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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 2, 2025 / 15:14 pm (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news that you might have missed this week:

Catholic who refused to deny his faith shot by Islamic terrorists in India  

A 57-year-old Catholic man, Sushil Nathaniel, was among 26 people killed during a terrorist attack in Kashmir (also called Pahalgam), India, last week, according to an Asia News report. 

Nathaniel's wife, who escaped with their two children, told AsiaNews that her husband was shot in the head by terrorists after refusing to recite the Islamic declaration of faith. 

While celebrating his funeral, Bishop Thomas Kuttimackal of Indore described Nathaniel as a "martyr" and praised his "courage in not hiding his faith even under threat of arms." 

Lebanese Christians remember 'special paternal love' of Pope Francis

Lebanese Christians in the country and diaspora communities around the world have been taking the time to memorialize Pope Francis, remembering his "special paternal love" for Lebanon, according to ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner.

Bishops led solemn liturgies in Beirut, Zgharta, and Sidon, while Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi, recovering from surgery, sent a heartfelt message praising the pope's spiritual impact. In Rome, Bishop Youssef Soueif led a Mass at the Mar Maroun Church with members of the Lebanese diaspora. Even in Lomé, Togo, Maronite faithful gathered to honor the late pontiff in prayer.

Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis held a deep and fatherly affection for Lebanon. From backing youth-led protests in 2019 to calling for unity among political leaders, he remained attentive to the country's struggles. Though a scheduled 2022 visit was postponed, Francis continued to speak out for Lebanon, notably urging the swift election of a president in 2024. In 2021, he convened Lebanese Christian leaders at the Vatican for a special day of prayer and reflection dedicated to the country's future.

Conference on role of Christians in the future of Syria takes place in Aleppo

In Aleppo, the Catholic Education Association launched the first "Pentecost of a Nation" conference to highlight the role of Syrian Christians in shaping the country's future, ACI MENA reported on Wednesday.

The event brought together 250 participants from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds to discuss constitutional reform, social justice, and national identity. Church leaders emphasized the Christian community's historical role as active contributors — not passive observers — of Syria's development while advocating for forgiveness, coexistence, and civic engagement.

Diplomats in Nigeria eulogize Pope Francis as 'leader for truth, peace, equality'

Members of the diplomatic corps in Nigeria have paid glowing tribute to Pope Francis, describing the late pontiff as a global beacon of peace, truth, humility, and justice.

"Words will fail me on this one. He was a wonderful human being, a leader for truth, for peace, for equality, for solidarity, for unity, and for love," the honorary consul of Colombia to Nigeria, Maricel Romero, told ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, on Tuesday after a memorial Mass in Pope Francis' honor. 

European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and Eurasia Gautier Mignot praised the late pope for his dedication to "the most humble, the most vulnerable, and the poorest." 

Only 15% of South Korean Catholics attend Mass, according to latest study

A new study published by the Catholic bishops' conference in Korea found that about 15 in every 100 Catholics in South Korea attended Mass regularly last year, UCA News reported. 

The study, titled "2024 Statistics on the Catholic Church in Korea" found that the total number of Catholics in South Korea in 2024 was almost 6 million, about 11.4% of the total population.

German cardinal describes 'brotherly and cordial mood' among cardinals in Rome

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, the archbishop of Cologne, Germany, described the attitude among cardinals gathered in Rome for the conclave as "brotherly and cordial" in an interview with CNA Deutsch, CNA's German-language news partner, on Tuesday.

"Most cardinals have not seen each other for a long time and many are happy and have been happy to see each other again," he said. "That's how I felt too."

At the general congregations, the meetings of the cardinals in preparation for the conclave, which begins May 7, "a very concentrated, calm, objective working mood" prevails, Woelki explained.

"With all the differences and the different perspectives that are naturally brought in there, from the different partial Churches and with the different cultures and mentalities," he said there is "simply a good togetherness."

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CNA Newsroom, May 2, 2025 / 04:22 am (CNA).

The conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor will begin on May 7, as the Church enters the final preparatory phase for choosing its 267th pope.

Follow here for live updates of the latest news and information on the papal transition:

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 2, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The Archdiocese of Baltimore is launching a new initiative this summer to address the crisis of disaffiliation among young people in the Church through a proactive missionary "lab" program. 

