Catholic News

Voters in Virginia adopted a referendum to enshrine a right to abortion in their state constitution, while voters in Missouri, Nevada, and Idaho await the final results for referendums that would change abortion policies.

With more than 87% of the vote counted in Virginia as of 11 p.m. ET, 61.5% of people voted for the referendum and 38.5% voted against it.

The people of Missouri are voting on a pro-life referendum to repeal a state constitutional right to abortion. The outcome is too early to call with more than 85% of the vote counted, but the referendum is currently losing, with 55.5% of people voting against it and 44.5% in favor.

Votes have yet to be counted in Nevada or Idaho, where polls closed later.

Catholic bishops in all four states were heavily involved throughout the races, emphasizing the Church's teaching on the sanctity of life and asking the faithful to cast pro-life votes on the state referendums.

The state referendums

The referendum in Virginia will establish a "fundamental right to reproductive freedom" in the state constitution, which includes "abortion care." The amendment extends this right to "every individual," rather than restricting it to just adults.

Although the amendment allows abortion restrictions in the third trimester, it does not allow any restrictions when necessary to protect "the life or physical or mental health" of the mother at any point in the pregnancy. It does not define what constitutes a threat to one's "mental health," but rather leaves this up to the discretion of the treating physician, who is often the abortionist.

The referendum in Missouri would repeal the state constitutional right to abortion and it would allow state lawmakers to restrict abortion. If it fails, the constitution will continue to maintain a "fundamental right to reproductive freedom," which includes "abortion care."

Missouri's constitution allows lawmakers to restrict abortions after fetal viability, which is when the unborn child can survive outside the womb. However, lawmakers cannot restrict abortion at any point in the pregnancy when necessary to "protect the life or physical or mental health" of the mother. Fetal viability and whether the mother's health is at risk is determined by the treating physician, who is often the abortionist.

The referendum in Nevada, if it passes, would establish "a fundamental right to abortion" in the state constitution. It would allow lawmakers to impose restrictions after the point of fetal viability, which are determined by the "treating health care practitioner," which is often the abortionist.

The right would extend through the entire pregnancy when needed to "protect the life or health" of the mother, but "health" is not defined. The right would extend to all individuals, not just adults.

Idaho's referendum would not amend the state constitution, but it would change state law to establish a right to "reproductive freedom," which includes "abortion." It would supersede the current state law, which prohibits abortion except to prevent the death of the mother and, in the first trimester, in reported cases of rape or incest.

The referendum would allow lawmakers to restrict abortion at the point of fetal viability, but this would be determined by the treating physician, who is often the abortionist. It would not allow lawmakers to restrict abortion at any point in the pregnancy when there is a medical emergency. The right would be extended to all individuals, not just adults.

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Mexican priest Father Clemente Morales Topete endured beatings, burns, and death threats after being abducted by a group of unknown individuals who held him captive for three days.

Bishop José de Jesús Herrera Quiñones of the Diocese of Culiacán in Sinaloa state reported what happened in a Nov. 1 statement, providing details on the assault. Herrera was reported missing on the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 24, after he had gone to a medical appointment.

The prelate recounted that Morales returned on his own to his parish, Risen Christ, on Tuesday, Oct. 27. He arrived, as described, "in a deplorable state, showing clear signs of the violence he had been subjected to."

Seeing his condition, members of the community administered first aid; he was subsequently "taken to a clinic for specialized medical care, as he had sustained multiple blows and burns on various parts of his body."

Herrera clarified that the priest's injuries "did not pose an immediate threat to his life," though they did require medical follow-up. In addition to the physical aftereffects, there is "the psychological and emotional impact of threats that the priest reported having received against his person."

Currently, Morales remains under medical observation. According to the bishop of Culiacán, his condition is improving, "though his recovery will require time, care, and comprehensive support."

Morales' abduction

Regarding the circumstances surrounding the priest's disappearance, Herrera stated that Morales was "picked up," a term used colloquially in Mexico as a synonym for kidnapping or unlawful confinement.

"The priest was picked by a group of unknown individuals and taken to an unknown location; he was beaten and even sustained severe burns on his body, while being pressed for information that he didn't have," the bishop stated.

He further noted that "he was held for three days, during which he received repeated death threats," until he was released on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Herrera said the authorities are continuing their investigation, and he urged against "fueling speculation, naming those responsible without evidence, or contributing to misinformation."

