With the purchase of a sprawling new campus in Florissant, Missouri, Augustine Institute president Tim Gray said he envisions not only growth of its graduate program, but for it to become a “crossroads” for the renewal of the American Church.
National News
Biden Administration Announces New Regulations on Gender Identity Policies
The Department of Health and Human Services announced new regulations April 26 that restore Obama-era protections for patients who identify as transgender that the Trump administration rolled back in 2020. The new rule follows another controversial rule adding gender identity to Title IX protections.
Faithful Respond to Midwest Tornadoes, Help Storm Victims ‘Carry Their Cross’
Parishioners in several Midwestern states are coming together to bring help and healing after tornadoes ravaged the area April 26-28, killing at least four.
Shrines to Mary for Masses, Pilgrimages, and Adoration Abound Across the Country
Churches around the world are dedicated to Mary using many of the hundreds of titles attributed to her. The most famous shrines of Mary are often apparition sites such as Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, and Our Lady of Lourdes in France.
Arizona House Votes to Repeal State’s 160-Year-Old Ban on Nearly All Abortions
Arizona House legislators voted April 24 to repeal the state’s 1864 ban on nearly all abortions which the state Supreme Court let stand on April 9.
St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore to Offer Specialized Hispanic Ministry Track
In response to the growing number of Hispanic Catholics in the United States, St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore will soon offer a specialized track where, at the recommendation of their diocese, a seminarian will focus the last four years of their priestly education on Hispanic ministry.
AI ‘Priest’ Sparks More Backlash Than Belief
A new AI priest, launched by a Catholic teaching apostolate to answer questions about the faith, has been “laicized” after sparking more backlash than belief online.
Supreme Court Justices Divided on Law Requiring Hospitals to Provide ‘Necessary Emergency Treatment’
U.S. Supreme Court justices were divided during April 24 oral arguments that considered whether the federal law requiring hospitals to provide “necessary stabilizing treatment” in emergencies overrides an Idaho law that bans most abortions.
Pope Francis Considering September Visit to U.S. Following U.N. Invitation
Pope Francis is contemplating a return to the United States this September to address the United Nations General Assembly, as per reports from the French Catholic newspaper La Croix. While the Vatican has yet to confirm this, a source from the Vatican Secretariat of State informed CNA of a formal invitation from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, suggesting the Pope’s inclination to accept.
Catholic Medical Community Says ‘Simply Not Enough Nurses’ to Fulfill Mandate
An association of more than 2,200 Catholic health care facilities is “deeply concerned” that controversial new nurse staffing standards for long-term care facilities — implemented this week by the Biden administration — will actually harm nursing facilities and the residents they serve.