"The impetus behind it is really giving tools to young people who notice things and have great ideas about how to respond to needs or opportunities in their community, and giving it a structure that allows them to practice listening, practice prayerful discernment, and implement whatever project they're working on," the archdiocese's coordinator of missionary discipleship, Rena Black, told CNA. 

"When a young person is the driving force behind something, that lights a fire under people in a way that nothing else can," she said. "So we're trying to harness that a little bit." 

According to Black, the Archdiocesan Youth Missionary Protagonism Lab (AYMP Lab) will serve as a "space of experimentation to discover something new" and will consist of gathering up to 10 teams of two to four young people and one to two adults from across the archdiocese who will meet monthly to work through the stages of designing projects that fill a need in their communities. 

Young people in these teams will also be assisted by their parishes and other adult mentors as they carry out their projects. 

Participation will include a special missionary discipleship training as well as monthly "synodal-style advising" among the teams via Zoom, according to the website. 

While most of the program's meetings will take place remotely, Black emphasized that young people will "not just be passive recipients" but rather "actively engaging in the process of giving and receiving feedback to one another, sharing things they've learned, and things that have come up in their own prayer and reflection that might be relevant to others and other projects." 

The purpose of the meetings, Black said, is to accompany the teams in a "synodal" style process, rather than a merely instructional one, and to incentivize young people to spearhead the initiatives while providing necessary guidance and feedback. 

The teams will also partake in an in-person retreat and send-off liturgy at the end of the program. 

The AYMP Lab was partially inspired by a program in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia called the Youth Co-Leadership Protagonism Initiative, as well as by the work carried out by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry.

Black emphasized the importance of bringing "the wisdom of prayerful design thinking into the process" and listening to the needs of the community as a key component of the program. 

Black said that to date she has received applications from "a handful" of teams but is hoping to draw in even more, particularly from underserved areas in the archdiocese. 

The program has received about $6,500 in grants from the Mark D. Pacione Foundation to kickstart its local efforts, Black said, although she said she hopes to secure more funding as the program grows.

"That's part of my hope," she said, "that we prepare them not just for the local micro grant but give them skills to be able to apply for even more funding."

Groups of teens are currently invited to apply with their adult mentors to participate in the program until the application deadline on May 19.

"Special consideration will be given to applicant teams from communities without full-time paid youth ministry staff as well as teams who represent urban, rural, and culturally-shared pastorates," the site notes. 

"It's a wild time in our archdiocese right now," Black said, noting the lowering of the confirmation age and the loss of its Auxiliary Bishop Bruce Lewandowski, who has been appointed to serve as bishop of the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island. The archdiocese has also been bankrupt since 2023 following an influx of civil lawsuits that came after a state law passed ending the statute of limitations for child sex abuse cases, some of which stretched back decades. 

"It's the time where we're going, 'Holy Spirit, tell us what comes next,'" Black said, "and the Church is telling us, 'Don't forget to listen to young people' in that question of what comes next, because they're the churches now, but they are also the Church of the future." 

"So if we fail to listen to them now," she concluded, "we are not preparing for the future."

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Vatican City, May 1, 2025 / 17:23 pm (CNA).

Not only did Pope Francis value and promote the dignity of labor, he was someone who personally worked extremely hard, finding joy and rest in work itself, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández said at the sixth Novendiales Mass.

"What I want to show, however, is to what extent [Pope Francis] understood that his work was his mission, his everyday work was his response to God's love, it was an expression of his concern for the good of others," Fernández said in St. Peter's Basilica on May 1.

"For these reasons," the cardinal continued, "work itself was his joy, his nourishment, his rest. He experienced what the first reading we heard says: 'None of us lives for himself.'"

The Argentinian cardinal, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and a close personal friend of the late Francis, celebrated Mass with the College of Cardinals as part of the Church's nine days of mourning.

The 62-year-old Fernández spoke about Pope Francis "as a worker" on the May 1 feast of St. Joseph the Worker, one of the late pope's favorite saints. May 1 is also Labor Day (also called Workers' Day) in many countries, including Italy.