Meanwhile, he expressed his confidence that the investigations will "fully determine what happened and that those responsible will be brought to justice."

In his message, Herrera expressed solidarity with those who have experienced a similar situation. "No priest or person should be subjected to threats or attacks for fulfilling their mission."

While expressing "relief and gratitude" that Morales came out alive from the ordeal, he noted that his case "joins those of so many individuals and families who suffer from this reality."

"We denounce, reject, and condemn actions that threaten the life and the physical and moral well-being of individuals including physical and psychological torture and arbitrary detention because they are contrary to human dignity," he stated.

2 years of violence in Sinaloa

The attacks on Morales took place against a backdrop of escalating violence in Sinaloa. Since September 2024, numerous criminal acts including shootings, arson, and vehicle thefts have been reported from clashes between rival organized crime factions.

In this context, the bishop of Culiacán acknowledged the efforts made to quell violence and insecurity in Sinaloa; however, he warned that these issues continue to "severely affect the daily life of our society."

He noted that the measures currently in place have "not been sufficient" to "restore the tranquility that our city so desperately needs." Consequently, he urged that strategies be strengthened regarding prevention, security, the search for missing persons, the administration of justice, and comprehensive support for victims.

'We want peace'

The call for peace, he noted, also requires the participation of society. He urged the people of Sinaloa to maintain "solidarity and respect toward those who have fallen victim to crime, as well as their families," and to take up the responsibility that falls to every citizen.

He also addressed those perpetrating violence: "We ask you to reflect on the harm you are causing, to listen to the voice of your conscience, and to turn your gaze toward God. It is within your power to put an end to this violence," he urged.

Finally, he invoked the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary, patroness of the Diocese of Culiacán, that she might "accompany families searching for their loved ones, strengthen those who are suffering, and touch the hearts of those who have chosen the path of violence."

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Acting Secretary of the U.S. Navy Hung Cao announced the Chaplain In-Service Procurement Program on Oct. 30, describing it as a new pathway for active-duty Navy and Marine Corps personnel to become Navy chaplains.

The first initiative to come from the Department of War's recently established Office of Religious Affairs, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth called the program that office's "first win."

Under the funded option of the new program, the service covers tuition for a qualifying graduate theological degree at an accredited U.S. institution while service members remain on active duty.

After graduation, they will transition temporarily to inactive status through the Career Intermission Program to gain a minimum of two (and not more than three) years of full-time religious leadership experience as a religious ministry professional with their endorsing organization, after which they may then be commissioned as active-duty Navy Chaplain Corps officers.

Previously, active-duty Sailors or Marines who felt called to the chaplaincy usually had to leave military service, losing pay and benefits, to complete seminary and professional ministry experience as civilians, at their own expense, and then reapply. No dedicated in-service pipeline existed for this purpose.

Cao urged leaders to identify Navy and Marine Corps members "from every faith tradition," both officers and enlisted, "who possess the character, calling, and commitment" required for the program, which was authorized under the National Defense Authorization Act.

"Spiritual readiness is combat readiness," he wrote in the announcement.

Hegseth said the same day that previously, when service members had to leave the military to pursue theological studies, it lost many "good warriors who wanted to answer God's call. But not anymore."

He said he established the Office of Religious Affairs "to champion the spiritual readiness of our force," calling the new program its "first win."

"Chaplains are the backbone of this military," he said. "And some of our warfighters watching this are feeling a divine calling to the chaplaincy. To you, I encourage you with the words of Isaiah … 'Here I am, send me.'"

"President Trump's Department of War will not make you choose between the uniform and your calling," Hegseth continued, noting bipartisan congressional support for the program.

"Republicans and Democrats in Congress saw the importance of this and made it law. To those who feel called to be a chaplain, the Department of War has your back. Be strong and very courageous," he said.

Archbishop welcomes initiative, but says it is of 'little value' to Catholics without changes

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, head of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, (AMS) told EWTN News that while the archdiocese welcomes the "effort to encourage chaplain service, the initiative is of little value to prospective Catholic chaplains" without some changes.

Broglio pointed out that candidates for the priesthood spend at least seven years in academic, pastoral, and spiritual formation, noting that the program "only envisions three."

After years of seminary formation, co-sponsored by the AMS and their home dioceses, Catholics called to serve as chaplains must then engage in three years of civilian pastoral service before serving in the military.

