St. Columba Catholic Church

Summertime vacations can also be very spiritually beneficial. / Credit: Egor Pasko from Moscow, Russia, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 8, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

With the arrival of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, many people take a vacation, a period of rest away from their routine but also a unique opportunity to reconnect with their faith.

A bishop, a mother, and a priest shared some tips from their own experiences for “sanctifying vacations” and evangelizing at vacation spots.

1. Take time to connect with God.

Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, the bishop of Matamoros-Reynosa in Mexico, Eugenio Lira, emphasized that summer is a time of rest to “recreate” ourselves, that is, to “completely renew ourselves.”

The prelate thus advised “dedicating time to prayer and contemplation” to “connect” with God and “better see the great gifts he gives us,” being aware “that we are unconditionally and infinitely loved.”

In this context, the Mexican bishop invited the faithful to value more and be aware that “we must responsibly care for our lives.” He also advised dedicating time to reading good books, “talking with family and friends, and doing something for others, such as evangelizing, going on a mission trip, visiting the sick, prisoners, a retirement home or a nursing home.”

Lira even encouraged people to use social media to “share a Gospel message that conveys faith, love, and hope. We can always do something to improve and help make the lives of others better.”

2. Strengthen family ties.

Leticia Sánchez de León lives in Rome with her husband and four children. Although she studied law in Madrid, she has been working in strategic communications since 2016. She currently has a blog on family communication and education and moderates family counseling courses.

Sánchez de León shared several tips for “living a Christian summer, healthy, joyful, generous with others, where God is found in the small details and where all family members can recharge to return to their daily routine in September.

For the mother, by putting these small things into practice, “we will go deeper into what it means for the family to be a domestic church in the midst of the society of our time and from which the individual can set out to build a more just, more welcoming, more peaceful, more convivial, and more deeply human humanity.”

First, she advised strengthening family ties and rediscovering “harmony” among family members: “During vacation, we have more time to relate face-to-face with our spouse and our children and to listen more closely,” she said.

To this end, Sánchez de León emphasized, it can be very helpful to “pray for them before the vacation begins.” She also encouraged spouses to maintain good communication and maintain harmony between them, since “on vacation people often get upset.” 

She also encouraged them to enjoy simple family plans: “Those memories will remain firmly fixed in their hearts, and tomorrow, what they will remember about what it is to be a family will be those plans together, where everyone had a voice, where everyone could choose, where everyone did things for each other.”

3. Instill detachment and generosity.

Sánchez de León also noted that sometimes we have a “distorted idea of ​​vacation.” She consequently reminded everyone that vacation is a time “to instill some values ​​that we struggle to transmit during the year, due to the lack of downtime.”

In this sense, she highlighted two family values: detachment and generosity. Although during vacation “rules and schedules are relaxed,” she advised parents to say “no” from time to time, so that their children appreciate things more. “The virtues of detachment and austerity are not very fashionable these days and therefore attract a lot of attention when seen in other people,” she noted.

“In families,” she added, “everyone has to pitch in and collaborate, always assigning small tasks appropriate to their age and helping them if we see they aren’t capable or need a push: taking out the trash, unloading the dishwasher, setting the table, watering the plants, emptying the beach bag, hanging up swimsuits, etc.”

4. Take a vacation, but with God.

All of these ideas, Sánchez de León clarified, “really stem from the intention to live out our vacation with a Christian sense of purpose,” since “everything is deeply connected to our life with God.”

“How are we going to give meaning to vacation, plans, and moments of connection if we are distracted from the ultimate meaning of our lives? How can we bring Jesus to others during vacation if we don’t have him within us and within our summer home, between the beach towels and bags of potato chips?” she asked.

“God also wants to be with us in the summer. He wants us to enjoy ourselves, and he wants to see us enjoying ourselves with him. God wants to be in our family plans and in the ice cream drippings on our children’s T-shirts; we can share everything with him,” she pointed out.

To achieve this, she advised “not forgetting the small spiritual or devotional practices” that are usually practiced during the academic year, such as praying the rosary, some spiritual reading, the Angelus at noon, or saying grace before meals.

“By practicing these things, we elevate our souls to God and can give thanks for what we are receiving this summer. Vacation is also a great opportunity to pray more serenely, dive into reading, and deepen our relationship with God,” she affirmed.

Finally, the mother of four noted that, “if we maintain this harmony, we will also be more able to look upon others better, help them, serve them, overcome friction, and have more patience. Putting God into our daily lives will help us live a more Christian summer that will give us rest and deeply fill our souls. We will also be creating unforgettable memories for ourselves to continue building upon in the years to come.”

