England, and his influence pushed me in that direction,” Nathan Marwwod said while carrying a wooden cross over his shoulder. “It’s the original reason that England succeeded. It was built on Christian values, and all the other things have come with it.”
“They are the values that create the most prosperous and innovative societies, and the most vibrant and rejuvenating societies,” Kieran Reid added. “The best places historically are the ones of Christian origin.”
Top U.S. leadership rededicate country as 'One nation, under God'
In a marathon ecumenical prayer and praise celebration ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary, top U.S. political figures gathered with major faith leaders and several thousand Americans on May 17 to reflect on the role of Providence in American history and rededicate the country as “One Nation, under God.”
The event, which was held under the auspices of Freedom 250, the country’s public-private initiative leading the celebration of the United States' 250th birthday, also commemorated the act of the American colonies’ Continental Congress which ahead of the Revolutionary War proclaimed for May 17,1776 a “Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer."
In that proclamation, the leaders of the nascent nation urged their fellow citizens to “confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and by a sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease his [Godʼs] righteous displeasure, and through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain his pardon and forgiveness.”
Catholic participants at the “Rededicate 250” event, held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., included U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop Robert Barron and actor Jonathan Roumie who plays Jesus in “The Chosen” television series.
President Trump did not attend or offer a customized message for the event. Instead, a video of the president from last month’s “America Reads The Bible” event was played in which Trump reads from 2 Chronicles, including verse 7:14 “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
In a video message to the gathering, Cardinal Timothy Dolan noted that “in every chapter of the American story our faith in God has been the bedrock of our greatness.”
“Our deepest values as a country have always been rooted in our identity as a people of God and anchored in the reality that we’re not only American citizens — you bet we are and grateful for it — but that we are bound some day to be citizens of Heaven,” Dolan emphasized, adding that “our founders knew that. They knew that in order to be faithful and productive citizens and true patriots, well we must recognize that we’re children of God first.”
Driving home the point, Dolan cited the nation’s preeminent founding father and first president, George Washington, who in 1778 said “While we are zealously performing the duties of good Citizens and soldiers we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of Religion — To the distinguished Character of Patriot, it should be our highest Glory to add the more distinguished Character of Christian.”
Dolan also took the occasion to inform the audience that the nation’s bishops will “consecrate the United States of America to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 12th of this year.”
The central prayer of the event was led by Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson, who at the outset of his prayer recalled the nation’s legislative forebears’ act of May 17, 1776, which he noted they did “to humble themselves and to seek Your guidance at the dawn of their fight for freedom.”
The resulting nation, Johnson continued, “would become, by Your mercy and grace, the most successful, most benevolent nation in the history of the world.”
“Lord, today our people gather once again in your Name,” Johnson prayed. “We have humbled ourselves before You. We acknowledge that the miracle of our founding and the countless miracles that have followed are Your doing.”
“We pray that You bestow on all Americans a renewed love of country, hope for the future and faith in Your everlasting mercy and grace,” Johnson continued. “Father we pray mercy upon our land, mercy upon us for our mistakes, forgive us of our sins individually and collectively and help us to devote ourselves with renewed piety and patriotism to the eternal truths of Your Word.”
As he concluded his prayer, Johnson declared that “Today, here Lord, in this 250th year of American independence, we hereby rededicate the United States of America as one nation under God” and he asked for the Holy Spirit to descend upon the American homeland.
Johnson was followed by one of the country’s best known Catholic prelates, Bishop Robert Barron, who referenced Blessed Fulton Sheenʼs saying that America’s Declaration of Independence amounts to a “Declaration of Dependence” upon God.
“Lord, on this great national anniversary we gather to rededicate our country to You,” Barron prayed. “Not because You need our devotion, but because by praising You we receive grace upon grace.”
Recalling that the United States rests on theological foundations, Barron concluded his prayer by declaring that “as a bishop of the Catholic Church and as a proud American, I make bold to dedicate our country once more to God and to say Lord, let the light of Thy face shine upon our land. Amen.”
Pope Leo XIV: AI communication must preserve ‘human voices and faces’
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged Catholics and communicators to promote forms of communication that respect the truth of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, while also calling for renewed care for creation and peace as Laudato Si’ Week begins.
Speaking after praying the Regina Caeli May 17 from the window of the Apostolic Palace, the pope noted that many countries were marking World Communications Day, whose theme this year, he said, is “Preserving Human Voices and Faces.”