Broglio said missing from the program is an allowance for the additional three years of civilian pastoral service, a period he said is intended to provide hands-on experience and which is a general condition for a chaplain candidate to receive AMS endorsement for active-duty service.

He encouraged the military to "consider allowing for both the time in formation and the pastoral experience" in order to support prospective Catholic chaplains.

Retreat for young men considering military chaplaincy

The announcement of the new chaplaincy program coincided with a discernment retreat hosted by AMS for young men considering the vocation to military chaplaincy.

According to the archdiocese, Broglio hosted 33 prospective Catholic chaplains at the Fall Discernment Retreat held Oct. 29–Nov. 1, the beginning of National Vocation Awareness Week, at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore.

Participants from dioceses across the country prayed together, took part in adoration and Holy Hours, and heard talks from Broglio, archdiocesan vocations director Father Paul-Anthony Halladay, and military chaplains on topics including discernment, the role of priests as spiritual fathers, and the lives and examples of chaplains who served in each of the military's branches.

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The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is urging the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to include stronger language to safeguard the religious missions of private religious schools in a proposed antidiscrimination regulation.

The IRS just concluded the public comment period for a rule that would remove the tax-exempt status of private K-12 schools, colleges, and universities that consider a person's race or ethnic background in admissions, financial aid, scholarships, or other opportunities.

Although the preamble of the proposed regulation states it would not prevent private religious schools from maintaining their religious missions and can have selection criteria based on the person's religious affiliation, the USCCB warned that this language is not included in the rule itself.

In a public comment submitted Nov. 2 by the USCCB, the bishops also warned the proposed language could prohibit "religiously motivated programs addressing ethnoreligious identity and community needs" as well. This concern is because the preamble text only permits selection criteria if it "is based solely on religion and not on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics."

The bishops requested the IRS add religious liberty language to the regulation itself and remove the word "solely" from that text before approving a final rule. The bishops also encouraged the IRS to address federal legal protections for religious schools — including the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act — in both the preamble and the rule itself.

Additionally, the bishops requested that the IRS direct its personnel not to "second-guess" a religious school's doctrine and to include explicit language that sincerely held religious belief does not violate the rule. They are also asking that private schools get a period to correct any violation before enforcement action is taken.

The USCCB was joined in its public comment by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and The Catholic University of America.

University of Providence to shut down

The University of Providence — a Catholic higher education institution in Great Falls, Montana — announced it will shut down operations at the end of the 2026-2027 academic year, citing financial struggles that cannot be overcome.

According to a news release, the university suffered enrollment decline and financial pressures, which led officials to restructure academic programs, reduce operating expenses, and pursue new enrollment and revenue strategies. Although this softened the financial struggles, it did not create a long-term sustainable operating model, it stated.

"We recognize the grief and uncertainty this decision will bring to students, families, employees, alumni and the Great Falls community," Caroline Goulet, the university president, said in a statement.

"Our responsibility now is to care for the people who make up this University community, maintain the quality of their educational experience, and provide clear guidance and support as they prepare for what comes next," she said.

The university promised to help students transfer to other institutions to complete their degrees.

Notre Dame announces Global Saints Initiative

The University of Notre Dame announced the start of the Global Saints Initiative in 2027, which will focus on adding iconography of more saints at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, which sits at the center of the campus.

The iconography will include saints from five continents and nine countries to reflect the broad cultural dimensions of the Catholic Church, according to a news release from the university.

"Just as university founder Father Edward Sorin carefully selected saints for the Basilica that spoke to the Notre Dame students of his day, these new icons reflect the diverse vocations, cultures, and backgrounds of today's campus community and the wider Church," Father Pete McCormick, CSC, assistant vice president for campus ministry, said in a statement.

"I am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to share these stories of holiness with all who visit the Basilica and especially with our students who I'm hopeful will be able to identify with and learn from these witnesses of faith," he said.

The announcement states that the iconography will be installed in January 2027, before the spring semester begins.

Study shows concerns with SATs

A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University's Institute for Education Policy — sponsored by Thomas Aquinas College, a Catholic institution — found concerns with changes to SAT tests, which many students take before applying to college.

When comparing the SAT tests from 1980 and 1987 to tests today, the study found changes that diminish the emphasis on the students' ability to read and analyze difficult text, according to a news release from Thomas Aquinas College.

"The makers of the SAT seem to believe that the ability to tackle long and complex literary works isn't an important skill for college students anymore," Thomas Aquinas College Vice President John J. Goyette said in a statement.