5. Preach by example.

Father Héctor Razo, an Opus Dei Mexican priest, pointed out in a conversation with ACI Prensa that evangelization during vacation “can be done through one’s own life and one’s own example of a life lived united with Jesus.”

“Sometimes we Christians can think that changing the world in which we live — this world that is increasingly secularized — is a feat that would take years, or perhaps centuries, when in reality that is not the case,” he explained.

He thus invited the faithful to reflect on the early Christians: “They had everything against them, and yet they managed to convert an entire society from pagan to Christian. How did they do it? By their example, because they belonged to Christ and that person had changed their hearts.”

In this regard, he recalled St. Josemaría Escrivá, “the saint who would preach the universal call to holiness through ordinary life,” who summed it up in one sentence: Know Jesus Christ, make him known, take him everywhere. That is, “be so in love with Christ that it becomes so natural for us to speak about him to those around us.”

To achieve this, he encouraged Catholics to “live our own faith wherever we are, without shame. If we say grace at home, we should also do so when we are on vacation with our friends and relatives.”

“Teach your children that God deserves a place even during vacations, by going to Sunday Mass and perhaps one more day during the week. By praying the rosary as a family a couple of days a week, with the intention of praying for something special and involving everyone in that prayer; that is, by having each child lead a mystery,” Razo suggested.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

(Left to right) Bishop Dennis Walsh of Davenport, Iowa; St. Ambrose University President Amy Novak; Mount Mercy University President Todd Olson; and Conference for Mercy Higher Education Executive Director Julia Cavallo at the June 27, 2025, Milestone Celebration. / Credit: Zyon Velázquez/St. Ambrose University

CNA Staff, Jul 8, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Two Midwest Catholic universities are merging in the hopes of making Catholic education more accessible — a “proactive” step amid decreasing enrollment numbers across the nation.

The small, historic institutions — St. Ambrose University in Davenport and Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids — have both had a presence in eastern Iowa for more than a century.

In what St. Ambrose University President Amy Novak called a “defining moment,” St. Ambrose has become the parent organization of Mount Mercy, according to a recent press release.

The plan, Mount Mercy media representative Taryn DeBoard explained, is a “proactive” one — not a reaction to financial challenges.

“Both institutions are currently in good financial standing and bring strong offerings to the partnership,” DeBoard told CNA, citing the universities’ “strong endowments, minimal debt, and wonderful community connections.”

Mount Mercy University President Todd Olson said this first step ensures the universities can “begin investing in a future that empowers our students, faculty, staff, and alumni communities across both universities.”

“Together, we are stronger, and together, we will be able to serve our missions in even more transformative ways,” Olson said in a June 27 statement. 

“By joining together, we are honoring the founding missions of both institutions while also building something more adaptive, more sustainable, and more student-centered,” Novak added.

The change takes place amid a national trend of decreasing enrollment, which has affected colleges of all sizes across the country — though some Catholic colleges have continued to grow in spite of the trend, as previously reported by CNA.

When the two presidents met to discuss challenges facing Catholic higher education in the region, they decided to address them through “collaboration rather than competition,” according to DeBoard.

“It was critical that this combination started from a point of strength and not from a point of desperation,” DeBoard said.

With this recent development, the universities look ahead to becoming fully integrated by mid-2026.

To preserve the character of the original institutions, not everything will be merged. For instance, the two universities will merge library systems but won’t combine sports teams. 

A big priority lies in preserving the unique Catholic identities of the two colleges. 

Leaders considered “Catholic roots” to be “extremely important” as the two colleges considered merging, DeBoard said.

“This combination is about specifically preserving Catholic higher education,” DeBoard noted. 

St. Ambrose — named for the Church father St. Ambrose of Milan — is a diocesan university, while Mount Mercy was “founded on the philosophies and teachings of the Sisters of Mercy,” DeBoard explained.  

“While we both have different foundations, we have found that we are much more alike than we are different, driven by similar missions, visions, and values,” she said. 

Throughout the merger, DeBoard said it is critical that the colleges “keep the foundation and values of each respective school at the forefront.”

Catholic leaders tied to the universities commended the decision, which was first announced in 2024.

The Sisters of Mercy in Cedar Rapids encouraged the colleges “to continue to preserve the nearly 100-year-old legacy of the Sisters of Mercy in Cedar Rapids,” while the archbishop of Dubuque also expressed his support for the “innovative spirit of cooperation.” 

DeBoard noted that the “new shared mission” will incorporate “aspects of both the diocesan and Mercy charisms.” 

Both the Diocese of Davenport and the Sisters of Mercy will be represented on the board of trustees, DeBoard said. 

“Our shared Catholic identity will remain the foundation, but the opportunities to collaborate, innovate, and serve even more students, especially those historically underrepresented in higher education, are what excite me most,” Novak said.

