06-08-2026 Visita Pastorale ad Assisi – Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli: Celebrazione della Santa Messa
By Courtney Mares ASSISI, Italy (OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV traveled to Assisi Aug. 6 to celebrate the Jubilee Year of St. Francis with 2,500 young people, urging them to become the “new saints” the world needs today.
The pope celebrated Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord for participants in the “Go! Franciscan Youth Meeting,” a four-day gathering of young people ages 18 to 33 from across Europe. The basilica was built on the site where St. Francis founded the Franciscan order.
“Dear young people, today Europe and the whole world are looking to you to be new saints. Dare to believe in the word of the Gospel; become fully human with the freedom of Jesus Christ,” Pope Leo said in his homily in the basilica that encompasses the small chapel where St. Francis founded the Franciscan order.
“Unite the best energies of your magnificent humanity: your studies, skills, work, friendships, love and prayer, so that you can bring Saint Francis’ vision to life in many different ways,” he added.
The pope’s visit is part of the Church’s celebration of the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death and coincides with the annual August celebration in which pilgrims flock to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels to receive a plenary indulgence linked to a mystical experience of St. Francis.
The pope flew from Vatican City to Assisi by helicopter in the morning. Before Mass, he met young people gathered in the piazza in front of the basilica and answered some of their questions, offering advice about vocations and discernment.
He told them that “the deepest vocation, written in every human heart, is a call to communion,” a truth he said sin can obscure. Thankfully, he added, every vocation is also a journey toward redemption and healing.
“Jesus’ invitation to follow him reveals our own dignity and teaches us to honor the dignity of others by placing our trust in them and proving ourselves worthy of their trust,” Pope Leo said. “This dynamic is so liberating that it deserves the wholehearted commitment of our lives.”
The pope also greeted representatives of the Franciscan orders in the basilica’s cloister before celebrating Mass. The opening procession began outside, where the pope blessed young people who followed the Mass from the piazza under the summer sun. The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, built in the 16th century, encloses the Porziuncola, a small chapel considered the birthplace of the Franciscan order, which St. Francis founded in 1209.
Each year during the first week of August, pilgrims can receive a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions linked to a mystical experience St. Francis reported there in 1216, when he asked Christ to grant full remission of sins to those who repented, confessed and prayed in the church.
FLOWOOD – Doug Falcon, grand knight of the Knights of Columbus Council at St. Paul Parish, presents a donation to Karen Giordano of Birthright of Jackson alongside Deacon Tony Schmidt. Birthright provides free pregnancy tests, confidential support and connections to resources for women and families facing an unexpected pregnancy. Giordano said the organization accompanies mothers, babies and fathers throughout pregnancy and after a child’s birth, helping families access services such as employment and child care assistance. The non-denominational organization has received support from the St. Paul Knights of Columbus for more than a decade as part of the council’s commitment to protecting and supporting human life. (Photo by Tereza Ma)
By Staff Reports JACKSON – Golfers, sponsors and supporters from across the Diocese of Jackson are invited to participate in the 44th annual Bishop’s Cup Golf Tournament on Thursday, Sept. 10, at Lake Caroline Golf Club in Madison. Hosted by the Catholic Foundation, the annual event brings together clergy, parishioners, businesses and friends for a day of fellowship, friendly competition and support for diocesan ministries.
Proceeds from the tournament benefit youth ministries throughout the Diocese of Jackson and provide grant funding to strengthen parish and diocesan ministries. The event has become one of the Catholic Foundation’s signature fundraisers, helping invest in the faith formation of future generations and the work of the Church across the diocese.
“This tournament is about much more than golf,” said Rebecca Harris, executive director of the Catholic Foundation. “Each year, the generosity of our golfers, sponsors and volunteers helps us provide meaningful support for youth ministry and grant programs that strengthen our parishes and communities. We invite everyone to join us for a wonderful day of fellowship while making a lasting difference in the lives of young people across our diocese.”
Registration is $200 per golfer and includes a welcome gift, 18 holes of golf with a cart and greens fees, beverages and snacks throughout the day, plus lunch and dinner. Lunch begins at noon, followed by a shotgun start at 1 p.m. The day concludes with a silent auction and dinner beginning at 5 p.m.