"Sadly, given the state of modern higher education, they're probably right," he said.

The study notes that passages are shorter, sometimes one-third of the former length, and there was a drop in vocabulary questions that require independent word knowledge, from 60 to 10.

It notes that newer tests nearly eliminated argumentative and persuasive readings and replaced reading passages that assumed prior knowledge and understanding with texts that reveal the meaning through context clues.

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A majority of U.S. Supreme Court justices sounded ready to require that Colorado provide Catholic schools government funding for preschool even if the schools refuse to guarantee admission for children of same-sex couples, during oral arguments Tuesday in a case involving a school in the Archdiocese of Denver.

The case, St. Mary School v. Roy, centers on a preschool-through-grade-8 Catholic school in Littleton that wants to participate in the state's universal preschool program.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a member of the court's conservative majority, described the case as a clash between the free exercise of religion and the right to same-sex marriage the court found in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015. But he suggested the clash is unnecessary because parents in Colorado have so many options for prekindergarten, since there are more than 2,000 providers in the state, while the Archdiocese of Denver has only 34 schools that provide the service.

"Why has this been provoked when there's an ability for everyone to go to the school, a good school, that's a fit for them, and to respect religious rights?" he asked.

Helen Norton, deputy solicitor general for the state of Colorado, said parents often choose prekindergarten programs based on their location and their hours rather than their curriculum.

"Colorado has an interest in ensuring that its public funds go to schools that ensure equal opportunity — not some opportunity, that ensure equal opportunity to public-funded options, regardless of protected-class status," Norton said, replying to Kavanaugh's question. "Families are harmed when they're turned away from the publicly funded school that makes their lives work because of their protected-class status."

'Creating a Catholic community'

In 2020, Colorado voters approved a state-funded universal prekindergarten program, using increases in tobacco-related taxes to pay for it. The state government is planning to spend about $360 million for the program during the 2026-2027 school year. The state pays preschool providers about $6,100 per year for 15 hours a week of instruction for 4-year-olds during the 2026-2027 school year, according to state standards.

Catholic schools want to participate in the program, but the Archdiocese of Denver objects to a state mandate concerning admissions.

A Colorado state statute requires that preschools participating in the funding program provide children "an equal opportunity to enroll and receive preschool services" regardless of eight protected classes — including "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" — "as such characteristics and circumstances apply to the child or the child's family."

A lawyer for the Catholic schools told justices Tuesday that Church and school officials want to make admissions decisions on a case-by-case basis in alignment with Catholic teachings instead of simply allowing all comers because of a state mandate.

"I think it's their thoughtful attempt to say, 'We're creating a Catholic community,'" said Nicholas Reaves, senior counsel for the Becket law group, which is representing the Catholic schools.

Reaves got hostile questions from the court's three liberals (Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson) and either friendly or neutral questions from the court's five conservatives (Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett), which suggests how the decision might ultimately go. (The chief justice, John Roberts, often seen as a swing vote, mostly moderated the discussion.)

Sarah Harris, principal deputy solicitor general in the Trump administration, also argued on the Catholic schools' side during oral presentations Tuesday.

Many options

The history of Catholic schools in the 19th century came up during oral arguments, including their origin in concerns among Catholic clerics and parents that government-run public schools were providing a Protestant point of view to the exclusion of Catholicism. Kavanaugh, a Catholic, at one point asked the lawyer for the state of Colorado about a moment in the trial record when the administrator of the state's universal prekindergarten program was asked about Catholic history.

"The director of the program, by all accounts a dutiful public servant, … was asked at the trial, 'Are you aware that Catholics have historically been discriminated against?' And she answered, 'No,'" Kavanaugh said. "I was surprised by that answer and curious if that's Colorado's position."

"Not at all, Your Honor," Norton replied. "And it's Colorado's position that the equal-opportunity requirements help religious families. They ensure that Catholic families are not turned away from the UPK [universal prekindergarten] school that best meets their needs because of their faith or because of any other protected characteristic. And a history of discrimination against Catholics is among the reasons that requirement is so important."

Some legal observers have suggested that a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court may use the Colorado case as a vehicle to overturn the Smith decision in 1990, which, although written by the late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, is disliked by many religious-liberty advocates who argue it doesn't respect free-exercise rights enough.

Yet the lawyer representing the Catholic schools on Tuesday offered narrower grounds for the justices to overturn Colorado's admissions requirements, noting that for every Catholic preschool program in the Archdiocese of Denver, there are two universal prekindergarten programs already in the state's program within three miles of it.

