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The 1941 Sikorski-Mayski agreement between the Soviet Union and Poland resulted in the release of tens of thousands of Polish prisoners of war held in the Gulag and other Soviet camps. Their number included thousands of displaced children, many of whom were orphans. No one wanted these children; they couldn't return to Nazi-occupied Poland, and the Soviet Union didn't want them. Thanks to one man from a small princely state in India, their future became secured.

The unexpected intervention of Jam Sahib Digvijaysinhji, the maharaja of Nawanagar, known as "the Good Maharaja," provided these children a home in his personal estate at Balachadi.

Digvijaysinhji had been educated at Malvern College in England and was part of Winston Churchill's Imperial War Cabinet. 

"He was an extraordinary man, and to the Polish people, he became a national hero ... an Indian Oskar Schindler," former Malvern College teacher and housemaster Andrew Murtagh wrote of Digvijaysinhji.

Father Piotr Wisniowski, chaplain of EWTN Poland, told EWTN News: "The Good Maharaja, Jam Sahib Digvijaysinhji, wrote himself into history through extraordinary humanity. When he welcomed Polish orphans to Balachadi, he said: 'You are no longer refugees. From today, you are the children of Nawanagar, and I am your Bapu — your father.' These words were not a public-relations gesture but a pledge to take responsibility for the most vulnerable."

The Poles amnestied by Stalin following the Sikorski-Mayski agreement formed the 40,000-strong Anders Army, which played a vital role in Allied war efforts. But the Polish children — Catholic and Jewish, many of whom were orphaned or had lost a parent — were the unwanted detritus of war. They had been detained in camps and temporary orphanages, often left to die of illness or starvation. Many were sons and daughters of the estimated 22,000 Polish soldiers and civilians murdered by Soviet forces in the Katyn Woods massacre.

Responsibility for this humanitarian catastrophe shifted to the Polish government in exile and to British government officials. Many nations were unwilling to offer shelter to the children. The agreed-upon solution was to relocate the refugees to India.

Digvijaysinhji moved quickly to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. His state was the first to host 500 Polish children. Other Indian states followed his kindness.

"After 1941, when Polish refugees were freed from Soviet captivity, Poland was a nation devastated by war, unable to care even for its own children," Wisniowski told EWTN News. "The maharaja understood that tragedy and said, 'If God has sent me these children, it is my duty to care for them.' That is why Poland remains grateful to him — for lives saved, dignity restored, and for the witness that mercy knows no borders of nations or cultures."

At first, foster homes were suggested, but the Polish government was opposed to separating the already traumatized children. Other options, such as schools and convents, proved unworkable. The viceroy of India set up The Polish Children's Fund, supported by the archbishop of Delhi and the mother superior of the Convent of Jesus and Mary. The group raised funds among private donors including the Tata family.

Anuradha Bhattacharjee in "The Second Homeland: Polish Refugees in India" explains how India — though not sovereign at the time and not at all prosperous — became the first country in the world to accept and offer sanctuary at its own cost to the hapless Polish population rendered homeless and subsequently stateless.

"The first Polish children were hosted in Balachadi in Nawanagar state and were maintained by charitable funds raised in India, subscribed to by several Indian princes and wealthy individuals. They were settled at a camp near Balachadi when no place for the children could be found in the whole of British India. The state of Nawanagar took the bold step of adopting the children to prevent their forcible repatriation to Soviet-occupied Poland at the end of the second world war."

By December 1942, around 640 children had made the 1,500-kilometer (932-mile) arduous journey in trucks from Ashgabat in Turkmenistan to Balachadi. According to accounts, they were extremely thin and miserable, their clothes hanging about their frames, and this was after having already been fed for a few months.

Digvijaysinhji converted the guesthouse of his Balachadi palace into a school with a special library shelved with Polish books. The children often put on plays with Digvijaysinhji in attendance. Among their Polish caregivers were Father Franciszek Pluta, who was later denounced by the communists as an international kidnapper after relocating some of the children to the United States, as well as scoutmaster Zdzislaw Peszkowski, a survivor of the Katyn Woods massacre who was ordained a priest after World War II.

Peszkowski campaigned for the truth about Katyn for the rest of his life and was a contemporary and close associate of St. John Paul II.

In the camp the children enjoyed the outdoor life, the beach, and the climate. They camped and played soccer, hockey, and volleyball.