“In this era of artificial intelligence, I encourage everyone to commit themselves to promoting forms of communication that always respect the truth of the human person, on which every technological innovation should be focused,” Pope Leo XIV said.
The appeal comes as the Vatican is preparing for the pope’s first encyclical, expected to treat extensively the ethical and social questions raised by artificial intelligence through the lens of Catholic social teaching.
The pope also marked the start of Laudato Si’ Week, which runs through next Sunday and is dedicated to the care of creation, inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical.
“In this jubilee year of Saint Francis of Assisi, we recall his message of peace with God, with our brothers and sisters, and with all creatures,” he said. “Sadly, in recent years, due to wars, progress in this direction has been greatly impeded.”
Pope Leo encouraged the members of the Laudato Si’ Movement and all those who promote an “integral ecology” to renew their commitment, adding: “Indeed, caring for peace is caring for life!”
In his catechesis before the Marian prayer, the pope reflected on the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, celebrated Sunday in many countries.
The image of Jesus “lifted up from the earth and ascending toward heaven,” he said, may make the mystery seem like “a distant event from long ago.”
“Yet this is not so, for we are united to Jesus as the members of one body united to the head,” Pope Leo said. “By ascending into heaven, then, he draws us with him toward full communion with the Father.”
Quoting St. Augustine, the pope said that “the head’s advance is the hope of the members.”
Christ’s whole life, he continued, is “a movement of ascent,” through which he embraces the world, redeems humanity from sin, and brings “light, forgiveness and hope where previously there was darkness, injustice and desperation.”
“The Ascension, therefore, does not speak to us of a distant promise, but of a living bond, which draws us also toward heavenly glory, already elevating and expanding our horizon in this life and directing our way of thinking, feeling and acting more closely to the measure of God’s heart,” he said.
The pope said this path of ascent is found in Christ’s life, example, and teaching, and is also marked out by the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints.
He also recalled Pope Francis’ teaching on the saints “next door” — ordinary fathers, mothers, grandparents, and people of every age and condition who “with joy and commitment, make the effort to live sincerely according to the Gospel.”
“With them, with their support and thanks to their prayer, we too can learn to ascend day by day toward heaven,” Pope Leo said.
The pope urged Christians, with God’s help, to put into practice all that they have “heard and seen,” so that the divine life received in baptism may grow and “spread the precious fruits of communion and peace in the world.”
“May Mary, the Queen of Heaven, who illuminates and guides us in every moment, support us on our path,” he said.
At the end of the Regina Caeli, the pope greeted pilgrims from Rome and abroad, including marching bands from Germany, the “Sant’Antonu di u Monti” Confraternity from Ajaccio, students from the University of Montana, young people from Oppido Mamertina, youth leaders from Lorenzaga in the Diocese of Concordia-Pordenone, and confirmation candidates from the Archdiocese of Genoa.
This story was first published in two parts by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Centennial honors historic Michigan church built amid KKK threats and strikes
A richly diverse Catholic community in southern Michigan is preparing to mark a milestone: the centennial of St. Mary Star of the Sea in Jackson, where the beauty of sacred space, reverent liturgy, and a vibrant musical tradition continue to shape the lives of the faithful.
The church has thrived through historic events and turbulent times, even as it was being rebuilt. In 1924, one of the largest Ku Klux Klan (KKK) rallies ever recorded saw 100,000 participants tramp through Jacksonʼs streets, and parish tradition holds that the Knights of Columbus kept vigil at the construction site to protect it from KKK vandalism.
As he prepares to wrap up his 15-year tenure as pastor of the parish, Father Timothy Nelson reflected on the churchʼs enduring vitality: “Our church is not a relic but a dynamic part of the present, enriched by a legacy of faith.”
Located west of Detroit, Jackson has long been a railroad hub with ties to the automobile industry. St. Mary’s is one of three current parishes, following a consolidation of several others. Following decades of a strong Polish-American presence, demographic changes have included the growing influx of Hispanic families. Children of the latter now make up about a quarter of the enrollment at St. Mary School.
St. Mary’s three spires dominate the skyline, reaching up 180 feet in an imposing Romanesque style. Long regarded as one of the most beautiful churches in Michigan, it features magnificent stained-glass windows fashioned in Innsbruck, Austria, an apse mosaic of Our Lady Star of the Sea, murals of the apostles, and Carrara marble altars and Communion rail.
The latter embellishments were donated by George Washington Hill, president of the American Tobacco Co., as a memorial to his young wife, Aquinas Heiler Hill, who died in 1925. The green and red colors in the mosaics around the high altar repeat the original colors used on packs of Lucky Strike cigarettes.