Said Reaves: "This is just not really a problem in real life."

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

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Pope Leo XIV's prayer intention for the month of November is for the proper use of wealth.

"What is wealth to you? Millions in a bank account? A huge house and a shiny new car? Or perhaps a place in life where you have enough to share with others — where you gather in order to build and multiply in order to do greater good," Pope Leo asked the faithful in a video posted on X on Nov. 3.

He added: "This month I pray that however great your wealth may be, it will be your instrument for doing good for reconciliation and fraternity."

In the full video shared on the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network website, Pope Leo recites an original prayer written specifically for this month's prayer intention:

"Lord of life, all we have comes from you:

the fertile land, the talents we've received,

the effort of those who came before us.

Nothing is ours alone — everything is a shared gift.

But so often, Lord, we let the wealth we seek or attain

harden our hearts, lock us in selfishness,

and make us forget the most vulnerable.

Forgive us for storing up instead of sharing,

for using goods as power rather than as service.

You remind us that true wealth

is not found in what we keep

but in what we give with love.

A heart detached from possessions transforms the world:

It opens paths of justice, tears down walls of indifference,

and sows hope among the poor.

We ask you, Lord, that your Spirit teach us to use what we have —

money, time, talents, opportunities — as instruments of fraternity.

May each economic, family, or community decision

spring from a free heart,

able to recognize that every good is meant for all,

and that only by sharing we build the future.

Make us witnesses of a wealth

transformed into service and mercy,

so that our lives, united to the lives of others,

may be a sign of your kingdom of justice and peace.

Amen."

"Pray with the Pope" is accessible on the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network website and its digital platforms.

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The U.S. Catholic Church is observing National Vocation Awareness Week to increase awareness and support for those discerning ordained ministry or consecrated life.

New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks, chair of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations, encouraged Catholics to pray for and support priestly and religious vocations, highlighting the witness of those who have responded to God's call.

"As we draw near the busiest time of the year, a season marked by thanksgiving and joy, National Vocation Awareness Week reminds us of the beautiful witness of those who have responded to God's call to serve in ordained ministry as priests and deacons, and men and women who serve in consecrated life," Hicks said in a statement. "This National Vocation Awareness Week, we thank God for all vocations and pray for a deepened spirit of joy in marriages, in the priesthood and diaconate, and in all forms of consecrated life. Your witness to a joy-filled vocation inspires young people to follow God's call with courage."

Catholic organizations, dioceses, schools, and parishes are observing the week Nov. 1–7 by promoting the welfare and vocational call to the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life through events, prayer, and education. Across the country, consecrated religious are recalling their vocational promises and how they personally discerned their call to religious life.

"My initial reaction was, 'Oh no, not me. I have plans in life.' Then, it was very persistent to me. There, I realized that saying 'yes' to him — it can make me very happy in life — only when I am able to discover what he wants for me," said Sister Ruby Sampang, a member of the Religious of Mary Immaculate (RMI) and residential director at Centro Maria Catholic Housing in Washington, D.C.

Originally from the Philippines, Sister Ruby has spent decades serving young women around the world. She said helping them respond to God's call has been her "greatest joy."

"My joy, my greatest joy, as I said, is saying yes in the end," Sister Ruby said. "He gave me that grace to say yes, and that gave me a lot of joy; it gave me a lot of freedom."

"God makes his way through when he wants it. So, we just need to trust it and to trust him. And I think my greatest joy too is to be with young women," she said.

During the 63rd World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Leo XIV said: "Every vocation is an immeasurable gift for the Church and for those who received it with joy."

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops established National Vocation Awareness Week in 1976 and originally observed it on the 28th Sunday of the year. After the observance occasionally coincided with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the bishops moved it in 2014 to the first full week of November.

Encouraging Catholics to pray for and support vocations, Hicks said: "This National Vocation Awareness Week, we thank God for all vocations and pray for a deepened spirit of joy in marriages, in the priesthood and diaconate, and in all forms of consecrated life. Your witness to a joy-filled vocation inspires young people to follow God's call with courage."

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Pope Leo XIV, in a message for this year's 41st World Youth Day (WYD), encouraged young people to be courageous in an age of loneliness.

"Some of you know what it means to experience loneliness, disappointment, or the fear of not being good enough," Leo said in his message. "It is in circumstances like these that we hear the Gospel's invitation to take courage."