Pope Francis "not only talked about the value of work, but his whole life was one who lived his mission with great effort, passion, and compromise," Fernández, also known by the nickname "Tucho," said.

"It was always a mystery to me to understand how he could endure, even being a large man with several illnesses, such a demanding work rhythm. He not only worked in the morning with various meetings, audiences, celebrations, and gatherings but also all afternoon. And it seemed to me really heroic that with the very little strength he had in his last days he made himself strong enough to visit a prison."

The cardinal emphasized that the fact that Francis never took a day off, as pope and as an archbishop and priest in Buenos Aires, should not be taken as an example, "but his life is an incentive to carry out our work generously."

In his homily, Fernández also reflected on the privileged situation some people find themselves in and gave examples of how two men may work equally hard but one will be more successful, while the other struggles to feed his family.

According to the cardinal, Pope Francis warned against a "false meritocracy" that believes only those who are successful in life have merit while the poor do not.

"Behind this love of work is a strong conviction of Pope Francis: the infinite value of every human being, an immense dignity that should never be lost, that under no circumstances can be ignored or forgotten," he said.

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CNA Newsroom, May 1, 2025 / 17:46 pm (CNA).

The conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor will begin on May 7, as the Church enters the final preparatory phase for choosing its 267th pope.

Follow here for live updates of the latest news and information on the papal transition:

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Vatican City, May 1, 2025 / 17:53 pm (CNA).

Editor's Note: On May 1, 2025, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope Francis, delivered the following homily during the sixth day of Novendiales Masses for Pope Francis. The text below is a CNA working translation of the Italian original published by the Vatican.

On this Easter Christ tells us: "All that the Father gives me will come to me... His will is that I lose nothing of what he has given me." What immense sweetness these words have.

Pope Francis is Christ's, he belongs to him, and now that he has left this earth he is fully Christ's. The Lord has taken Jorge Bergoglio with him since his baptism and throughout his entire existence. He is Christ's, who has promised for him the fullness of life.

You know how tenderly Pope Francis spoke of Christ, how he enjoyed the sweet name of Jesus, as a good Jesuit. He knew well that he was his, and surely Christ did not leave him, did not lose him. This is our hope that we celebrate with Easter joy under the precious light of this Gospel of today.

We cannot ignore the fact that we are also celebrating Workers' Day, which was so close to Pope Francis' heart.

I remember a video he sent some time ago for a meeting of Argentine businessmen. To them he said: "I will not tire of referring to the dignity of labor. Someone made me say that I propose a life without toil, or that I despise the culture of work." In fact, some dishonest people said Pope Francis was defending the lazy, the drones, the delinquent, the idle.

But he insisted: "Imagine if you can say that about me, a descendant of Piedmontese people, who came to this country not with a desire to be supported but with a great desire to roll up their sleeves and build a future for their families." You can tell they had annoyed him.

Because for Pope Francis, work expresses and nurtures the dignity of the human being, allows him to develop his abilities, helps him to grow relationships, allows him to feel like a collaborator with God to care for and improve this world, makes him feel useful to society and in solidarity with his loved ones. That is why work, beyond the hardships and difficulties, is a path of human maturation. And that is why he stated that work "is the best help for a poor person." What's more, that "there is no poverty worse than that which deprives work and the dignity of work."

It is worth recalling his words on the trip to Genova. There he argued that "the entire social pact is built around work" and that when there are problems with work "it is democracy that goes into crisis." Then he took up with admiration what the Italian Constitution says in Article 1: "Italy is a democratic republic, founded on work."

Behind this love of work is a strong conviction of Pope Francis: the infinite value of every human being, an immense dignity that should never be lost, that under no circumstances can be ignored or forgotten.

But every person is so very worthy, and must be taken so seriously, that it's not just a matter of giving them things but promoting them. That is, that they can develop all the good in them, that they can earn their bread with the gifts God has given them, that they can develop their abilities. Thus each person is promoted in all his dignity. And this is where work becomes so important.

Now watch out, Francis said. Another thing is some false talk about "meritocracy." Because it is one thing to evaluate a person's merits and reward his efforts. Another thing is the false "meritocracy," which leads us to think that only those who have been successful in life have merits.