DeBoard said he hopes they will be a “model” for other Catholic colleges.

“We hope other institutions will look at this model and consider exploring similar partnerships as a way to sustain Catholic higher education for many years to come,” DeBoard said.

Austin Baron at the “American Ninja Warrior”course filming for Season 17 of the show. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Austin Baron

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 8, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

At just 19 years old, Austin Baron is taking college classes, competing on sports reality television, making handmade dog toys, and raising tens of thousands of dollars to feed the hungry. How does he do it all? According to him, it’s all thanks to “the gifts God’s given” him.

Baron is a rising sophomore at the University of Notre Dame and the founder of Knot Perfect, a nonprofit that has provided more than 100,000 meals to children and families across the globe. He is now using his participation on NBC’s reality television show “American Ninja Warrior” to help expand his outreach.

Discovering his mission

Baron was first moved to feed the hungry when he was 12 years old and volunteered at his parish, St. Theresa Catholic Church in Ashburn, Virginia, to pack meals for Cross Catholic Outreach’s food distribution ministry You(th) vs. Hunger. 

“I learned that a billion people go to bed hungry each night,” Baron told CNA. “The meals I was packing with my own hands would be the only food for someone else to eat.”

“That really inspired me to want to do something to help them. Billion is a big number, and I decided that I wanted to start collecting donations because that would be a way that we could pack more meals and feed more people.”

Baron began collecting donations and gave them to a number of organizations that help provide meals but primarily to You(th) vs. Hunger. In order to “excite people and to encourage them to donate,” he said, he decided to turn it into a fun experience by giving those who donated a handmade dog toy.

“I love animals — especially dogs,” Baron said. “And around the same time that I wanted to start feeding the hungry, I started making dog toys. I watched videos to learn how to make them.” Since then, Baron has made more than 1,500 knotted dog toys.

Around the time of the pandemic, it became more challenging for Baron to collect cash donations, so at 16 years old, with the help of his parents and brothers, Baron turned his project into a nonprofit that could collect online donations. He named the organization Knot Perfect to represent both the knotted toys and the imperfect world where hunger is an issue across the globe.

Using ‘American Ninja Warrior’ to feed the hungry 

After starting Knot Perfect, Baron had an inspiring rock-climbing experience that sparked his next big move.

“I went rock climbing on a cliff over the Atlantic Ocean, and I really had a wonderful experience doing that. And then ... around the same time I was doing that, I started watching ‘[American] Ninja Warrior.’” 

“American Ninja Warrior” is a sports-competition reality show that features athletes from around the country who compete on “the most difficult obstacle courses.” Participants compete for the fastest time and race to get a “button push” — pressing the buzzer at the end of the course indicating they completed the obstacle without falling off. 

After watching the series, Baron “went to a ‘Ninja Warrior’ gym to train and to try the obstacles that were on the show, and [I] just really fell in love with the sport, and especially the ninja community.”

“Everyone was super supportive, even though we’re all competing against each other on the course. Everyone helps each other and shares their tips and encourages them on all the obstacles … then a friend suggested that I apply for the show.”

“I didn’t know if I was going to get in,” Baron said. “[But] I feel like God really blessed me with the opportunity to be on the show and to use it to advocate for an end to world hunger and to encourage other people to do good in the world.”

Baron heard back that he was accepted for Season 15 of the show. In 2023, he participated and made it to the semifinal round. (Approximately 40,000 of the meals provided by Knot Perfect were a direct result of Baron’s appearance on “American Ninja Warrior.”)

Baron was invited to rejoin the show for Season 17, which is taking place in Las Vegas this summer. So far he has been a fierce competitor, hitting his first buzzer on the June 2 episode, which advanced him to the upcoming July 14 semifinals.

Wearing a shirt that says “Ninja Fighting Hunger” on the episode, Baron said he is “dedicating [his] summer to being the hands and feet of Christ for the 1 billion people around the world who go to bed hungry each night.” 

Knot Perfect’s next steps

As much as Baron enjoys the course and community of “American Ninja Warrior,” he said, “The whole reason I go on the show is to advocate for world hunger … As a result of being on the season this year, we’re trying to pack our 1-millionth meal as a community in northern Virginia. It’s our 10-year anniversary of packing meals, and we have a big goal of hitting that million-meal mark.”

The anniversary marks a milestone for You(th) vs. Hunger, and Baron said he hopes “American Ninja Warrior” can help the Catholic community reach its goal, as a donation of just $10 allows the organization to feed 30 people.

“My mission of feeding the hungry, starting a nonprofit, and then going to the University of Notre Dame and competing on [‘American Ninja Warrior’], I just felt that God has really blessed me with this opportunity,” Baron said. “I felt his hands, him walking me, and helping me throughout it.”