At the end of the war, many children feared living under communist rule, having suffered deportation to Siberia from the Soviet regime. Only those children who wanted to return to Poland were required to go back. Eighty-one children were relocated to the United States to build new lives there with the help of Catholic missionaries. Twelve Jewish children were relocated to Haifa in 1943.

In 1989, following the fall of communism in Poland, the kindness and generosity of Digvijaysinhji was formally recognized by the Polish government. In 2012, a park in Warsaw was named the "Square of the Good Maharaja" and a monument was erected. He was also posthumously given the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.

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Restoration work is progressing rapidly on two 13th-century historic mural reliefs at the ancient Mar Behnam and Sarah Monastery in Iraq. The effort is being led by the monastery's administration in collaboration with the French organization Mesopotamia after the artworks suffered extensive destruction at the hands of ISIS.

The monastery was featured in an EWTN News special on Iraq marking 10 years since the rise of ISIS and examining Christianity in Iraq a decade after the extremist group's occupation. The report highlighted both the destruction inflicted on Christian heritage and the steady efforts toward restoration, with Mar Behnam Monastery standing as a visible sign of endurance and renewal.

The murals, depicting the "Martyrdom of Mar Behnam" and "Saint Sarah," face one another inside the monastery church and are considered unique in both scale and artistic detail.

No other monastery today contains comparable works in terms of size, age, and creative intricacy. They have long been objects of popular devotion in addition to their historical value, as Chorbishop Mazen Mattoka, the monastery's superior, explained to ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News.

ISIS militants devastated the two plaster murals in an attempt to erase Christian heritage and obliterate artworks that had withstood centuries of challenges. Despite the severity of the damage and the high cost of restoration, multiple coordinated efforts, which Mattoka describes as guided by divine providence, have worked to lift the dust and darkness of ISIS from the sacred images.

Mattoka believes providence led French journalist Pascal Makosian to visit the monastery and recognize the profound pain caused by the vandalism.

Through his organization, Mesopotamia, Makosian undertook the restoration project under the sponsorship of the Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Mosul, in consultation with the Nineveh Antiquities Inspectorate and with the work of local artists.

The murals are distinguished by rich symbolic colors: royal blue framing the inscriptions as a symbol of heaven; red signifying martyrdom; and green representing continuity and eternal life. Their uniqueness is further deepened by encoded theological meaning. At the center, Mar Behnam is depicted mounted on his horse; below him appears a scene symbolizing the defeat of evil; and above, two angels carry the martyred saint into the kingdom, representing resurrection.

The mural of St. Sarah measures approximately 2 meters (6.6 feet) in height and nearly 1 meter (3.3 feet) in width, appearing modest beside the larger Mar Behnam mural, which extends nearly 4 meters (13.1 feet) in length and 2 meters (6.6 feet) in width. Both are framed by inscriptions in Arabic and Syriac, according to Mattoka.

Extensive damage

The two plaster murals suffered destruction estimated at nearly 80%, according to sculptor Thabet Michael, head of the restoration team. He explained that ISIS left little more than the outer frame intact, from which the restoration process began.

Michael had participated in the previous restoration of the murals in 2011, gaining experience that proved essential in confronting current challenges — particularly the complete disfigurement of sculptural features and the erasure of facial details.

He praised the French team's study of the murals and their history, as well as the preparation of a comprehensive photographic archive. By consulting the oldest available images — including photographs taken by foreign travelers in 1904, despite their lack of color and facial detail — restorers were able to approximate the original appearance as closely as possible.

Approaching the original

The restoration was carried out using the same original raw materials — gypsum mixed with lime — with additional elements to enhance cohesion and durability. The murals' original colors, which had faded over centuries, were restored using comparable pigments. Surviving fragments of colored sections were analyzed to achieve shades closest to the original work, created by Syriac artists of Tikriti origin known for their mastery of sculpture, calligraphy, and ornamental design.

Michael emphasized the necessity of returning to historical sources and studying them carefully in order to reach satisfactory results in restoring any historic artwork. He added that the completed work reflects the Atabeg artistic style prevalent at the time of the murals' creation, blended with local Iraqi elements and inspired by Assyrian civilization.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News.

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Recent claims of an emerging religious revival in the West may overstate the case, but there are clear signs that belief in God is rising, experts said Saturday at the New York Encounter, the annual conference hosted by members of Communion and Liberation.