Businesses and individuals also are invited to support the tournament through sponsorships ranging from hole sponsorships to presenting-level opportunities. Sponsors receive recognition throughout the event while helping make a lasting impact on the ministries supported by the Catholic Foundation.
Registration and sponsorship forms must be received by Sept. 4. Those unable to play in the tournament are invited to attend the dinner or participate in the silent auction.
By Courtney Mares ROME (OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV will make the first apostolic journey to South America of his pontificate Nov. 6-17, visiting 10 cities in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, the Vatican has announced. The trip will take him from one of Latin America’s least religious countries to the homeland of the late Pope Francis before culminating in Pope Leo’s return to Peru, where he served as an Augustinian missionary and later bishop of Chiclayo. It will be his first return to the continent since his election as pope.
Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd as he boards the papal plane at Bamenda International Airport in Cameroon April 16, 2026, en route to in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The Vatican announced Aug. 5 that Pope Leo will visit 10 cities in South America during his apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru Nov. 6-17. (OSV News photo/Guglielmo Mangiapane, Reuters)
Here is a look at the cities that Pope Leo will visit:
Uruguay (Nov. 6-8) The pope’s first stop will be Uruguay, where Christians only make up 44% of the population, the lowest percentage in Latin America, according to the Pew Research Center.
Montevideo Montevideo is Uruguay’s capital and largest city. It is home to the National Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the historic Montevideo Metropolitan Cathedral.
Paysandú Paysandú, a cultural and economic hub on Uruguay’s western border with Argentina, was founded in 1772 by a priest, Policarpo Sandú, and Christianized Indigenous families. The city is home to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, known for its large pipe organ.
Florida The Uruguay visit will likely conclude in Florida, home to the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, the patroness of Uruguay. A yearly pilgrimage is held every second Sunday of November, which falls this year on Nov. 8. The basilica preserves an 18th-century Guaraní image of the Virgin Mary before which 33 of Uruguayans prayed before fighting for independence.
St. John Paul II consecrated the shrine during his 1988 visit, the last papal trip to Uruguay. “Almost 40 years ago, we experienced the unforgettable visit of St. John Paul II. Now we welcome Pope Leo with enormous anticipation. It is a joy for the Church, but also for all of Uruguay,” Cardinal Daniel Sturla of Montevideo said.
Argentina (Nov. 8-11) The second leg of the trip will be Argentina, the homeland of Pope Francis, who served as archbishop of Buenos Aires before becoming pope, but never returned during his pontificate. About 58% of adults in Argentina identify as Catholic, according to Pew.
Buenos Aires In Buenos Aires, the pope will likely meet President Javier Milei, who welcomed the announced visit as “an event of enormous spiritual and institutional significance for our country and for all Argentines.”
The capital is also home to the Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy, where the tomb of Argentina’s first female saint, known as Mama Antula, is located.
Córdoba Córdoba, Argentina’s second-largest city, is known for its Spanish colonial architecture. Its historic Manzana Jesuítica, “Jesuit Block,” includes one of South America’s oldest universities and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Luján Luján is home to the Shrine of Our Lady of Luján, patroness of Argentina and one of the country’s leading pilgrimage sites. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis led pilgrimages there, while St. John Paul celebrated Mass at the shrine during his 1982 visit and consecrated Argentina to Our Lady of Luján.
Peru (Nov. 11-17) The final and longest portion of the trip will bring Pope Leo back to Peru, where he first arrived as an Augustinian missionary in 1985. He was appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo in 2014 before becoming its bishop. He obtained Peruvian citizenship in 2015 before being transferred to the Vatican in 2023.
Lima Lima is Peru’s capital and largest city. The city is home to the Basilica and Convent of Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as the Convent of Santo Domingo, where St. Rose of Lima and St. Martin de Porres are buried. Keiko Fujimori, whose victory in Peru’s presidential election was declared July 4, is expected to welcome the pope to the country.