The present structure replaced an earlier church, with its cornerstone laid on Sept. 23, 1923. Construction faced delays because of a prolonged labor strike at limestone quarries. The era was also marred with social unrest, including the Ku Klux Klan and its virulent anti-Catholicism and racism. Construction was not completed until May 31, 1926, at a cost of $375,000. Then-Auxiliary Bishop Joseph C. Plagens came from Detroit to officiate the dedicatory Mass.
Among its treasures is a unique stained-glass rose window memorializing the fallen of the first world war, including nuns who tended the wounded. “The window shows not only the American soldiers and sailors of the war, but even their enemies who reach out to Jesus rising above them,” Nelson said as he gave a tour of the magnificent church.
Restoration of the windows cost $1 million and was made possible through the generosity of parishioners and benefactors, including the Eisele Family Foundation. St. Mary’s is depicted in “Buildings of Michigan” by Kathryn Bishop Eckert as one of the most notable in the Mitten State.
Now 74, Nelson will step down as pastor this summer. A former cardiologist, he will continue his ministry as chaplain of the St. Pio Medical Center in nearby Howell, which is part of a Vatican-authorized healthcare network inspired by St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio). He will be succeeded by Father John Vinton, who will continue offering Traditional Latin Masses and Spanish-language Masses.
St. Mary’s serves about 1,086 families, including the active Sacred Heart of Jesus Hispanic Community.
Nelson said: “The school is necessary for parish life” and is the most diverse parochial school in the area.
The parish’s liturgical life shows both continuity and renewal. The Traditional Latin Mass, celebrated every Sunday, is accompanied by Gregorian chant and organ led by Aine Schroeder, a student at nearby Hillsdale College. Schroeder said the Gregorian schola will chant the “Ave Maria” and “Salve Regina” at the centennial concert.
Dispelling concerns that the Latin liturgy is stuck in the past, Nelson said: “I agree with Pope Benedict XVI that the past continues to be lived in the present. We are bringing it into the future.”
For longtime parishioner Mary Belknap, a fourth-generation member who serves on the parish guild, St. Mary’s is a spiritual home and a place of encounter.
“It’s one of the hallmark parishes in the state. People come from all over to see us and our beautiful church,” she said. Bridging the gaps between communities came easily to educator Belknap, who said that, having been raised in poverty as a child, she has experienced life on the margins, and “I personally reach out to embrace the goodness of other people.”
The parishʼs centennial observance will commence with a concert on May 29 and culminate in a solemn Mass on May 31 — exactly 100 years after its first Mass — to be celebrated by Bishop Earl Boyea.
Mary Malewitz, parish music director since 1981, is organizing the opening concert, which will feature adult and school choirs, a Hispanic choir, and a Gregorian schola. Between each performance, parishioners will sing their favorite hymns.
“St. Mary’s has brought glory to Michigan for generations,” she told EWTN News.
Nationwide billboard campaign in Ireland invites thousands to rosary rally
The All Ireland Rosary Rally scheduled for June 6 in Knock will be the largest Catholic event in Ireland this year, and organizers have adopted an uncommon promotional tactic to catch the attention of the faithful — a countrywide billboard campaign.
Building on last year’s turnout when more than 10,000 people gathered for the 40th Rosary Rally in Knock, famous for its shrine and as a pilgrimage destination, rally organizers hope the two-week campaign will attract an even bigger audience. It is the first time the event has been advertised using billboards. Fifty sites throughout Ireland were chosen, including a number in Northern Ireland.
“We chose billboards because Father Patrick Peyton was famous for his billboards in running his rosary rallies around the world, some of which attracted crowds of 2 million people,” Father Marius O’Reilly, one of the rally organizers, told EWTN News.
The billboards have attracted reaction and comments online and in the mainstream media. The Irish News, a daily newspaper published in Belfast, reported that Archbishop Eamon Martin and Bishop Donal McKeown plan to “reconsecrate Ireland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the event, which organizers describe as a national moment of prayer for peace.”
Parishes have been drawing people’s attention to the billboard campaign as well. Holy Family Parish in Drogheda spotted one of the billboards in the town and posted on its Facebook page: “A giant reminder on the Dublin Road in Drogheda from the All Ireland Rosary Rally. Book your spot on our bus to Knock.”
