Man who brought weapons to California abbey described self as 'angel of death,' police say

Mass at St. Michael's Abbey in California. / Credit: "EWTN News In Depth"/ScreenshotCNA Staff, Sep 4, 2025 / 10:19 am (CNA).A man arrested with a car full of weapons after threatening a California Catholic church told the parish he was an angel of death meant to "do the Lord's reaping," according to authorities. Police arrested Joshua Michael Richardson on Aug. 28 after he allegedly made criminal threats against St. Michael's Abbey, located in Silverado, about 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles in the Santa Ana Mountains. Richardson, an Alabama resident, had a cache of weapons in his car, including knives, brass knuckles, and a sword, police said. He was also reportedly in possession of several gun magazines. On Sept. 3 the Orange County District Attorney's office said in a press release that prior to driving from Alabama to the California abbey, Richardson sent an email "threatening to 'do the Lord's reaping'" at the church. The suspect also reportedly claim...

Vice President JD Vance meets with victims of Minneapolis church shooting

"I have never had a day that will stay with me like this day did," said U.S. Vice President JD Vance following his visit with parents and victims of the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vances are shown here outside the church during their Sept. 3, 2025 visit. / Credit: Alex Wroblewski-Pool/Getty ImagesWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 3, 2025 / 18:39 pm (CNA).U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance visited Minneapolis, Minnesota on Wednesday to meet with victims and families of the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting that occurred last week. The Vances visited the church sanctuary, which is the site of the shooting that claimed the lives of two children and left more than 20 wounded. The pair stopped outside the church to observe the memorial and leave bouquets of flowers.A spokesperson for the vice president said Vance held a private meeting with the parents of the two children who were killed, Harper Moyski...

The pope who was first called 'servant of the servants of God'

A statue of Pope Gregory I, also known as Saint Gregory the Great, with his famous Catholic iconography of a dove sitting on his shoulder, sits outside of St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024 / Credit: Alexander Ruszczynski/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Sep 3, 2025 / 07:15 am (CNA).St. Gregory the Great, a central figure of the medieval western Church and one of the most admired popes in history, is commemorated in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Catholic liturgy. He was the first of the bishops of Rome to popularize the now-traditional papal title "servant of the servants of God," which referred to Christ's command that those in the highest position of leadership should be "the last of all and the servant of all." Born near the middle of the sixth century into a noble Roman family, the future St. Gregory the Great received a classical education in liberal arts and the law. He also had strong religious formation from his devout family, particularly from his mo...

Pope Leo XIV pleads for help for 'humanitarian catastrophe' in Sudan

Pope Leo XIV appealed for help for Sudan during his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square on Sept. 3, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media.Vatican City, Sep 3, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday pleaded for international assistance for the North African country of Sudan, which is experiencing violence, famine, natural disasters, and disease."I am closer than ever to the Sudanese population, in particular families, children and the displaced," Leo said at the end of his general audience at the Vatican Sept. 3."I pray for all the victims," the pontiff added. "I make a heartfelt appeal to leaders and to the international community to guarantee humanitarian corridors and implement a coordinated response to stop this humanitarian catastrophe."The dramatic situation in Sudan, marked by months of armed clashes, mass displacement, and the threat of cholera, has prompted multiple warnings from humanitarian organizations.In his appeal, Leo drew attention to the civi...

Minneapolis archbishop: Community 'turning to the Lord' 1 week after church shooting

Archbishop Hebda told EWTN News that Annunciation Church will have to be reconsecrated after the shooting, an act he described as "reclaim[ing] that territory for the Lord." / Credit: "EWTN News Nightly"/ScreenshotCNA Staff, Sep 3, 2025 / 08:55 am (CNA).Saint Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda said this week that Catholics and others in the Twin Cities are revealing "signs of God's great love" in the week following the deadly shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church. "I get the idea that people are very much turning to the Lord at this time and there's just been a real outpouring of love," the archbishop said on "EWTN News Nightly" on Sept. 2. Hebda told EWTN News President Montse Alvarado that there has been "no shortage of volunteers" in the days since the shooting, which claimed the lives of eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski while injuring approximately 20 others.  "Counselors are coming forward," the archbi...