As he heads into his sophomore year, Baron will continue to study business analytics to continue his nonprofit and its mission after he graduates. He recently received two grants totaling $1,650 to help him reach his donation goals. 

He was also selected as the Virginia Young Man of the Year by the Knights of Columbus in 2024 for his work. But he gives all the credit to God. 

“I’m so grateful to God for the gifts he’s given me and to use it to do something good for other people. I couldn’t have done any of this without him,” Baron said. “It’s him, not me. I’m so grateful to him for that.”

Mourners gather in the Church of the Holy Cross in Qassaa, Damascus, for the funeral of many who lost their lives in a terrorist attack at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Syria’s capital on Sunday, June 22, 2025. / Credit: Mohammad Al-Rifai/ACI MENA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 7, 2025 / 17:51 pm (CNA).

Allies of the new Syrian government and other non-state actors have continued violence and discrimination against Christians, Druze, and Shia Muslims, according to a new report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

Syrian rebels, many of whom were affiliated with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), toppled former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024. The report notes that HTS members, many of whom were foreign fighters, engaged in mass killings and other forms of persecution against religious minorities during the overthrow of Assad and have continued violations after taking control of the government.

Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, commanded HTS during the revolution. He was also previously a member of al-Qaeda. In addition to HTS, the report also noted that members of Turkish-backed political opposition and militias (TSOs) and other organizations that engaged in mass killings and religious liberty violations have been welcomed into high-ranking positions in the new Syrian government.

Despite these developments, the new Syrian government has vowed to protect religious liberty as it sets up its new government. U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to work with the new leadership and has lifted sanctions and removed HTS’ designation as a terrorist organization.

The USCIRF is encouraging the Trump administration to impose conditions on sanction removals that require improvements in religious liberty. The report also encourages the U.S. government to impose targeted sanctions on people and organizations that continue violations of religious liberty. 

USCIRF Commissioner Mohamed Elsanousi told CNA that the commission’s primary concern for Syria’s Christians and other religious minorities is “that the transitional authorities’ actual policies and actions match their claims of supporting a religiously inclusive future for the country.”

“The U.S. administration must condition its lifting of sanctions with clear measures so that the emerging government fully abandons its extremist past, extends equal protection to all religious minorities, and enshrines comprehensive religious freedom into Syria’s laws and institutions,” Elsanousi said.

Religious persecution and killings

The most egregious violence after the new government took control was waged against Alawite Muslims — a Shia sect to which Assad and many of his allies belonged — and against Druze — an Abrahamic religion that is separate from Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

According to the report, unidentified rebels burned the homes of civilian Alawites in Latakia and waged an arson attack against an Alawite shrine in Aleppo last December. It also notes that men who may have been affiliated with the new government executed Alawites and members of the Twelver Shia sect in the Hama province.

The report notes in January and February, HTS loyalists conducted “door-to-door interrogations and select executions” of Alawite Muslims around the Mediterranean coast. In March, the report adds, “the murders escalated to full-blown sectarian massacres” of Alawites in Latakia and Tartus based on allegations of “pro-Assad remnants.”

“Tallies put the confirmed death toll at between 1,700 and 2,246, with the caveat that the actual numbers might be much higher,” the report states.

The report references additional reports of civilian massacres of Alawites “with no known links to the Assad regime” during that time frame. It states that persecutions against Alawites seem to have decreased since March but that as recently as May, there were reports of fighters who may have been affiliated with the government kidnapping Alawites.

Additionally, “a new wave of killings” against Druze began in April, according to the report. This includes “militant Islamist” supporters of the new government killing 134 people in a suburb of Damascus that month.

In March, Syriac Orthodox Christians who lived near the anti-Alawite violence reported that the Christian death toll was “three people,” but other persecutions against Christians took place.

“Islamist militia members regularly intimidated and taunted Christians at checkpoints and looted the homes of Christians with no known links to the Assad regime,” the report states.

The report notes that the new government has retained many HTS fighters, including “the most militant violators of religious freedom during the Syrian civil war,” within the military. People who are associated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) hold high positions in the government as well.

For example, intelligence chief Anas Khattab is a former al-Qaeda commander. Abu Hatem Shaqra, who was given a high-level military position, personally participated in executions and other forms of religious persecution “such as recruitment of ISIS members and trafficking of Yazidi women and girls into sexual and domestic slavery,” according to the report.

The future of Syria

In spite of these religious liberty violations, the report notes that the new government has stated its intent to be “inclusive of all Syrians, including religious and ethnic minorities.”