The Vatican released his message on Tuesday ahead of WYD 2026, to be celebrated locally on Nov. 22, coinciding with the solemnity of Christ the King. The Vatican also published the message ahead of WYD 2027 in Seoul, South Korea, which the pope is expected to attend.

In his message, Leo noted the modern challenges young people face, including anxiety, self-doubt, and the difficulty of maintaining a personal identity in an age of social media.

"Under the influence of carefully curated images on social media, you may find it difficult to recognize and accept who you truly are," the pope said.

"Perhaps you are anxious about the future, feel pressured to succeed and appear perfect, or experience the stress of constantly comparing yourselves with others or with unattainable, manufactured ideals."

Leo then explained the need for young people to be vulnerable and to depend on Christ when lonely, citing the apostles' fear when the risen Christ appeared to them.

"Faith does not immediately dispel the darkness, but neither does it leave us alone in it," Leo explained. "Open your lives to Christ. Open your communities to Christ."

"Allow yourselves to be united and transformed by his love."

As he did in a video message for WYD 2027 in October, the pope also encouraged people to register for the event in Seoul, which will run from Aug. 3–8, 2027.

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Smoke from wildfires in Indonesia shut every school in East Timor for three days in October. A young Catholic from the small Southeast Asian nation brought that story to a gathering of Church environmental leaders in the Philippines.

"Smoke haze from Indonesia forced schools to close in Timor-Leste for three days," said Isaura Barros, 24, who serves on the executive board of the Laudato Si' Movement in Timor-Leste.

The government suspended classes nationwide Oct. 15–17 because of poor air quality.

Barros spoke at the movement's Asia-Pacific chapters retreat, held Oct. 24–27 at the CBCP-Caritas Philippines Development Center in Tagaytay City, south of Manila. Seventeen delegates from Myanmar, South Korea, East Timor, Indonesia, and the Philippines took part, Radio Veritas Asia reported.

The Laudato Si' Movement is a Catholic network founded in 2015 and named after Pope Francis' encyclical on care for creation. It says it has more than 8,000 trained volunteers, called animators, and nearly 900 member organizations.

Asian bishops back the work

Bishop Allwyn D'Silva, auxiliary bishop emeritus of Bombay, India, addressed the retreat by video. He chairs the Office of Human Development of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC). He pointed to heat waves, flash floods, and unpredictable cold waves across Asia and thanked grassroots animators for their work.

"We all know that there is an ecological crisis in Asia, as well as in the world. The Laudato Si' movement has played a very important part in making people aware and care for creation, to take care of their common home. We are happy that we are collaborating, and I see a great future in our networking and taking care of creation," D'Silva said.

Climate activist Lorna Gold, the movement's executive director, also spoke by video, from Ireland. She recalled St. Francis of Assisi praying before the crucifix in the ruined church of San Damiano, where he heard the words "Go and repair my house." Ecological conversion, she said, is a conversion of the whole community, not only of the individual.

A road map to 2030

Cheryl Dugan, the movement's Asia-Pacific director, and Christina Leaño, its associate director, presented a global strategic road map for 2027–2030 that leads toward a "Vision 2035."

The movement, they said, drew up this map over an 18-month process of listening to grassroots communities.

The plan puts ecological conversion at the center, symbolized by the ichthys, the early Christian fish sign. Three pillars meet there: eco-spirituality, rooted in catechesis, liturgy, and faith formation; sustainable and resilient communities; and prophetic advocacy, which includes pressing for fair public policies and an end to investment in fossil fuels. A fourth pillar, organizational strengthening, supports the other three.

Yeb Saño, a Filipino climate activist who chairs the movement's board, urged delegates to decentralize leadership so the movement better reflects the synodal spirit of a Church that walks together. Saño led Greenpeace Southeast Asia from 2016 to 2025 and was once the Philippines' chief climate negotiator at the United Nations.

5 countries, 5 settings

In the Philippines, the chapter is known for its annual Walk for Earth and its Deep Journey to Laudato Si' programs. It works with the bishops' conference's Laudato Si' program and wants to draw in more young people.

In Myanmar, the movement works amid ongoing political and humanitarian conflict. Based mainly around Yangon, the chapter helped write care for creation into the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Myanmar's socio-pastoral framework for 2026–2030. It runs the BEES Network, which offers interfaith ecological education for young people and supports people displaced by the fighting.