Speaking at the gathering, Chip Rotolo, a research associate at the Pew Research Center, cited data showing that religious affiliation in the United States has declined steadily for decades. Yet recent findings from Pew's Religious Landscape Study have offered reasons for cautious optimism among those concerned about the nation's secularization.

According to Pew's data, the share of U.S. adults identifying as Christian (63%) is down from 2007 levels (78%), but has held steady since 2020.

"The fact that the religious decline we're so used to seeing is leveled off is a huge shift," Rotolo said, noting that recent data shows that the number of Americans who are religiously affiliated, attend church and pray daily have "been very stable."

He noted that this stabilization began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many might have expected religious participation to drop as churches closed and communities were forced to rethink worship and parish life.

"If you already had one foot out the door at your church, it would have been easy to step away," Rotolo said. "But we've seen this remarkable stability. That has drawn a lot of attention, curiosity and hope."

A second key finding has further fueled interest. According to Pew's research, 92% of Americans express some form of spiritual outlook — meaning they believe in at least one of the following: that people have souls, that God exists, that there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, or that there is an afterlife.

"Something is definitely shifting in American religious life," Rotolo said. "We can disagree and continue figuring out exactly what that is, but it's certainly an interesting time to study."

Also speaking at the panel was Justin Brierley, author of "The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God." Brierley said that although there have been questions raised about the methodology of surveys showing an increase in religiosity in the West, there has been a noticeable cultural shift away from the "New Atheism" popularized in the early 2000s by figures such as Richard Dawkins, author of "The God Delusion."

By the 2010s, Brierley said, he began to see public intellectuals acknowledging Christianity's formative role in shaping Western civilization. Some, he added, have gone further — openly professing religious belief.

He pointed to the conversion of the Somali-born Dutch and American writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who in late 2023 published a viral essay titled "Why I'm Now a Christian."

"When she came out with that article, it made a lot of people say, 'If Ayaan Hirsi Ali — arguably one of the most prominent former atheists in the world — has changed her mind, it could happen to anyone,'" Brierley said.

Lauren Jackson, a religion columnist at The New York Times, said her outlet recently launched a series titled "Believing," inspired in part by Pew's findings on religious life in America.

"We took all this data together and made the claim that Americans haven't found a satisfying alternative to religion," Jackson said. Through interviews and surveys, she added, many in the U.S. have expressed "an intense desire for belonging, for meaning, for community, for connection to the transcendent."

That desire, however, is not always expressed within the walls of a church. The series has explored other avenues through which Americans seek spiritual meaning and communal identity, including the growing popularity of saunas and the sense of belonging fostered by soccer communities.

While the speakers stopped short of declaring a religious revival at work, they agreed that the current moment reflects a significant shift — one marked by a renewed openness to faith and the enduring human search for transcendence.

Brierley noted that to most people the once-popular atheists' arguments in favor of science and technology as an alternative to religion, haven't been convincing.

"I think as we've lost the Christian story in the modern West, it has led to people looking for other stories to make sense of their life. I think some people did for a while reach for the atheist materialist story," he explained.

"When you look at where culture has actually gone and the science and technology we put in, it turns out we have made ourselves unhappier," he said.

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Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, survival means remaining in relationship with Christ and in community with one another, according to a delegation of Ukrainian Catholic Church leaders who gave their testimony at the New York Encounter on Feb. 14.

Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk of Kharkiv and Father Wojciech Stasiewicz, director of Caritas-Spes of the Kharkiv-Zaporizhia Diocese, shared how they have approached survival throughout the four-year conflict that has ravaged their communities.

The bishop and priest spoke during a panel moderated by Bishop Earl Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio.

This year's New York Encounter is centered on the theme "Where Everything Is Waiting for You," focusing on "the reemerging human desire for authentic belonging amid global isolation, emphasizing how freedom, truth, forgiveness, and dignity foster certainty and openness in true community." The event will continue through Feb. 15.

"We can say that, thanks to God, thanks to our Faith, we have a strong foundation," said Honcharuk, who compared the current situation in Ukraine to the Titanic. The bishop described the struggles faced by Ukrainians today, including the obliteration of power grids across the country, below-freezing temperatures, and ongoing drone and missile strikes.

"We are in the middle of a tempest of suffering and pain," he said. "In this sense, we're always expecting or waiting for death, but in the midst of all that, we are trying to be able to love, and to help others."