The new government has taken credit for thwarting a planned ISIS attack against a Shia shrine and denounced an ISIS attack that killed 25 worshippers at Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus. It also held a one-day conference to speak with representatives of minority religions.

Alternatively, the new government intends to maintain HTS control for a transitional five-year period. It also notes that after the conference with the minority religions, the government expressed its intent to enshrine Islamic jurisprudence as “the major source of legislation.” After the conference, it notes that the government only expressed its intent to safeguard Christians, Muslims, and Jews, but not other religions.

“The recent bombing of the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus and massacres earlier this year targeting Alawis in Syria’s coastal areas serve as tragic reminders that these communities remain under serious threat of violence,” Elsanousi said.

Jeff King, the president of International Christian Concern, told CNA the report “exposes the failure of Syria’s transitional government … to protect its Christian minority.”

“This illegitimate regime, composed of rebranded al-Qaeda and ISIS operatives, has done little to curb radical Islam’s campaign to eradicate Christianity in Syria,” he said. King called the bombing of Mar Elias Church in Damascus, which killed 25 Christians, “a stark example” of “ongoing persecution enabled by the government’s inaction or complicity.”

“The Catholic community worldwide must advocate for Syria’s dwindling Christian population, which is now a fraction of its prewar size, and press the international community to reject the legitimacy of this jihadist-led government and demand robust protections for religious minorities,” King emphasized.

San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller speaks to the press after the memorial Mass for the Guadalupe River flood victims on July 6, 2025. / Credit: Sophie Abuzeid

Houston, Texas, Jul 7, 2025 / 17:17 pm (CNA).

Catholic leaders and government officials on Monday continued to issue statements of solidarity and support to victims of the catastrophic flash flooding in the Texas Hill Country over the weekend. 

The death toll rose to 94 Monday afternoon, according to county officials, with Camp Mystic, the girls’ Christian camp devastated on July 4, confirming that 27 girls have perished, while 10 girls and a counselor from the camp are still unaccounted for.

Notre Dame Catholic Church in Kerrville held a memorial Mass for the flood victims on Sunday. Afterward, San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller told CNA the Church is “listening to the cry of all those who suffer, and their cry is not falling on deaf ears.”

He said that “pain and sorrow and death do not have the last word”; rather, “goodness, truth, love, and care [do], and hope never dies.” 

The Mass had already been scheduled as the installation Mass for the parish’s new pastor, Father Scott Janysek.

In his first homily as pastor at Notre Dame, Janysek said in a time of crisis, “there is only one community. Whether we’re Catholic or Protestant … at this time, boundaries do not exist. We are one community, and we are all hurting.”

“We are one Church,” Janysek continued. He asked the congregation: “What does Catholic mean?”

“Universal!” they responded eagerly.

“Yes, it means universal. It’s a description of what we are. We are the universal Church. We are one community.”

Janysek spoke of the two young girls who attended St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas who drowned and were found with their hands clasped together 15 miles from where they had been staying, saying: “We are connected to the Church in Dallas… We are connected to all the churches across our state. We hurt with them.”

Archbishop Joe S. Vasquez of Galveston-Houston released a statement on July 5 saying the archdiocese joined the Archdiocese of San Antonio in “praying for those affected by the recent severe flooding” and asking for God’s protection over and comfort for the victims, their families, and first responders.

He continued: “We entrust the souls of those who passed to the mercy of our heavenly Father, and we seek the intercession of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, imploring her assistance in the rescue of those still missing.”

Father Norm Ermis, pastor at St. Peter Catholic Church in Boerne, a town about 40 miles from Kerrville, said at the Mass on Sunday that the parish would be informed of how it could help flood victims in the coming week.

Ermis said he spends a lot of time on the Guadalupe River and was grieving with all who had lost loved ones.

San Antonio resident Bridie Chaudoir told CNA that she had almost sent her daughter to Camp Mystic in July, but she decided in the end to send her in August. Had she attended in July, she would have been in the Bubble Inn cabin, which was washed away by the swiftly moving floodwaters and whose occupants are all believed to have perished.

Chaudoir’s sons and nephews were rescued from Camp La Junta, also located in Hunt. Her son, Henry, 12, told CNA he prayed a decade of the rosary, the guardian angel prayer, and the St. Michael prayer the night before the flood.

She told CNA the Camp Mystic community’s response to its grieving members has been “overwhelmingly beautiful.” 

Gov. Greg Abbott declared Sunday, July 6, as a day of prayer for the victims. President Donald Trump declared Kerr County a federal disaster area on July 6, and the White House Faith Office issued a statement that evening, saying on social media: “May God wrap his loving arms around all of those in Texas. Psalm 34:18: ‘The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.’”