Chiclayo Chiclayo is expected to be one of the most closely watched stops of the trip because of the pope’s ties to the local church. Pope Leo served as bishop of the diocese from 2015 to 2023.
Cusco Pope Leo will also visit Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Western Hemisphere, Cusco remains one of Peru’s foremost cultural centers in the Andes with an average elevation of 11,150 feet.
Pucallpa The pope will not leave Peru without stopping in Pucallpa, a city on the Ucayali River in the Amazonian rainforest that has long served as a center for Catholic missionary outreach in Peru’s rainforest.
The Diocese of Chiclayo celebrated the Vatican’s announcement saying that the pope’s visit will bring “a message of faith, hope, and closeness to millions of Peruvians.”
“It will be a historic visit that will unite us as a people and as a Church,” the diocese said in a social media post.
This is the logo for Pope Leo XIV’s Sept. 25-28, 2026, apostolic journey to France. With the motto “That the world may have life,” the pope’s first visit to France will include stops in Paris, Lourdes and Metz and a private meeting with victims of abuse in the Church. The logo features a stained-glass window, a cross and a dove carrying an olive branch, symbolizing the Church’s unity, the apostolic and liturgical dimensions of the visit, and peace. (OSV News photo/courtesy Pope in France)
By Paulina Guzik PARIS (OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV will make a four-day apostolic journey to France Sept. 25-28, with a program that stretches from the Élysée Palace and UNESCO in Paris to the Marian shrine of Lourdes and a final stop in Metz, and it will include a private meeting with victims of abuse in the Church, the Vatican has confirmed.
The Holy See Press Office released the detailed schedule Aug. 7, along with a statement to journalists saying, “During his upcoming Apostolic Journey to France, Pope Leo XIV will meet privately with several victims of abuse in the Church. The victims themselves will be involved in preparing for this event. Further details may be provided later.”
The motto of the trip, “That the world may have life,” can be clearly read through the prism of a recent vote made by French lawmakers to legalize “assisted dying,” a move that French bishops called a “radical choice.”
He will also meet catechumens and newly baptized Catholics and celebrate Mass at Place de la Concorde. In Lourdes, Pope Leo will pray at the Marian shrine, meet bishops, the sick and religious sisters, and celebrate Sunday Mass. The final stop in Metz will focus on peace, European unity and the legacy of Catholic statesman Robert Schuman.
The French bishops’ conference and the Vatican also unveiled the official logo and motto for the visit: “That the world may have life” (John 6:51), a theme that will most likely frame the pope’s message amid debates on assisted dying in the country.
As France prepares to welcome Pope Leo for the first papal visit in 18 years, Church leaders asked for prayers as amid “logistical challenges and financial considerations, the visit of Pope Leo is “first and foremost a spiritual event,” the bishops said on the official website of the apostolic journey.
“The bishops of France invite all the faithful to pray for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV on the Feast of the Assumption,” on Aug. 15. “Let us entrust to the Lord this apostolic journey and the fruits it will bear for the Church and our country.”
(Paulina Guzik is international editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @Guzik_Paulina)
By Kimberley Heatherington WASHINGTON (OSV News) – Artificial intelligence is quickly bringing about the end of the world as people know it – but Pope Leo XIV has an urgent message for everyone: Don’t run from the change AI brings; instead, engage it.
Screenshot of the website platform Acutis AI, which is named in honor of St. Carlo Acutis and designed as a Catholic alternative to mainstream AI systems by offering responses rooted in Church teaching. (OSV News photo/courtesy of AcutisAI)
That was just one of the take-aways from an Aug. 1 conference at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington exploring the pope’s recent encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.”
Peter Cooney, co-founder of the website platform Acutis AI – named in honor of St. Carlo Acutis and designed as a Catholic alternative to mainstream AI systems by offering responses rooted in Church teaching – walked attendees through Pope Leo’s lengthy document.
“He opens up on a strong note: Humanity is facing a pivotal choice. He gets straight to it. If you look at other encyclicals, they usually open on a much softer note,” said Cooney, 21, an incoming senior and Economics major at the University of Dallas. “So I think what Pope Leo is telling us is: This is important – listen up; pay attention.”