The bishop reflected during his remarks that survival for him has been in keeping busy with the demands of his role, which extend far beyond pastoral care due to the humanitarian aid role the Church in Ukraine has assumed.

From traveling to precarious locations to preside over funeral services, to thawing frozen generators, the bishop remains occupied.

"If you were to stop and sit and look at it, and try to deepen what is happening, you wouldn't be able to stand it. There are many instances where people lose their minds, they close in on themselves." This, he said, "is the most terrible thing."

Honcharuk said Christ's love is what compels him to remain with his people, and that ultimately, having faith in God is what brings peace.

"The beginning of war is in the hearts of men," the bishop said. "When there is no God, a person does not feel like someone. He has to prove all the time to himself and to others that he is someone. He exploits everything to show that he is someone."

In the end, he said, a person's encounter with God is where peace begins.

Father Stasiewicz also shared how his work with Caritas has acted as both a humanitarian hub for Ukrainians, and as a ministry of faithful presence and community throughout the war.

The priest emphasized the need to be in community, especially during conflict, otherwise "you're carrying all this burden by yourself, and you have nobody to help you, or to sustain you."

Papal Nuncio to the U.S. Cardinal Christophe Pierre attended the panel, which took place in the main auditorium of the Metropolitan Pavilion. The event was at maximum capacity, and attendees gave a warm standing ovation to the Ukrainian bishop and priest for several minutes. 

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Pope Leo XIV on Feb. 14 accepted the resignation of Amarillo Bishop Patrick Zurek, appointing Cardinal Daniel DiNardo to serve as apostolic administrator of the Texas diocese until a permanent replacement can be found.

Zurek has served as the Amarillo bishop for nearly 20 years, having been appointed to the post by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008. He had previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

The diocese on its website identifies him as "the longest serving Bishop in the history of the Diocese of Amarillo." At 77 he was two years past the customary retirement age for bishops.

DiNardo previously served as the archbishop of Galveston-Houston from 2006 to 2025. He was created a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007. He has served as both the president and vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Religious sister named deputy director of Vatican press office

On Feb. 13, meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV appointed Sister Nina Benedikta Krapic, MVZ as deputy director of the Holy See Press Office.

The first religious sister to serve in the role, Krapic previously served in the Dicastery for Communications. Vatican News reported that she has also worked "as a journalist and as a legal advisor for women victims of domestic violence and other marginalized individuals."

She is currently studying for a doctorate in social sciences at the Collegium Maximum of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. She will take up the post in the Vatican press office in March 1.

Krapic replaces Cristiane Murray in the press role. Murray was appointed to the position by Pope Francis in 2019 after having worked for Vatican Radio for more than 25 years.

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"Fan into flame the gift of God" and courageously live out the gifts of the Holy Spirit to a world currently crying out for hope, Archbishop Richard Moth exhorted the faithful on Feb. 14 at his installation Mass at Westminster Cathedral.

In his first homily as the 12th Archbishop of Westminster, and to a packed cathedral filled with clergy, religious leaders, civic leaders and lay faithful, Moth recalled the words of St. Paul to Timothy, insisting that God's call is not a summons to worldly power or domination, but to a life marked by self-control "guided, empowered by the Holy Spirit" and by a love that mirrors Christ's total self-giving on the cross.

He noted that he had heard that same passage from Scripture when he attended the episcopal consecration of one of his predecessors, Archbishop Cardinal Basil Hume, in 1976.

Describing this path as "Christ-like service," he said it brings faith, love and hope "to a world that, in our present age, cries out for hope."

The grace of the Holy Spirit received in Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders, he noted, is given to all the faithful, and their gifts are "fanned into flame" as they live out the mission entrusted to them

Moth, 67, had served as bishop of Arundel and Brighton in southern England for the past decade until Pope Leo XIV nominated him in December. Best known for his work on prisons, criminal justice, and life issues, as well as his expertise in canon law, he succeeds Cardinal Vincent Nichols as archbishop of the leading diocese of England and Wales.

Drawing on the Gospel image of Christ calling the 72 disciples, the new archbishop continued his homily by calling on Catholics to go out into "the world of our own age" bearing the message of the Gospel of peace and ensuring that its light shines in parish communities, homes, schools, universities and workplaces.

At every opportunity, he urged believers to "shed the light of the Gospel on the world of our day," including the public square.

He quoted Pope Benedict XVI from his 2010 address in Westminster Hall, when the late pontiff spoke of how faith and reason "need one another," should be in dialogue "for the good of our civilization," and that religion was "not a problem, but a vital contributor to the conversation."