Two “popemobiles” have been given to Pope Leo XIV. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Jul 7, 2025 / 15:34 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has been given two electric vehicles that can be transported by air and will accompany him on his international travels.

According to a statement from the Governorate of Vatican City State, the delivery took place during a July 3 private meeting held at the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo, with the participation of a delegation from the Exelentia company and the Club Car Group, responsible for the vehicle design project.

The two vehicles are the result of collaboration between the Italian company Exelentia — founded by Domenico and Giovanni Zappia and specializing in the design, customization, and distribution of electric commuter vehicles for individuals, businesses, and public entities — and the Vatican Gendarmerie, which supervised and validated every stage of development.

The cars, based on electric models from the Garia company (part of the Club Car Group), have been completely customized by hand with high-precision technical and artisanal craftsmanship.

Designed with total sustainability criteria, the vehicles produce no environmental emissions or noise pollution. One of their main advantages is the ability to be transported by plane without having to be disassembled, which represents a logistical benefit for the pope’s travels.

According to the Vatican Governorate, the Italian airline ITA Airways also actively collaborated on the project, providing technical data on the vehicles’ dimensions and the means to secure them in place required for transport on intercontinental flights. 

With a compact design and great maneuverability, the two vehicles are designed to move agilely in tight spaces or with high pedestrian density, such as squares, shrines, or urban centers. Furthermore, according to the Vatican, elements such as a front handlebar and side supports under the armrests have been incorporated, ensuring greater comfort and stability for the pope inside the vehicle.

The project responds to the need to provide the Holy Father with sustainable, practical, and safe means of transportation that adapt to the demands of his pastoral trips. Its use will extend to both private trips and the public appearances that Leo XIV will make in various cities around the world.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

The Guadalupe River, already spilling over its banks on July 4, 2025, (left), rose to a record breaking 47.4 feet on July 5 (right). / Credit: Sophie Abuzeid

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 7, 2025 / 15:04 pm (CNA).

Two sisters who attended St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas were among the victims of the Texas Hill Country flash floods that have devastated parts of the state, the school confirmed in a statement on Saturday.

Blair Harber, 13, and Brooke Harber, 11, were vacationing with their parents and grandparents on the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas. The flash flood raised the river more than 22 feet in half an hour in the early morning hours of July 4, dislodging and carrying away their cabin, in which they were staying with their grandparents.

They were discovered in Kerrville, 15 miles from their cabin community, with their hands clasped together, according to reports.

Their grandparents, Charlene and Mike Harber, have yet to be found.

According to a message shared by their aunt, Jennifer, on a GoFundMe page started for the Harber family, the girls’ parents, who were staying five cabins away from their children, awoke at around 3:30 a.m. on Friday to the sound of the storm and were forced to break a window in their cabin to escape. The girls’ father, RJ, had attempted to kayak to the girls’ cabin, but the water was too high and he was forced to turn around.

The family reported receiving text messages from the girls sent as their cabin filled with water.

“Brooke texted my brother [her father], her grandmother and grandfather on Annie’s side, saying ‘I love you’ at 3:30 a.m.,” the girls’ aunt wrote. “Blair and I had a conversation about God and heaven two weeks earlier. They had their rosaries with them.” 

The two girls will have a joint funeral at St. Rita’s at a date that will be determined after their grandparents have also been found, according to the aunt’s message.

“We are beyond devastated and so heartbroken,” she concluded. “Prayers are much appreciated and what we needed at this time.”

‘Young women of deep faith’ 

“Blair and Brooke were young women of deep faith, and religion was one of their favorite subjects. On the night they died, they went to the loft of their cabin with their rosaries,” the school said in its statement. “Even in their last moments, they held tightly to each other, a powerful symbol of their lasting bond and their trust in God.”

The school remembered Blair as having “the kindest heart” and for being an “an outstanding student,” who was both “enrolled in advanced classes and actively involved in school activities.”

Blair played several sports, including volleyball, basketball, lacrosse, and cheerleading. She was also a student ambassador, a member of the yearbook committee, and was involved in the school’s speech and drama program. 

“Brooke was an excellent student who brought joy and energy wherever she went,” the school said of the younger of the two sisters. Like her sister, Brooke was also actively involved in sports, including soccer, basketball, volleyball, and lacrosse, and was “known for her spirit and determination.” Brooke also loved speech and drama, “and had a particular gift for improv that brought smiles and laughter to those around her,” the school said.

“In this time of deep sorrow, we stay grounded in our faith and united in love. We will stand with the Harber family in the days to come, surrounding them with our prayers, compassion, and unwavering support,” the school said, adding: “As a community of faith, we hold onto the hope and promise that Christ has defeated death, and that eternal life is waiting for those who love him.” 