How a parish play about Carlo Acutis inspired love for the Eucharist 

The play, "Highway to Heaven," was performed Oct. 12, 2024, the feast day of Blessed Carlo Acutis. Written and directed by Anna Harrison of Sydney Catholic Youth, it featured children ages 7 to 15 dramatizing the life of the Italian teenager known for his love of the Eucharist and his computer skills. / Credit: Courtesy of St. Joachim parish, Sydney, AustraliaRome Newsroom, Sep 3, 2025 / 04:05 am (CNA).Children from a Catholic parish in Sydney, Australia, put together an original play about the life of Blessed Carlo Acutis that has inspired Eucharistic devotion among the kids and families in the community.  Father Epeli Qimaqima, parish priest of St. Joachim Parish, told CNA that the play sparked lasting spiritual transformation and "brought the parish together in more ways than one." "It was not writing a play for the sake of having a play," Qimaqima said. "But I had been pondering as parish priest how we can catechize the family in this day and age." Fathe...

12 things you should know about soon-to-be St. Carlo Acutis

Blessed Carlo Acutis. / Credit: Diocese of AssisiCNA Staff, Sep 3, 2025 / 04:30 am (CNA).It's official! On Sept. 7, Pope Leo XIV will canonize Blessed Carlo Acutis together with Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati as the first new saints of his pontificate. A gamer and computer coder who loved the Eucharist, Carlo Acutis will be the first millennial Catholic saint.So who is Blessed Carlo? Here's what you need to know:He was born in London in 1991Carlo Acutis was born May 3, 1991, in London, where his father was working. Just a few months later, he moved with his parents, Andrea Acutis and Antonia Salzano, to Milan, Italy.He was diagnosed with leukemia Carlo was diagnosed with leukemia as a teenager. Before his death in 2006, he offered his sufferings for Pope Benedict XVI and for the Church, saying: "I offer all of my suffering to the Lord for the pope and for the Church in order not to go to purgatory but to go straight to heaven."Carlo loved God and the Eucharist from a young ...

7 Catholic churches attacked in Spain last month

St. Mary's Cathedral in Valencia, Spain. / Credit: Pere López, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsMadrid, Spain, Sep 3, 2025 / 05:15 am (CNA).The Observatory for Religious Freedom and Conscience (OLRC by its Spanish acronym) in Spain decried that it was "a black August" with seven cases of vandalism and desecration against Catholic churches reported in recent weeks.On Aug. 11, black paint was spilled on a set of  steps at St. Catherine parish in the town of Rute in Cordoba province, just days before the patron saint's feast day.The following day, the perpetual adoration chapel at St. Martin parish in Valencia was desecrated when a person who identifies as "trans" burst in the chapel shouting in front of the altar and then "broke the monstrance, while insulting the faithful," according to the OLRC.On Aug 13, Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Palma de Mallorca was desecrated with offensive graffiti accusing the Catholic Church of corruption.A day later, a sacristan and...

Panelists reflect on American pope, conclave coverage at EWTN Family Celebration

Pontifical Missions Society USA National Director Monsignor Roger Landry speaks during a panel at the 2025 EWTN Family Celebration. / Credit: EWTN/ScreenshotWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 2, 2025 / 19:30 pm (CNA).The team that led the Eternal Word Television Network's (EWTN) coverage of this year's conclave reflected on the significance of having a pope from the United States, along with the intense preparation and excitement that surrounded the network's historic coverage during a roundtable discussion at the 2025 EWTN Family Celebration.The 1,600-seat capacity Capital One Hall in Tysons, Virginia was the venue for this year's celebration. The Aug. 30 event featured talks from various EWTN personalities and a closing Mass celebrated by Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington,Virginia and the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word.During an afternoon panel discussion, the Pontifical Missions Society USA's National Director, Monsignor Roger Landry, recalled announcing Leo...

Iraqi prime minister reopens two historic Catholic churches in Mosul

Iraqi Prime Minister reopens the Church of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of the Hour in Mosul. / Credit: Ismail Adnan/ACI MENAACI MENA, Sep 2, 2025 / 14:15 pm (CNA).In the city of Mosul, Iraq, an official celebration was held on Monday, Sept. 1 to mark the reopening of the churches of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception known as Al-Tahera Church (for Syriac Catholics) and Our Lady of the Hour ((within the Dominican Monastery), after their full restoration. The event was attended by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, several government officials, and representatives of the organizations that supported the reconstruction.The city of Mosul, Iraq, witnessed an official celebration on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025, marking the reopening of the churches of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception known as Al-Tahera Church (for the Syriac Catholics) and Our Lady of the Hour for (Dominicans), after their full restoration. Credit: Ismail Adnan/ACI MENASpeaking inside the Chur...