Pope names new bishop for Jefferson City, Missouri
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Father Ralph O'Donnell, bishop-elect of Jefferson City, Missouri. / Diocese of Jefferson City website.Vatican City, Aug 19, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV named Father Ralph O'Donnell of the Archdiocese of Omaha as the new bishop of Jefferson City, Missouri. He will succeed Archbishop Shawn McKnight, who in May was installed as archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas.Bishop-elect O'Donnell has most recently served as pastor of Saint Margaret Mary Parish in Omaha.Born on August 31, 1969, in Omaha, he earned a bachelor's degree in religious studies from Conception Seminary College and a Master of Divinity from the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He later obtained a master's degree in spirituality from Creighton University.Ordained a priest in 1997, O'Donnell has served in various pastoral and administrative roles, including vocations director, seminary vice rector, and executive director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life an...
Father Ralph O'Donnell, bishop-elect of Jefferson City, Missouri. / Diocese of Jefferson City website.
Vatican City, Aug 19, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV named Father Ralph O'Donnell of the Archdiocese of Omaha as the new bishop of Jefferson City, Missouri. He will succeed Archbishop Shawn McKnight, who in May was installed as archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas.
Bishop-elect O'Donnell has most recently served as pastor of Saint Margaret Mary Parish in Omaha.
Born on August 31, 1969, in Omaha, he earned a bachelor's degree in religious studies from Conception Seminary College and a Master of Divinity from the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He later obtained a master's degree in spirituality from Creighton University.
Ordained a priest in 1997, O'Donnell has served in various pastoral and administrative roles, including vocations director, seminary vice rector, and executive director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations (2015–2019).
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Pope Leo XIV prays the Angelus prayer on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, 2025. / Credit: Vatican MediaACI Prensa Staff, Dec 8, 2025 / 13:30 pm (CNA).Pope Leo XIV led the Angelus prayer Dec. 8 from the window of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on the occasion of the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.Addressing the faithful and pilgrims in attendance in St. Peter's Square, the pontiff commented that on Dec. 8 we express our joy because the Father of heaven wanted her to be "preserved immune from all stain of original sin.""The Lord has granted to Mary the extraordinary grace of a completely pure heart, in view of an even greater miracle: the coming of Christ the Savior," he added.The pope also noted that the gift of the fullness of grace in the young woman of Nazareth "was able to bear fruit because she in her freedom welcomed it, embracing the plan of God."He emphasized that "the Lord always acts in this way: He gives us great gifts, but he leaves ...
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null / Credit: chayanuphol/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 8, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).Bishop Michael Duca has granted a dispensation from Sunday Mass attendance for immigrants fearing deportation in the Diocese of Baton Rouge, the fourth U.S. diocese to do so.News of the dispensation comes amid heightened presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Louisiana as part of the Trump administration's "Swamp Sweep," which has been reported to include the deployment of 250 Border Patrol agents to the region and plans to arrest 5,000 individuals across Louisiana and Misssissipi."With the recent publicized arrival of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers into south Louisiana and greater Baton Rouge, and since many of the faithful genuinely fear immigration enforcement actions, thereby making it untenable for them to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, I hereby grant a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass for those Ca...
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Pope Leo XIV receives Bishop Pierre Goudreault of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (center), Archbishop Richard Smith of Vancouver (right), and Father Jean Vézina, secretary-general of the Canadian bishops (left), in a Nov. 15, 2025, meeting at which the Holy Father gifted dozens of artifacts that originated with Indigenous peoples of the North American country. Leo at the meeting donated 62 pieces from the ethnological collections of the Vatican Museums to the Canadian bishops. / Credit: Vatican MediaMontreal, Canada, Dec 8, 2025 / 14:48 pm (CNA).Vancouver Archbishop Richard Smith said the 62 Indigenous cultural items received from the Vatican marks "a gift freely given" and an important step in rebuilding trust between the Catholic Church and Indigenous peoples.The artifacts, including a rare century-old Western Arctic kayak, were formally transferred to Indigenous leaders in Montreal as part of the Jubilee of Hope declared...