Background

Flash flooding in the Texas Hill Country began in the early hours of July 4. Heavy rainfall filled the creeks that emptied into the several rivers that wind through the normally arid hills known as the Texas Hill Country, located north and west of San Antonio and Austin.

The Guadalupe River near where the girls had been staying rose so quickly that the National Weather Service’s evacuation orders were not issued in time to evacuate. The river swelled over 22 feet in half an hour around 4 a.m. on July 4, according to local officials, devastating parts of the towns of Hunt, Kerrville, and Comfort.

A girls’ Christian summer camp in the area, Camp Mystic, has confirmed the deaths of 27 campers and counselors that had been missing, including an entire cabin of 8- and 9- year-old girls, according to local reports, bringing the overall death toll to at least 89 people. At least 850 people have been rescued. Ten campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic remain unaccounted for, according to CNN.

Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio said a memorial Mass for the victims on July 6 at Notre Dame Catholic Church in Kerrville.

President Donald Trump declared Kerr County a disaster area on July 6.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared a disaster for 15 counties on July 4, deploying more than 500 first responders, 14 helicopters, boats, high water vehicles, and drones. Abbott pledged at a press conference in Kerrville on Friday that rescuers “will stop at nothing” to find every victim of the catastrophic flooding.

Rivers continued to rise through the holiday weekend. In the early hours of Saturday, July 5, the Guadalupe River rose to a record 47.4 feet in Bergheim, Texas, about 50 miles from Kerrville.

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, who died at the age of 24 in 1925, is beloved by many Catholic young people today for his enthusiastic witness to holiness that reaches “to the heights.” / Credit: Public domain

Vatican City, Jul 7, 2025 / 14:15 pm (CNA).

Update: The Vatican's jubilee office on Tuesday, July 8, removed posts on its website and social media pages referring to plans to expose Frassati's relics as described below. A spokesperson for the jubilee year told CNA the initiative is not yet confirmed.

The coffin holding the incorrupt body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati will be in Rome for veneration during the Jubilee of Youth July 26 through Aug. 4.

According to the Vatican’s jubilee office, the coffin will be transferred from the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, in the Italian region of Piedmont, to the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome.

Frassati, originally scheduled to be canonized on Aug. 3 during the Jubilee of Youth, will now be declared a saint by Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, Sept. 7, together with Blessed Carlo Acutis.

Frassati’s remains will be displayed in the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome until Aug. 4 so that they can be venerated by young people attending jubilee events July 28 through Aug. 3, when Pope Leo will celebrate the youth jubilee’s closing Mass at the Tor Vergata University campus on the southeastern outskirts of Rome.

The young blessed’s relics were also present at World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, in 2008, at the request of Cardinal George Pell.

Frassati was born to a prominent family in Turin in 1901. He balanced a deep life of faith with active engagement in politics and service to the poor. He joined the Dominican Third Order, climbed Alpine peaks, and distributed food and medicine to the needy in the poorest parts of Turin.

This weekend, towns in northern Italy marked 100 years since Pier Giorgio Frassati’s death on July 4, 1925, from polio.

When Frassati’s coffin was opened during his beatification process in 1981, his body was found to be incorrupt, or preserved from the natural process of decay after death. According to Catholic tradition, incorruptible saints give witness to the truth of the resurrection of the body and the life that is to come.

Catholic homesteader Jason Craig is featured in “On Good Soil” on EWTN. / Credit: EWTN

National Catholic Register, Jul 7, 2025 / 13:45 pm (CNA).

With a title like “On Good Soil,” you might expect EWTN’s new series on homesteading to feature a lot of talk about living off the land and learning to farm. What you probably wouldn’t expect is a deep dive into how people in our modern society connect — or don’t connect — and how the teachings of the Catholic Church, including those of St. Thomas Aquinas, can help all of us rethink how we live, even in a big city.

The five-part series airs at 5:30 p.m. ET on Monday, July 7, through Friday, July 11, with an encore at 2:30 a.m. ET the following morning.

Each 30-minute episode explores such questions as: What is the difference between a suburban home and an intentional homestead that may or may not be in a rural setting? Why do many families today feel so disintegrated from society? Most importantly, why do so many of us, who live in a world that encourages us to be constantly on the move, find ourselves longing for community and rootedness?

Episode 5 challenges preconceptions about small-town living. Host Jason Craig says one of the benefits of living off the land is that people don’t just “like” to be around others, they actually “need” one another. Members of the community help each other out, and that creates a connectedness and a rootedness that isn’t often found in modern culture, where people tend to group themselves according to similar interests or social and financial status.

In another episode of this series, a family recounts how they spend more time together on their homestead.