And there’s good reason to – given the speed with which AI is spreading into all corners of everyday life.
Cooney noted that on Nov. 30, 2022, the launch of ChatGPT, a generative AI chatbot, was announced on the social media platform Twitter, now known as X. Within five days, it had over a million users – now, less than four years later, there are over a billion monthly active users.
“This is the fastest growing technology we’ve ever seen in the world,” Cooney said. “And I think there are a few things to note about this technology that makes it different than in the past.”
Among those differences, he said, is the diversity of AI users (everyone from kids to the military); concentrated AI ownership (Cooney estimated less than 10 companies own 95% of the current market); and the competitive AI race between the U.S. and China (with the goal of weaponizing the powerful technology).
“So what you have is a few companies in two of the most powerful nations of the world competing to create the smartest AI models; to have a military advantage,” Cooney emphasized. “And that same technology is on kids’ Chromebooks in their classrooms. This is the world that the Holy Father is addressing.”
Still, the Catholic Church is not without answers.
With this encyclical, Pope Leo has “established the Church as a moral authority on this topic,” Cooney said. “Which gives tech leaders good reason to read the rest of what he has to say.”
The pontiff, Cooney said, notes three particular AI dangers: the ease of obtaining results; its impression of objectivity where it doesn’t actually exist; and its ability to simulate human communication.
While AI can be genuinely helpful, “If we’re never thinking through things anymore and just outsourcing all of that to AI, then we’ll lose the ability to think,” suggested Cooney, “which is a huge part of what makes us human.”
He also confirmed that for AI, “every answer is based on probability. It’s basically doing math and finding the highest probability of the next word being correct,” Cooney said. “AI is not neutral.”
As to human communication, Cooney added, “If we’re not careful, we can allow AI to slowly take away our human relationships … it can deteriorate human relationships.”
Cooney observed that Pope Leo says these threats place truth, work and freedom in jeopardy.
Truth, because AI amplifies the problem of misinformation through the ability to manipulate images or videos; work, because using AI to replace employees compromises their human dignity; and freedom, because it’s easy to feel like you’re choosing while your choices are actually heavily influenced by AI.
And yet, Cooney confirmed, Pope Leo is ultimately hopeful.
Peter Cooney, co-founder of the website platform Acutis AI, speaks during an Aug. 1, 2026, conference at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington exploring the pope’s recent encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.” (OSV News photo/courtesy of St. John Paul II National Shrine)
“He doesn’t say to hide from AI or run away from it. He acknowledges all the dangers and the confused and afraid state of the world,” Cooney said. “But he calls us to build. He says, despite this downward spiral, we can also glimpse a great part of humanity that is striving … to build the holy city.”
Pope Leo’s “Magnifica Humanitas” commissioning of people to take up their role as disciples of Jesus Christ in an “era of digital transformation” is indeed evocative.
“Let us not be afraid to get our hands dirty on the ‘construction site’ of our time,” Pope Leo writes in the encyclical. He urged people “not to be passive spectators of social and cultural fractures, nor mere commentators on what is crumbling, but men and women prepared to enter the construction sites of history – research laboratories, technology companies, schools, the media, institutions and local communities – in order to rebuild what has collapsed and protect what is threatened.”
Pope Leo’s call to men and women today, Cooney said, “is to build without fear, to protect our children, and to trust everything to Mary.”
In order to live out Pope Leo’s summons, Cooney noted three personal suggestions.
“We can’t be afraid of AI. We have to learn how to use it – and learn how to use it well,” he said.
He also urged parents “to have conversations with kids – and have a conversation with their schools, to find out how is AI being used. Because it’s being used in pretty much every school … it’s important that they have an understanding of how it works, and how it has problems sometimes.”
And finally, Cooney advised prayer.
“I would say try to pray a few Hail Marys every day for world peace,” he said, “and that the world can figure this out together.”
(OSV News correspondent Kimberley Heatherington reported from Washington.)