Let's take a look at a person who was born into a good family and was able to increase his wealth, lead a good life with a nice house, car, vacation abroad. Everything is good. He was lucky enough to grow up in the right conditions and performed meritorious deeds. Thus, with skills and time he has built a very comfortable life for himself and his children.

At the same time, one who works with his own arms, with equal or greater merits due to the efforts and time he has invested, has nothing. He has not had the good fortune to be born in the same environment, and no matter how much he sweats, he can barely survive.

Let me tell you about a case I cannot forget: a young man I saw several times near my home in Buenos Aires. I would find him on the street, doing his job, which was to collect cartons and bottles to feed his family. When I went to the university in the morning, when I came back, yet at night I would find him working. I once asked him: "But how many hours do you work?" He replied: "Between 12 and 15 hours a day. Because I have several children to support and I want them to have a better future than mine."

So I asked him: "But when are you with them?" And he replied: "I have to choose, either I stay with them or I bring them food." Nevertheless, a well-dressed person passing by said to him: "Go to work, lazy!" Those words seemed to me to be of horrendous cruelty and vanity. But those words can also be found hidden behind other, more elegant speeches.

Pope Francis has issued a prophetic cry against this false idea. And in several conversations he would point out to me: Look, they lead us to think that most poor people are poor because they have no "merit." It seems that the one who has inherited a lot of possessions is more worthy than the one who has done hard labor all his life without being able to save anything or even buy a small house.

For that stated in Evangelli Gaudium that in this model "it does not seem to make sense to invest so that those who are left behind, the weak or the less gifted can make their way in life" (EG, 209).

The question that comes back is always the same: Are the less gifted not human persons? Do the weak not have the same dignity as we do? Should those who are born with fewer possibilities just be limited to survive? Is there not a chance for them to have a job that will allow them to grow, develop, create something better for their children?

The value of our society depends on the answer we give to these questions.

But let me also introduce Pope Francis as a worker. He not only talked about the value of work, but his whole life was one who lived his mission with great effort, passion, and compromise. It was always a mystery to me to understand how he could endure, even being a large man with several illnesses, such a demanding work rhythm. He not only worked in the morning with various meetings, audiences, celebrations, and gatherings, but also all afternoon. And it seemed to me really heroic that with the very little strength he had in his last days he made himself strong enough to visit a prison.

It's not that we can take him as an example, because he never used to take a few days off. In Buenos Aires, in the summer, if you couldn't find a priest you certainly found him. When he was in Argentina he never went out for dinner, to the theater, for a walk, or to see a movie; he never took a day off completely. Instead we, being normal, could not resist. But his life is an incentive to carry out our work generously.

What I want to show, however, is to what extent he understood that his work was his mission, his everyday work was his response to God's love, it was an expression of his concern for the good of others. And for these reasons work itself was his joy, his nourishment, his rest. He experienced what the first reading we heard says: "None of us lives for himself."

We ask for all workers, who sometimes have to work in unpleasant conditions, that they may find ways to live their work with dignity and hope, and that they may receive compensation that allows them to look forward with hope.

But in this Mass, with the presence of the Vatican Curia, let us keep in mind that we in the Curia also work. Indeed, we are workers who keep a schedule, who carry out the tasks assigned to us, who must be responsible and strive and sacrifice in our commitments.

The responsibility of work is also for us in the Curia a path of maturation and fulfillment as Christians.

Finally, let me remind you of Pope Francis' love for St. Joseph, that strong and humble worker, that carpenter from a small forgotten town, who by his work took care of Mary and Jesus.

And we also remember that when Pope Francis had a big problem, he would put a piece of paper with a supplication under the image of St. Joseph. So let us ask St. Joseph in heaven to give a strong hug to our dear Pope Francis.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 1, 2025 / 18:23 pm (CNA).

In a party-line vote on Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations advanced Brian Burch's nomination for U.S. ambassador to the Holy See to the full Senate for final confirmation. 

All 12 Republicans on the Senate committee, chaired by Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, voted in favor of Burch, while all 10 of the committee's Democrat members voted against him. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, now has to bring the nomination to the full Senate floor for a final vote. 

The action comes more than three weeks after Burch's hearing before the committee, during which he fielded questions on foreign aid, the Vatican-China deal, and the Holy See's role in securing a lasting peace in the Middle East. 