O’Reilly explained to EWTN News that the cost of the billboards has been borne by sponsors and voluntary donations. “Sponsors are paying for the posters and indeed, this huge event is possible because of the generosity of so many. People are not charged on the day; thereʼs no ticket price. So the event relies heavily on the generosity and support of many people across Ireland and beyond. People are responding very positively, and with great enthusiasm.”
The goal of the rally’s organizing committee was a billboard presence in as many counties and population centers as possible. “We tried to ensure that every county would be represented with the billboards, and more so in the cities,” O’Reilly said.
“I think it is encouraging people in their faith and itʼs just part of the renewal in Ireland thatʼs taking place. The Irish have a great love for Our Lady in the rosary.”
He continued: “The devotion to Our Lady is evident on the highways and byways of our country; we have huge grottos everywhere around Ireland, so Our Lady is very, very important to the Irish. Now for the duration of the campaign, people of all faiths and none can see Our Lady on a billboard, as well as the grottos, inviting them to come to Knock to pray for peace in our world and for the renewal of our faith in Ireland.”
Partners for this yearʼs rally include the Father Peyton Centre in Attymass, County Mayo, and Holy Cross Family Ministries, which both continue the work of Peyton. International speakers include Father Chris Alar, Nikki Kingsley, and Bishop Oliver Doeme.
Over 10,000 pilgrims are expected to attend this year, with 50 buses already booked to bring people to the Knock shrine.
Vatican sets up commission on artificial intelligence
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has approved the creation of a new Vatican commission on artificial intelligence to coordinate the Holy See’s response to the rapidly expanding technology and its implications for human dignity, integral development, and the Church’s own internal use of AI.
The move comes as the Vatican is preparing for the release of Leo’s first encyclical, which is expected to deal extensively with artificial intelligence and its ethical, social, and economic consequences. Reports have indicated that the document will likely frame AI as one of the defining moral questions of the present age, drawing a parallel with the social upheavals of the Industrial Revolution addressed by Pope Leo XIII in Rerum Novarum.
The Holy See Press Office announced the decision May 16. It followed a May 3 audience with Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
The Vatican said the pope made the decision in light of the development of artificial intelligence in recent decades, its rapid acceleration in general use, its potential effects on the human person and humanity as a whole, and the Church’s concern for the dignity of every human being, particularly in relation to integral human development.
The new commission will include representatives from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the Dicastery for Communication, the Pontifical Academy for Life, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
Any changes to the commission’s composition will be submitted to the approval of the Holy Father.
The head of each participating institution will delegate a representative to the commission. Its coordination will be entrusted for one year, renewable, to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. After that, the Roman Pontiff will entrust coordination to one of the participating institutions, again for a period of one year.
The coordinating institution will be responsible for facilitating collaboration and the exchange of information among the group’s members regarding activities and projects related to artificial intelligence, including policies governing its use within the Holy See. The commission is also tasked with promoting dialogue, communion, and participation.
Pope Leo XIV has stressed the global challenges posed by artificial intelligence since the beginning of his pontificate.
Explaining his choice of papal name in an address to the College of Cardinals on May 10, 2025, Leo said: “In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor.”
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.
Former finance director admits to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from New Jersey parish
The former finance director of a New Jersey parish has pleaded guilty to stealing more than half a million dollars from the church to “fund a lavish lifestyle.”
State Attorney General Jennifer Davenportʼs office said in a May 15 press release that Joseph Manzi pleaded guilty to “one count of second-degree theft by unlawful taking and one count of third-degree filing a fraudulent tax return.”
The state had charged Manzi in the theft in October 2025 after staffers at St. Leo the Great Parish in Lincroft had discovered “numerous unauthorized charges that were determined to allegedly be for Manzi’s personal benefit.” Manzi had left his position as the parish finance director earlier in the year.
In its May 15 release the state said its investigation determined that the 78-year-old Manzi “fraudulently used St. Leo’s credit cards to make unauthorized purchases and payments.” Such purchases included “personal medical and dental payments,” “sports event tickets,” “chartered fishing trips” and a Cadillac SUV.
In October 2025 the state had alleged Manzi stole around $500,000, though on May 15 it said its investigation had revealed nearly $675,000 in thefts, while “further investigation identified additional stolen funds.”
The state said it was recommending a five-year sentence in New Jersey state prison.
Manzi in August 2025 had also been the subject of a separate civil lawsuit by the St. Leo the Great Parish which accused him of stealing more than $1.5 million from the church.
New Jersey said this week that part of Manziʼs plea agreement includes $1.2 million in restitution to the church.