In South Korea, the chapter has held a Friday climate action in Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square since 2020. It has organized ecological Stations of the Cross and protested against the Samcheok coal-fired power plant. Ahead of World Youth Day in Seoul in 2027, it is pressing the country's bishops and dioceses to bring parishes to net-zero carbon emissions.

In Timor-Leste, the chapter grew out of a youth group of 16- to 18-year-olds started by Dircia Sarmento. It now has legal status, works with U.N. agencies and the government, helps run the country's Local Conference of Youth, and reaches remote districts across the nation.

In Indonesia, the movement, known by its Indonesian initials GLSI, is organized in seven diocesan chapters as well as in schools and religious communities. It has set up Laudato Si' centers with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. With partners in the Archdiocese of Jakarta, it plants mangroves, trains parishes in composting, and runs courses for animators.

Young people and a farm

Delegates agreed on two priorities for the region: giving young people a bigger role, including in the run-up to World Youth Day, and strengthening national chapters and the movement's Asia-Pacific secretariat.

The retreat ended with a visit to the SVD Laudato Si' Farm in Tagaytay, a 5.8-hectare (about 14-acre) site run by the Society of the Divine Word. It serves as an ecological education center, a pilgrimage site, and an ecotourism destination. Father Samuel "Sam" Naceno-Agcaracar, SVD, started it in 2020.

Participants ranged in age from baby boomers to Generation Z. The retreat closed with words from Laudato Si': "May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope."

Editor's note: Cyprianus Lilik Krismantoro Putro coordinates the national working team of the Laudato Si' Movement Indonesia and took part in the retreat.

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On Nov. 3, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Martin de Porres, a Peruvian Dominican brother who lived a life of humble service and charity and became the first Black saint of the Americas.

Here are seven fascinating facts about this inspiring saint:

1. His father refused to acknowledge him.

Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru, in 1579. He was the son of a Spanish nobleman and former Panamanian Black slave. His father, Don Juan de Porres, refused to publicly acknowledge the boy as his own because Martin had darker skin, like his mother. Being biracial would prove challenging for Martin throughout his life.

2. He started practicing medicine before he was 13.

Martin served as an apprentice to a doctor, and before the age of 13 he began to learn the practice of medicine. He would eventually become a barber, which at the time performed minor medical and surgical procedures like pulling teeth or emptying abscesses.

3. He faced prejudice and discrimination as a Dominican.

Martin entered the Dominican order in 1603. Becoming a Dominican brother proved to be challenging for Martin because a Peruvian law at the time prevented people of mixed race from joining religious orders. Therefore, he lived with the community and did manual work, earning himself the nickname "the saint of the broom" for his diligence in cleaning the Dominicans' quarters.

Eventually he was allowed to enter the order, despite the law, and worked in the infirmary tending to the sick and among the impoverished of Peru. "I cure them, but God heals them," Martin would say when curing the sick.

He also had the task of begging for alms that the community would use to clothe and feed the poor. He also established an orphanage and planted an orchard from which those in need could freely take a day's supply of fruit.

4. He levitated and bilocated.

Martin was deeply prayerful, so much so that many of the brothers witnessed him levitating in intense prayer and embracing the cross.

Martin reportedly also had the gift of bilocation, and some of his contemporaries said they encountered him in places as far off as Japan even as he remained in Lima. Some claimed he had appeared to them supernaturally behind locked doors or under otherwise impossible circumstances.

5. He refused to eat meat.

Martin loved animals and had a deep compassion for all living creatures. He refused to eat meat and ran a veterinary hospital for sick animals that seemed to seek out his help. Portrayals of the saint often include cats, dogs, and even the rats to whom he showed compassion.

6. He is the patron saint of multiple manual labor occupations.

Martin was known for the various assignments he carried out and which earned him the title of patron saint of barbers, the sick, and street cleaners. On the 50th anniversary of St. Martin de Porres' canonization, Father Juan Anguerri, director of the St. Martin de Porres Home for the Poor, said: "These are often thankless tasks, but yet through his humble service, St. Martin sent a message to revitalize these jobs."

7. He was canonized more than 300 years after his death.

Martin de Porres died on Nov. 3, 1639, at the age of 60. He was canonized by Pope John XXIII on May 16, 1962. At his canonization Mass, John XXIII called him "Martin of Charity."

This story was first published on Nov. 3, 2021, and was updated on Nov 3, 2026.

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