This encounter will, at times, "require the boldness that we see in Paul and Barnabas in today's first reading, but we need not fear," Moth said, and he linked the Church's evangelising mission directly to the "great questions of our time," naming them as the quest for peace, human dignity, the right to life at every stage, the protection of the vulnerable, the plight of refugees and the dispossessed, and the safeguarding of "our common home."

All these issues, he insisted, are "intrinsic to the work of evangelization."

Evangelization requires patience

Marking the Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the archbishop stressed that it is "from the Eucharist and from prayer that our work of evangelization flows, for evangelization is a call to a relationship, the relationship with the person of Jesus Christ."

Evangelization requires patience, he said, adding that "we need not be concerned to seek for results according to our own timescale."

But he drew attention to reports of a "quiet revival" of faith and expressed hope that the depth of this revival will show itself, adding "it is certainly the case that this is a good moment to be a Christian, a Catholic, a disciple of Christ."

If this flame of the Holy Spirit is to be fanned, he added, it must be nurtured through prayer and a deepening understanding of the gift of Faith, helping mission to grow "ever more effective."

At the same time, the archbishop acknowledged that this work is "fragile and adversely impacted by our failures in love, power and self-control," and he spoke of his keen awareness of occasions when members of the Church, or the Church as a whole, have failed, especially in relation to the vulnerable.

Those failures, he implied, make the call to Holy Spirit-led self-control, humble service and courageous witness all the more urgent as the diocese embarks on a new chapter of its life.

Moth gave thanks for the long witness of the local Church and in particular his predecessor, Cardinal Nichols, saying there is "so much for which to be thankful, so much on which to build."

He expressed joy that the Lord has called him to share with the people and clergy of the diocese the same mission once given by Christ to the seventy-two disciples.

Solemn installation

The rite of installation began soon after noon when the cathedral bells were rung and the Great West Door opened to mark his arrival.

The archbishop, dressed in gold vestments featuring Byzantine-inspired designs and a gold mitre, knelt at the threshold in silent prayer for a few moments, surrounded by great marble medallions on which are representations of twelve Archbishops of Canterbury, each of whom were saints.

A trumpet fanfare sounded and the archbishop entered the cathedral narthex to be greeted by the Provost, Canon Shaun Lennard. The cathedral choir sang a Responsory accompanied by the music of contemporary Scottish composer, Sir James MacMillan.  

After Pope Leo XIV's apostolic letter formally announcing the appointment was read out, the solemn installation began. Canon Lennard, standing in front of the archbishops' throne, read out a prayer and the words of installation, asking that "our Lord Jesus Christ guard your going in from henceforth, now and for evermore."

Cardinal Nichols then formally handed the archbishop his crozier, a symbol of his office as bishop.

Dignitaries including the Lord Mayor of Westminster and the Catholic politician Edward Leigh then greeted the new archbishop, which was followed by a few words of welcome from Dame Sarah Mullally, the newly confirmed, though not yet enthroned, Anglican archbishop of Canterbury.

Speaking on behalf of the ecumenical group Churches Together, Mullally said she very much looked forward to working with the new archbishop "to deepen our relationships and to strengthen our shared Christian witness."

Following the conclusion of the installation rite, Moth celebrated a Pontifical Mass, with readings of the Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius and the Gospel reading on the sending of the 72 disciples in Luke.

The cathedral authorities said the principal chalice used during the Mass dated from 1529 and was crafted in silver-gilt during the reign of King Henry VIII, just predating the Reformation.?

Towards the end of the Pontifical Mass, the Te Deum was sung, and Moth was led around the Cathedral to bless the faithful, pausing briefly for prayer at the tomb of one of his predecessors, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.

In concluding words, the papal nuncio, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia, shared words from Pope Leo XIV and expressed his gratitude to Cardinal Nichols. Noting that the installation fell on Valentine's Day, he prayed to the Lord that "love would flourish over all" during Moth's ministry in Westminster.

Speaking in December about his appointment, Moth said his first priority would be to listen widely rather than carry out preconceived plans, and underlined that everything in the archdiocese must be rooted in prayer and especially the Eucharist.

He also spoke of a renewed commitment to bringing the Gospel into today's world, adapting how the faith is presented without altering its substance, and continuing "the great adventure that is the life of the Church and witness to the Gospel" in Westminster.