If confirmed by the full Senate, Burch, who is president of CatholicVote, will step down from his position at the organization, CatholicVote indicated.

During his hearing earlier this month, Burch emphasized his support for the Trump administration's foreign spending cuts, which have had a widespread impact on Catholic aid organizations, saying: "I think the partnership with the Holy See can be a very good one, but I think those partners have to understand that our foreign aid is not endless, that we can't fund every last program."

On China, Burch said he intended to encourage the Vatican to apply pressure on the communist regime concerning its human rights abuses and reported violation of its deal with the Vatican regarding the appointment of bishops. 

"I would encourage the Holy See as the United States ambassador, if I'm confirmed, to resist the idea that a foreign government has any role whatsoever in choosing the leadership of a private religious institution," he said.

Burch stated his intentions to support Vatican diplomacy to end the Israel-Hamas war, telling the committee he believed the Holy See "can play a significant role" by being "a partner in that conversation and [delivering] the necessary moral urgency of ending this conflict and hopefully securing a durable peace."

President Donald Trump last December nominated Burch to serve as ambassador to the Vatican, writing in a Truth Social post that "he represented me well during the last election, having garnered more Catholic votes than any presidential candidate in history!" and adding: "Brian loves his Church and the United States — he will make us all proud."

CatholicVote is a political advocacy group that endorsed Trump in January 2024 and ran advertisements in support of Trump during his campaign. The organization says it spent over $10 million on the 2024 elections.

Burch, who lives in the Chicago suburbs, is a graduate of the University of Dallas, a private Catholic school. In 2020, he wrote a book titled "A New Catholic Moment: Donald Trump and the Politics of the Common Good." 

According to his biography on CatholicVote, Burch has received the Cardinal O'Connor Defender of the Faith Award from Legatus International and the St. Thomas More Award for Catholic Citizenship by Catholic Citizens of Illinois.

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CNA Newsroom, May 1, 2025 / 07:30 am (CNA).

The conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor will begin on May 7, as the Church enters the final preparatory phase for choosing its 267th pope.

Follow here for live updates of the latest news and information on the papal transition:

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ACI Africa, May 1, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Members of the Catholic Theological Association of Nigeria (CATHAN) have pledged to uphold the "theological and pastoral legacy" of the late Pope Francis, who was laid to rest on April 26.

In a communiqué issued after their 39th annual conference, which also coincided with the association's 40th anniversary, CATHAN members mourn the late 266th pontiff, giving thanks to God for the gift of his 12-year pontificate and his "courageous witness to the Gospel in our time."

"We pledge to carry forward the theological and pastoral legacy of the late Holy Father with renewed zeal and fidelity," CATHAN members say in the April 25 communiqué following their conference at the Bishop Kelly Pastoral Centre in Nigeria's Benin City Archdiocese.

Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, April 21. He was laid to rest on April 26 in his "beloved" Basilica of St. Mary Major as he explained in his testament. The late pontiff suffered a stroke that was followed by a coma and irreversible cardiovascular collapse. He had been hospitalized recently with double pneumonia and a respiratory infection.

The April 26 celebration was a global farewell to a humble shepherd, who was at the helm of the Catholic Church for a little more than 12 years.

In the communiqué shared with ACI Africa on Tuesday, April 29, the Catholic theologians in Nigeria reaffirmed their fidelity to the Church and the successor of St. Peter "in this moment of solemn transition."

During the April 22–25 annual conference under the theme "Theology and Contemporary Approaches to Religion in Nigeria," CATHAN members said they reflected on the need to integrate African traditional religions (ATR) with Christianity as "potential sources of theological insight in houses of formation and tertiary institutions."

"We propose inclusive curricula that engage the complexities of religious pluralism head-on, integrating ATR and Christianity not as antithetical systems but as potential wellsprings of theological insight," Nigeria's Catholic theologians say in their communiqué.

They continued: "Informed by the imperative for a more profound evangelization, we emphasize the urgent need to reimagine theological formation within the vibrant context of lived African religious experiences."

CATHAN members explained that the "reimagined" theological formation will empower "future Church leaders, especially those serving in missionary and formative roles, to engage Nigerian religiosity with both critical acumen and profound respect."