By Michael O’Loughlin MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin – Twenty-three School Sisters of St. Francis of the United States Province celebrated milestone anniversaries of service as women religious on June 20, 2026 with a Jubilee Mass celebrated in St. Joseph Chapel at the sisters’ motherhouse in Milwaukee.
In addition, nine lay women and men in Associate Relationship with the community celebrated their 25, 40, and 50-year Jubilees of partnership with the community.
One sister, who is celebrating seven decades of consecrated life, has significant service in the Diocese of Jackson.
Sister Kathleen Kunze (70 years) was born in Milwaukee. In the Diocese of Jackson, she was a teacher at St. Francis School in Yazoo City (1962-1970), Holy Family School in Jackson (1977-1978), and Christ the King School in Jackson (1970-1973), where she also served as principal (1974-1977). She served as a religious education consultant from 1973-1974 at St. Francis Parish, Yazoo City; Holy Savior Parish, Raymond; and Immaculate Conception Parish, Clinton.
Cards and donations in honor of sister’s years of service may be mailed to her attention, c/o Jubilee Committee, School Sisters of St. Francis, 1545 S. Layton Blvd., Milwaukee, WI 53215.
White Sox fans smile while wearing “pope hats” at an Aug. 11, 2026, baseball game at Rate Field in Chicago. The White Sox game paid tribute to Pope Leo XIV, a native of Dolton, Ill., with a first pitch thrown by a nun, a performance by the ChiTown Popes, and a fifth inning “sign of peace” while taking on the Cincinnati Reds. (OSV News photo/courtesy of the Chicago White Sox)
NATION CHICAGO (OSV News) – White Sox baseball fans sporting custom-designed black and gold mitre-style hats celebrated Pope Leo XIV, a fellow Sox fan, at a pope-themed game in Chicago Aug. 11. Dominican Sister Mary Jo Sobieck of Springfield, Illinois, threw the first pitch, and fans shook hands with the “sign of peace,” led by the Chicago Archdiocese’s Father Tom Hurley, during the fifth inning at Rate Field, home of Pope Leo’s favorite baseball team. White Sox management handed out “pope hats” to over 38,000 fans who showed up at the third game in a series against the Cincinnati Reds. The promo project started out as a fan giveaway for the first 2,500 tickets, which sold quickly and it added another fast-selling 500. Management expanded the promo to the full stadium capacity and the tickets flew. “The place was capacity,” Richard King, a diehard Sox fan and Knight of Columbus who watched the game on TV, told OSV News, adding he thought having Catholicism so openly on display was “great” and would raise more interest in the Catholic faith. The game also featured its own familiar penitential rite for Sox fans, as the Reds rallied in the 10th inning to beat the White Sox 5-4, giving Cincinnati a lead in the three-game series that concludes Aug. 13. Pope Leo, a Chicago native who grew up in Dolton, Illinois, a south suburb, has been pictured sporting a White Sox baseball cap at the Vatican, and has received multiple Sox-themed presents since his election as pontiff in May 2025.
CANTON, Ohio (OSV News) – Rhoda Wise, an Ohio laywoman, wife, adoptive mother, Catholic convert and mystic, has taken a step closer to possible sainthood. The Diocese of Youngstown announced July 7 that the official “positio” on Wise has been submitted to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. The comprehensive document examines her life of virtue and alleged miracles. The dicastery’s theological and historical commissions will investigate her heroic virtues and could recommend that the pope declare her venerable. Wise was born into a Protestant family in 1888 and endured significant hardships, including infertility, the death of one of her adopted daughters and a husband struggling with alcoholism and unemployment. She later experienced visions of Jesus and St. Thérèse of Lisieux, known as the “Little Flower,” and was associated with the stigmata and hundreds of reported healings. Among those who attributed a healing to Wise was Mother Angelica, founder of EWTN. She said Wise prayed with her during a novena to St. Thérèse, after which a painful stomach condition was healed. As Wise’s reputation for holiness spread, many visitors came to speak with her and pray outside of her house. She died in 1948, and her former home in Canton continues to be a place of pilgrimage.