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U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops President Archbishop Paul Coakley is urging the University of Notre Dame to drop the leadership appointment of an outspoken pro-abortion professor, joining nearly a dozen bishops in calling on the historic Catholic university to back away from the controversial decision.

The controversy at Notre Dame exploded this week after Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades on Feb. 11 expressed "dismay" and "strong opposition" to the school's appointment of Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school's Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.

Ostermann has in the past spoken out strongly in favor of abortion and sharply criticized the pro-life movement, at times suggesting that its roots are in "white supremacy" and misogyny. Rhoades said Ostermann's beliefs, coupled with her leadership promotion at the Catholic school, were "causing scandal to the faithful of our diocese and beyond."

Multiple U.S. bishops from around the country backed Rhoades's call throughout the week, with Coakley himself speaking out about the controversy on Feb. 13.

"I fully support Bishop Kevin Rhoades in his challenge to Notre Dame to rectify its poor judgement in hiring a professor who openly stands against Catholic teaching when it comes to the sanctity of life, in this case protection of the unborn," Coakley said in a statement on X.

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The statement was shared hundreds of times on X, including by Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, the bishop emeritus of Hong Kong.

Though criticism against Notre Dame's decision has come from top Catholic leadership in the U.S. throughout the week, the school has indicated that it will be standing by its plan to have Ostermann lead the institute.

Notre Dame told EWTN News on Feb. 13 that Ostermann is "a highly regarded political scientist and legal scholar" who is "well prepared" to serve in the role.

At the same time the university stressed its "unwavering" commitment "to upholding the inherent dignity of the human person and the sanctity of life at every stage."

Ostermann herself has told media that she "respect[s] Notre Dame's institutional position on the sanctity of life at every stage." She has described herself as "fully committed to maintaining an environment of academic freedom where a plurality of voices can flourish."

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VILNIUS, Lithuania — As Catholic youth movements across Europe continue to shrink or retreat from public engagement, Lithuania's Ateitis Federation stands out as a rare exception: an intergenerational Catholic movement that still forms leaders, sustains disciplined membership, and translates faith into civic presence.

Once a lay Catholic resistance movement behind the Iron Curtain, Ateitis at its 115th anniversary offers a rare case study of Catholic youth translating faith into sustained public influence in post-Soviet Europe.

From a student journal to a national movement

Ateitis began as a student magazine, circulated discreetly among Lithuanian university students during the final years of the Russian Empire. Its founders were young Catholics who recognized the increasingly secularized educational and civic model imposed by imperial authorities and refused to accept it as inevitable.

Eventually the name of the publication became the name of a broader Catholic youth federation, one that wove together faith, intellectual formation, and national renewal. Its essence was summed up in the words that became its motto: "Visa atnaujinti Kristuje" — "To renew all things in Christ."

That phrase echoes the mission of St. Pius X, whose 1903 encyclical E Supremi Apostolatus called for a moral and religious renewal of society in Christ. Ateitis became one of the early movements in the region to adopt that vision explicitly, aligning itself with the wider tradition of Catholic Action.

Principles that endure

In 2020, Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius, himself the spiritual leader of the Ateitis Federation, reflected publicly on how the movement's five principles function as a direct response to modern ideological pressures: Catholicism as an answer to relativism, nationality as a safeguard against rootless globalism, family as a response to radical individualism, intellectual excellence against cultural mediocrity, and public engagement as a defense against efforts to exclude faith from the public square.

That emphasis on coherent formation helps explain why Ateitis has remained unusually active at a time when many Catholic initiatives struggle to maintain continuity.

A demanding membership

In an era when many young people hesitate to commit to anything long-term, the federation continues to ask for more than occasional participation.

"If you want to become a full member, you are asked to take an oath in front of the entire organization," Ignas Kriauciunas, the general secretary of Ateitis, told EWTN News.

Kriauciunas acknowledged that the meaning of this oath has been interpreted in different ways over time, "ranging from an almost monastic vow to a symbolic declaration," but insisted that it remains "a powerful foundation of our organizational unity," clearly distinguishing a committed member from someone who simply appreciates the movement.

Those who want to take the oath must also complete age-appropriate tasks and commitments intended to demonstrate that they are already living the federation's principles.

Continuity of traditions

Like many youth movements, Ateitis has retreats and major gatherings. But Kriauciunas believes the federation's durability depends on something less dramatic than events: a consistent structure of local life.