Such "reimagined theological formation," they say, will go a long way in helping Church leaders to stay "steadfast in orthodox doctrine while achieving pastoral relevance within an increasingly pluralistic African society."

"This approach fosters a deeper understanding of the spiritual landscape and empowers effective intercultural and interreligious dialogue," CATHAN members said, referring to what they described as the "urgent need to reimagine theological formation within the vibrant context of lived African religious experiences."

To foster meaningful intercultural and interreligious dialogue in Nigeria's increasingly diverse and pluralistic society, the Catholic theologians said they will have input in the development of theological formation curricula for evangelization that "inclusively engage the complexities of religious pluralism." 

"We call for holistic scholarship that transcends polemics or mere apologetics," CATHAN members say in the four-page communiqué, going on to acknowledge that "responses to (ATR), Christianity, and Islam are often influenced by historical wounds, cultural memory, theological presumptions, and sociopolitical interests."

For them, "this deeper study must be integral to theological formation, equipping leaders to discern the profound spiritual, ethical, and sociocultural currents shaping religious life in Nigeria today."

Following the four-day annual conference, CATHAN members expressed their commitment to "fostering a theology of encounter that informs interreligious dialogue, community engagement, and the pursuit of peace and justice."

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

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CNA Staff, May 1, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A group of religious sisters in Cleveland is launching a multimillion-dollar archive center that will help collect, preserve, and share the stories of women religious in the United States. 

Sister Susan Durkin, OSU, told CNA that the Women Religious Archives Collaborative will ensure the preservation of the "tremendous stories of how sisters in the United States overcame insurmountable obstacles to serve the people in front of them."

Durkin said that when she was serving as the president of the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland, the congregation undertook a project to downsize its motherhouse. 

"In our downsizing we had to make a decision about what to do with our archives," she said, describing the storage option in the reduced space as "not a long-term strategy." 

Leaders in the Cleveland Diocese expressed interest in a possible archive project. The Ursuline congregation, meanwhile, was working with an archival consultant on its own collection. 

Durkin said the archivist told them: "Look, this project is bigger than the Diocese of Cleveland. You might want to reach out further." 

The sisters began inquiring in multiple states. The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, meanwhile, provided seed money to help launch the project. After undertaking sustainability modeling, the project became incorporated in 2022. 

"We're incorporated in the state of Ohio and we're in the Catholic directory," Durkin said. "We have a board, a board committee, bylaws, codes, and regulations. We're an official nonprofit. We're looking to build this heritage center here in Cleveland."

'Really a unique and inspirational story'

The project has already amassed dozens of collections from around the country, Durkin said. 

"Right now we have 41 collections and continue to be in conversation with other congregations," she said. "It grew from something that was regional to something bigger."

The collections will include historical information about why a religious community served in a certain area and why it expanded to other places, Durkin said. "There will be individual sister stories, ministry stories, and then the sisters' influence in the arts and music." 

One particular area of focus, she said, will be in how many congregations, post-Vatican II, experienced a shift in ministry from more institutional systems like medical care and education to broader endeavors. 

"There are so many tremendous stories of how sisters overcame insurmountable obstacles to serve the people in front of them," she said. "It's not just that we're preserving history. It's about animating those stories. The sisters aren't going away, and we need to manage these collections in a way that becomes useful and visible."

The centerpiece of the project is a major facility in the Central neighborhood of Cleveland, which Durkin noted is "one of the poorest per capita in the U.S." The sisters are aiming to have the archival center revitalize the neighborhood.

"We're making an investment there," Durkin said, calling the effort "not gentrification, but a renaissance."

The archival project has launched a major capital campaign to that end with the goal of raising $24 million. The building itself will cost $22 million and the sisters hope to cover operational costs for the first year. 

The facility will include research facilities for archivists and other historians as well as an exhibit space with permanent and rotating exhibits, along with multipurpose rooms and other accommodations.

Ultimately, Durkin said, the goal of the project is to ensure that people will have access to the history and the stories of women religious in the United States, offering "examples for up-and-coming generations to show how our faith motivates us and how it's important to us."

"I think that resilience and that determination, and just total reliance on the providence of God, is really a unique and inspirational story," she said. "And we need to continue to tell that."

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