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National Catholic Register

‘This Is Only the Beginning’: Pope Leo’s Visit Electrifies France

Matteo Pernaselci
Pope Leo XIV leads the Rosary and a candlelight procession at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes, France, Sept. 27, 2026.

Huge crowds, unexpected displays of spiritual curiosity and a newfound willingness among Catholics to publicly profess their faith made the Holy Father’s visit a showcase for France’s burgeoning Catholic revival.

Notre Dame Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

National Catholic Register
With Notre Dame president and Holy Cross Father Bob Dowd by his side, Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, leads students, faculty and community members in a prayer consecrating the university to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Sept. 25.

The university may have devotion to the Sacred Heart ‘in the DNA,’ but the Sept. 25 consecration was the first in its 184-year history.

Pope Leo’s Blessing of Little Marie-Garance Becomes a ‘Yes to Life’ Icon in France

Ludovic Marin
Pope Leo XIV blesses Marie-Garance Noel, a child with multiple disabilities, as he rides down the Champs-Elysees Avenue in the Papamobile (popemobile) on his way to the Place de la Concorde, central Paris, on September 26, 2026, to celebrate a solemn outdoor Mass, on the second day of his visit to France.

‘Once you say yes to God, everything happens naturally. He never abandons us.’

Venue Selected for Beatification of Georgia Martyrs

Diocese of Savannah
Five Spanish Franciscan missionaries, Father Pedro de Corpa, Father Blas Rodríguez, Father Miguel de Añon, Brother Antonio de Badajóz, and Father Francisco de Veráscola were martyred in 1597 in the present-day state of Georgia.

The beatification Mass will be said at the Savannah Convention Center at 11 a.m. on Oct. 31. No ticket is needed, but organizers said registration is required.

Breathtaking Artwork in Ukraine Church Bears the Wounds of War

These murals by Anatoly Kryvolap were shielded from the bombardment by a sturdy concrete exterior in Lypivka, Ukraine.

Craftsmen set about to repair the devastated church, restoring its splendor but leaving reminders of Russian aggression.

The Grotto and the Gospel: Why the Church Preserves Lourdes Without Adding to Revelation

Daniel Ibáñez
Pope Leo XIV leads an evening rosary and candlelit procession Sept. 27, 2026, at the Lourdes grotto, a Marian pilgrimage site in France dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes.

Standing as a pilgrim at the Grotto of Massabielle, Pope Leo XIV offered a visible reminder of why the Church upholds apparitions such as those at Lourdes.