"Yes, events are fun," he said, "but success is determined by quiet, steady work."

Ateitis organizes school-aged members into basic units and groups, while students form clubs and even student corporations. The key, he explained, is having "a constant form of activity" — a regular format that gathers people "at least once a month" — which creates both retention and generational continuity.

That continuity of formation naturally strengthens one of the hardest things for Catholic initiatives to maintain: meaningful, active partnership between members present now and those who came before.

Young members bring energy and enthusiasm. Alumni, in turn, provide resources and support, not merely as donors, but as participants who find renewed meaning through the movement's ongoing life. "There you have it," Kriauciunas said, "the recipe for successful intergenerational cooperation."

'To renew all things in Christ' — not only in church settings

Ateitis is often described as possessing a strong intellectual tradition, and for some, that reputation can sound intimidating. But Kriauciunas insisted that serious reflection on faith should not feel like a separate, rarefied activity — it must be integrated into everyday life.

"Our motto is: 'Renew everything in Christ,'" he said. And he stressed that the word "everything" is meant literally: "Not just university or school, but also your home or the gym."

That approach, he explained, shapes a movement in which members from different professions and interests can actually meet, rather than remaining siloed by age or vocation. It also forms Catholics who do not "leave their faith in the churchyard but carry it out into the whole world."

The result, he suggested, is a natural apostolate: meeting people in ordinary spaces — at universities, workplaces, and sports settings — all while showing that Catholic faith is not a limitation on life but an impetus toward growth.

"We are Catholics, and that does not prevent us from living," he said. "On the contrary, it is precisely the impulse of faith that drives us to study, play sports, and live with joy."

A warning for the future

Asked what Catholic leaders across Europe might learn from Ateitis' 115-year history, Kriauciunas hesitated to present the movement as a model of superiority. But he did offer one clear caution: Catholic organizations must resist drifting into structures that dilute their Church identity.

He pointed to the temptation to transform Catholic movements into modern NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) "financed by large donors," a shift that can subtly reorder loyalties and priorities.

Ateitis, he said, has managed to avoid becoming dependent on state or international institutions that can pressure movements to "put our loyalty to the Church on the back burner."

Yet he also admitted that the movement has faced its own dangers, including the risk of confusing preservation with renewal. Referencing a warning often attributed to Pope Benedict XVI that "the Church, married to her own age, becomes a widow," Kriauciunas said there were times Ateitis forgot to repeatedly ask what it means to renew the world in Christ.

"As we sometimes joke," he said, "we did not renew everything, but preserved everything in Christ."

Looking forward, he expressed confidence in a younger generation of leaders who are not burdened by institutional memory but attentive to the concerns of today. Each era must choose fidelity anew, he said, echoing Benedict's insistence that "each generation must choose its ideals anew."

"It is not enough to have renewed everything in Christ 115 years ago," Kriauciunas added. "We must do so again now."

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With Lent beginning on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, Father Manuel Corral, canon of the metropolitan cathedral of Mexico City, called on those involved in criminal violence to live this liturgical season as a genuine opportunity for interior conversion.

During a Feb. 6 press conference, the priest explained that Lent is a 40-day liturgical season of preparation for Easter in the Catholic Church, beginning on Ash Wednesday and concluding before Holy Thursday.

He emphasized that this is a privileged period for undergoing a profound transformation of attitudes, as it is an opportune moment to "be disposed to change."

He also reminded everyone that, although many Christians like to visibly wear the ash cross on their foreheads, its essential meaning should not be lost, since "it is a symbol of repentance" that invites us to examine our lives and turn our hearts back to God.

In this context, he made an explicit appeal to those who perpetrate violence in the country. He acknowledged that this exhortation is particularly complex regarding those involved in organized crime, since the cartels, he said, "are in such a huge spiral of violence that making an appeal" for an end to violence during Holy Week "is very difficult."

Nevertheless, he affirmed that "prayer, as recollection, can bring us peace, provided there is dialogue and that encounter with Christ."

As an example, he recalled when in 2011 the relic of St. John Paul II was being taken from place to place both in San Fernando in Tamaulipas state, and in Apatzingán in Michoacán state. In both cases, he explained, it was possible to create a period of calm amid contexts marked by violence.

In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, the cathedral canon noted that, although it is not common, there are criminals who approach the Church seeking reconciliation. He acknowledged that this process is not easy, since receiving sacramental forgiveness requires taking responsibility, because "you have to repent," and sometimes that means "going and turning yourself in to the authorities."