VATICAN VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics to gather in person for Sunday Mass and called for working conditions that allow people to attend, saying Sunday is “the foundation and kernel of the whole liturgical year.” “To sanctify Sunday, it is essential to celebrate the Eucharist,” the pope said at his Aug. 12 general audience in St. Peter’s Basilica. “In this regard, I urge everyone to seek the best possible conditions so that even those who are unable to take time off work on Sundays may take part in Holy Mass.” Continuing his series on the documents of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Leo reflected on ‘Sacrosanctum Concilium,’ the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. The liturgical year is not a static representation of past events, but an ongoing encounter with Christ, he said. At its core is Easter, when Christ rose from the dead, and for that reason, the pope said, it is “essential for the faithful to sanctify the Lord’s Day by gathering to celebrate the Eucharist.”
VATICAN CITY (OSV News) – The Vatican announced Aug. 11 that Pope Leo XIV’s message for the 2027 World Day of Peace will focus on “disarming technology” and the moral responsibility of political leaders. The theme will be “Disarming Technology, Serving Peace. Politics as Preventive Responsibility,” according to the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. “His Holiness wishes to draw attention to the moral responsibility of those called to serve in the public sphere, and he urges all people to uphold the dignity of the human person and to contribute to the building of peace, beginning by ‘disarming technology,’” the dicastery said. The message will draw on Pope Leo’s encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” and warn about risks of entrusting military decisions to artificial intelligence. The announcement comes after Nobel laureates, inspired by the pope’s encyclical, gathered in Rome July 16 to sign a declaration urging a global treaty banning artificial intelligence from nuclear launch systems. The Jan. 1 observance, which is the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, will be the 60th World Day of Peace, a tradition begun by Pope Paul VI.
WORLD AMMAN, Jordan (OSV News) – Jordan is officially preparing for a major milestone in Christian history: the 2,000th anniversary of the Baptism of Jesus Christ at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, also known as Al-Maghtas. A $120 million development project is underway adjacent to the UNESCO World Heritage site along the Jordan River. The initiative features a new Baptism museum, a dedicated pilgrim and visitor village, and ecological walking trails designed to support environmental conservation. The sacred site marks the beginning of Christ’s public ministry and holds a unique place in modern Church history as the only location visited by four popes: St. Paul VI, St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis. Millions of Christian pilgrims are expected to journey to Jordan by 2030 for this historic commemoration of faith, unity, and Christian heritage.
PELPLIN, Poland (OSV News) – Two previously unknown sermons by St. Augustine have been identified in a 12th-century manuscript preserved at the diocesan library in Pelplin, Poland, after nearly two years of research by scholars from Germany and Austria. The sermons, which address Saul’s encounter with the Medium of Endor in the Book of Samuel, will be published in a critical edition by the end of 2026. Researchers authenticated the texts through extensive philological, linguistic, liturgical and theological analysis. The manuscript, copied at the Cistercian abbey of Bad Doberan, reached Pelplin in the Middle Ages through monastic connections. Scholars say the sermons provide fresh insight into St. Augustine’s preaching and his willingness to consider multiple faithful interpretations of difficult biblical passages rather than insisting on a single explanation. “He presents several possible interpretations, refrains from making a final judgment, and allows his listeners to draw their own conclusions,” said Paul Nebauer, a member of the Bad Doberan Monastery Association, who has spent years tracing medieval manuscripts from the former Cistercian abbey. The sermons also highlight Augustine’s emphasis on God’s mercy, suggesting Saul may have repented after hearing Samuel’s prophecy. The discovery underscores the importance of preserving historic Church libraries and manuscript collections.
By Tony Gutiérre OKLAHOMA CITY (OSV News) – “He didn’t go back to Guatemala to die. He went back to Guatemala to live.” Msgr. Don Wolf, rector of the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine and a cousin of Blessed Rother, shared these words in a documentary “American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story.”
This scene still makes Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City choke up every time he sees it.
“He knew that death awaited him, but he knew that not going back would mean a different kind of death, and only by going back there would he live life to the full, the life that the Lord had called him to, even though that meant laying down his life,” Archbishop Coakley said during a panel discussion. It followed the documentary’s world premiere at the Regal Warren Moore Theater in Moore, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City, on July 28, the feast day of Blessed Stanley Rother.
