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National Catholic Register

Discovering Who My Uncle Really Was

WH_Pics
‘Rosary’

COMMENTARY: A childhood portrait of a difficult man gives way, years later, to the discovery of faith, sacrifice and a heart shaped by grief.

Thanksgiving by Fire: The Martyrdom of Blessed Leonardo Kimura

Church of the Gesù, Rome
Depiction of the execution of Blessed Leonardo Kimura and four fellow Christians in Nagasaki on Nov. 18, 1619: Andreas Murayama Tokuan (Japan), Cosmas Takeya Sozaburo (Korea), Ioannes Yoshida Shoun (Japan) and Domingos Jorge (Portugal). The work was created in Macao by an anonymous Japanese artist between 1626 and 1632. Kimura and 204 other martyrs were beatified by Pope Pius IX on May 7, 1867 (feast days June 1 and Sept. 10).

Arrested in 1616 and martyred three years later, Blessed Leonardo Kimura faced torture and flames with a serenity that astonished onlookers and strengthened the Church in Nagasaki.

10 Reasons It’s a Great Time to Be Catholic

Daniel Ibáñez
On Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, 27 new Swiss Guards take their oath of allegiance in the presence of Pope Leo XIV — the first papal participation in the ceremony since Pope Paul VI in 1968.

COMMENTARY: In an age of cultural confusion and spiritual hunger, the Church’s ancient faith, sacraments and moral clarity remain a compelling answer for modern Catholics.

‘Non Nobis Domine’: Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza on Giving Glory to God

Eric Thayer
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza celebrates the Hoosiers’ victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 1, in Pasadena, California.

COMMENTARY: In a season of triumph and acclaim, Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza echoes a Psalm sung for centuries by believers who knew that victory, like defeat, ultimately belongs not to man but to God.

First Woman to Lead the Vatican’s Arts Academy Wants the Church to Embrace Contemporary Art

Cristiana Perrella was appointed the first woman president in the Virtuosi al Pantheon’s history. Background: Yan Pei-Ming’s watercolor portraits of inmates, guards and staff at Rome’s Regina Coeli Prison (Beyond the Wall) were displayed in the Conciliazione 5 gallery from Feb. 15 to May 19.

Contemporary art is powerful vehicle for communicating values, challenging reality, and understanding the times we live in, says Cristiana Perrella.

Trump to Negotiate With Congress Over Pro-Life Protections in Health Plan

Win McNamen
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Aug. 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C.

Trump’s health plan, outlined in a four-point memo, will be negotiated with Congress over whether to include the strongest possible pro-life protections and prevent federal funds from being used to pay for abortions.

The Unity for Which Jesus Prayed

Rolf Kranz, “Christ, the True Vine,” Early 17th Century, St. Castor Collegiate Church, Treis-Karden, Germany.

COMMENTARY: The unity of Jesus’ disciples will be the greatest testimony of the truth of Christ’s coming and ongoing presence in the Church until the end of time.