"It's not easy," he admitted, "but I tell you there have been [cases]… I can attest to people who have changed."

Beyond armed violence, Corral emphasized that the call to conversion is also personal and daily. In this regard, he urged the faithful to examine those attitudes that create conflict in daily life, reminding them that each person must "do what you have to do within yourself to foster and create a peaceful environment."

He also called for recognizing behaviors that harm others, such as "selfishness, not cooperating, or annoying others."

Begin Lent reconciled

To begin Lent reconciled with Christ, the priest pointed out that the most important thing is to approach the sacrament of confession.

As a sign of hope, Corral shared that during the opening of the Jubilee of Hope door at the metropolitan cathedral, he witnessed long days of confessions in which thousands of people came "moved by a real desire for change."

"Confession is like a blank check the Lord gives us, and we fill it with whatever we want, but having this [disposition], to say: Lord, here I am, and I want to have different attitudes, give me the strength so that my life is transformed, so that my life is changed," he said.

Along with confession, the priest reminded everyone that Lent is lived concretely through fasting, prayer, and charity.

He clarified that fasting is not a meaningless deprivation but rather "means self-discipline"; that prayer is not simply repeating formulas but rather involves "above all, silence… that is, 'speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'"

He also emphasized that charity goes beyond giving alms, as it involves living with genuine generosity, since "to be charitable is to be generous, but generous in giving the best of myself, yes, taking responsibility for my life; that is carrying the cross, as I was saying, that is what it means to be charitable."

This story was first pub lished by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Bonnie Engstrom, the mother of the child who was healed through Archbishop J. Fulton Sheen's intercession, said she "laughed out loud with joy" when she heard his beatification was going to move forward.

On Feb. 9, the Holy See officially informed Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, that the cause for the Venerable Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen can proceed to beatification. He is credited for the miracle that saved the life of Engstrom's son James Fulton Engstrom, who was named after Sheen.

"We had started getting to know Fulton Sheen and growing in our devotion to him while I was pregnant with James," Engstrom said in a Feb. 13 interview with "EWTN News In Depth." "During that pregnancy we had decided to name our son after him … to really put him under his patronage."

On Sept. 16, 2010, James was born at home. It had been a healthy pregnancy, and it was a healthy labor, but there was a knot in James' umbilical cord that tightened during birth. "He was a stillborn, there was absolutely no sign of life," Engstrom said.

In the "time of crisis, I was in a state of shock," she said. "I didn't really know what to do, but I remember calling on Fulton Sheen, just saying his name, 'Fulton Sheen, Fulton Sheen, Fulton Sheen.'"

"While [James] was at home, while he was in the ambulance, and while he was at the hospital in the emergency room, he did not have a pulse for that entire time," she said. "Right as the medical team was ready to call time of death, all hands were off. And at that moment, his heart started to beat again, and it never stopped after that."

James is a freshman in high school and doing "great," Engstrom said. "He is doing really well. He loves music. He's in an art class that he's really enjoying … he's a great kid. Hardworking, funny."

While James "has had some medical issues along the way," there is nothing the family can attribute to his health issues at birth.

Engstrom said that her son's "initial MRI, the first 24 hours of his life, showed extensive brain damage, and the follow-up one was perfectly clear."

Sheen's beatification

Sheen's cause for canonization was first opened in 2002 under the leadership of the Diocese of Peoria, Sheen's birthplace, and from then on he was referred to as a servant of God. Pope Benedict XVI declared him venerable in June 2012.

On March 6, 2014, the board of medical experts who advise the then-Congregation for the Causes of Saints unanimously approved the reported miracle of James. Pope Francis approved of the miracle of Sheen's on July 5, 2019, and the beatification experienced numerous delays due to an ownership dispute of his remains and an investigation into clergy sex abuse in New York.

While obstacles were eventually cleared, Engstrom said initially her family was "frustrated" and "disappointed" with the delays. "I think as things in the Church just continue to progress and time went by, we realized, we trust in Jesus and he's got it in control. And so we were able to really lean into that and move past the initial disappointment," she said.

The family is "so excited," Engstrom said. "We're so happy about it."

"We really appreciate that in all of Church history, our family has a little footnote in it in a very special way, and it's remarkable. It is such an honor, and it's such a joyful thing," she said.

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