Viewers will also meet Brian and Johanna Burke, whose former military family grew tired of moving every three years, so they relocated to a Catholic community in the country. 

“[W]e knew that if we were going to do this, we needed community, and we knew that if we were going to be successful in the long term, not burn out, our kids needed friends who had the same lifestyle as them, and that’s really where the Catholic farm group came in,” Johanna Burke says. 

The Burke family says they met a couple at their parish who became their mentors, and they intentionally began to create community by gathering people for monthly get-togethers on neighboring farms. Brian Burke says it’s now common for people to say: “Hey, I’m working on this thing. Does anybody know about this or have experience with this?” Other members may even teach a class on a given subject.

“When you’re really intentional about developing community, you’re also just naturally going to broaden outside of your group,” Johanna explains, adding: “Now we’re looking at connecting the farmers to those in town who are looking to source this food. We’re trying to educate [them] about the superiority of this food. … We can promote interdependence on each other and not worry about supply-chain issues. We have a small, independent grocer downtown. … Local farms provide everything.” 

Craig notes that people today talk about plugging into a community, explaining that “a power cord just plugs in to get what it needs. It’s very different from being rooted in a community. Roots penetrate the soil and actually intertwine with other creatures, and they begin to need one another. … The reason Catholics very often want to return to the homestead, therefore, is because they want to … build community. … [H]omesteading can teach you to love a place.”

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA's sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.

Participants of the Synod on Synodality gather for a group photo on Oct. 26, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Jul 7, 2025 / 13:15 pm (CNA).

The Vatican’s synod office has said that final reports from Synod on Synodality study groups — including opinions on women deacons and controversial doctrinal issues such as LGBT inclusion — have been postponed until the end of the year.

The study groups, formed by Pope Francis to examine topics he took off the table for discussion at the second session of the Synod on Synodality, held in October 2024, will have until Dec. 31 to submit their final results — a six-month extension of the original mandate of June 30, according to the Secretariat of the Synod. 

In the meantime, synod leadership will publish brief interim reports from the study groups in July.

A spokesman for the synod secretariat told CNA that most of the 10 commissions had requested more time to complete their reports following delays due to Pope Francis’ death and the “sede vacante.” In June, they received a green light from Pope Leo XIV to proceed.

The study commissions are made up of cardinals, bishops, priests, and lay experts from both in and outside of the Vatican.

The 10 study groups were formed at Pope Francis’ request in February 2024 on themes discussed in October 2023 during the first session of the Synod on Synodality. In his letter requesting the study groups, the pope said these issues “require in-depth study,” for which there would not be time during the second session in 2024.

Francis’ decision effectively moved discussion of the synodal assembly’s most controversial topics — such as women deacons and LGBT inclusion — from the 200-plus synod participants and to small expert panels.

One of the most highly-watched study groups is on ministries in the Church, specifically the question of a female diaconate. This group, whose members have not been published, is under the direction of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

According to the Secretariat of the Synod last year, this “is the context in which the question on the possible access of women to the diaconate can be appropriately posed.”

Another group was tasked with addressing pastoral approaches to ethical and anthropological topics that were not publicly specified.

The role of the groups is consultative. Pope Leo may use the final reports to make decisions for the Church about the topics addressed.

The synod secretariat, which is responsible for coordinating the work of the study groups, on Monday published the text, “Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod.”

The booklet, addressed to diocesan bishops and local synod teams, said Pope Leo has added study groups on two topics — “the liturgy in a synodal perspective” and “the statute of episcopal conferences, ecclesial assemblies, and particular councils” — to the existing groups.

The document did not say if the two additional study groups will need to produce reports and by when, and a spokesman for the secretariat said he did not think they would be providing reports by the same Dec. 31 deadline.

“It is also the secretariat’s responsibility to ensure that the pope’s decisions, developed also on the basis of the findings of these groups, will then be harmoniously integrated into the ongoing synodal journey,” the document says.

The document, intended as guidelines for bishops to implement synodality in their dioceses, also outlines what can be expected during the synod’s next phase, which will culminate with a Church assembly in October 2028.

According to synod leaders, the period from June 2025 to December 2026 will be dedicated to “implementation paths” of synodality in local Churches and groupings of Churches.

In 2027, the synod secretariat will organize diocesan-based and then national-based evaluation assemblies before holding continental evaluations in the first part of 2028.

“It is useful to reiterate that evaluation is not a form of judgment or control, rather an opportunity to ask ourselves what point we have reached in the process of implementation and conversion, highlighting the progress made and identifying areas for improvement,” the guiding document says.

Cardinal Mario Grech, synod secretary-general, said in the introduction that “the intention is to ensure that the process moves forward with a deep concern for the unity of the Church.”