More than 600 people filled three theaters to watch the documentary – one for the English version narrated by award-winning actor Martin Sheen, and two for the Spanish version.
Sheen narrated the documentary for free, said Maria Scaperlanda, one of the executive producers of the documentary and promoter for the cause. Sheen “fell in love with Father Stan,” she told OSV News.
“I want to help you get Blessed Stanley across the line, have him become a saint. And this is my way of helping,” she recalled Sheen – himself a devout Catholic – telling her.
“American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story” will be released in theaters nationwide Aug. 25-27.
Archbishop Coakley told OSV News that he hopes by spreading the word about Blessed Rother, more people will turn to him in prayer.
“The Church needs saints, and we have a Catholic priest missionary martyr who’s on the threshold of being declared a saint. But in order for people to have the confidence to turn to him – to seek his intercession – they have to know his story,” he said. “My primary interest and concern is to introduce people to the life of this heroic missionary priest, so that they might imitate his faith in turning to the Lord in seeking what they need.”
Bishop Edward J. Burns of Dallas hadn’t planned on attending the premiere a month ago. Archbishop Coakley’s classmate from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, the same seminary Blessed Rother graduated from, Bishop Burns told the archbishop he planned to visit the shrine on July 28, not knowing it was Blessed Rother’s feast day. The archbishop, in turn, invited him to concelebrate the Mass at the shrine that day.
“Then, I later learned that there was the premiere of this wonderful documentary. I said, ‘Wow, what a coincidence,’ but in actuality, it’s just a little gift from Blessed Stanley Rother,” Bishop Burns told OSV News.
Like Archbishop Coakley, Bishop Burns was completing his final year at Mount St. Mary’s when the students learned of their alumnus’ martyrdom. As a leader of the student body, he took the responsibility of welcoming Blessed Rother’s parents and sister, Sister Marita Rother, an Adorer of the Blood of Christ, to the campus.
“In those moments, for me to sit and speak to the parents of a martyr moved me in such a powerful way, to speak to a mom of a martyr and the anguish that she went through, it touched my heart,” Bishop Burns recalled.
“The opportunity to grow closer to Christ is exactly what Stanley did. You look at his life on the farm, through school, in the seminary, and then into his priesthood. He just grew closer and closer to our Lord Jesus Christ. And that same Lord … is the one who welcomed him into the community of saints, angels and martyrs,” he said.
Among the attendees at the premiere were 27 members of Blessed Rother’s family who were recognized during the panel. “It’s very stirring to see his family with both simple memory of just a man but with deep devotion that now their brother is beatified because he’s martyred,” said the Rev. Nathan Carr, vicar of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Oklahoma City.
Rev. Carr, who also serves as the headmaster of the Academy of Classical Christian Studies – with a 17% Catholic enrollment – said his school’s Schola Cantorum choir has led music at the shrine every year since its opening. He said Blessed Rother provides inspiration and plans to encourage his parishioners to see the documentary.
“Out of God’s perfect grace, we are given an exemplar of the holy life, the life of virtue, and the life of holiness, a life being poured out for others,” Rev. Carr said.
For Blessed Rother to be canonized, there must be a verified miracle attributed to his intercession before God.
The Rome-based postulator for Rother’s cause, Cristiana Marinelli, said that while she can’t provide details, there are active investigations.
“I can say that what I experienced today is that the devotion, the veneration, is still alive, is still growing. And this is something that’s very important, because only through prayer will we be able to get a sign of God,” she said.
Marinelli, who has served as postulator for three years, said she views her work as a vocation.
This is the official poster from the documentary “American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story,” which is scheduled to be released in theaters nationwide Aug. 25-27, 2026. The documentary tells the story of Blessed Stanley Rother through those who knew him, parishioners, catechists and family members, as well as those currently involved in his cause for canonization. (OSV News photo/Archdiocese of Oklahoma City) Editors: best quality available; release dates updated
“Having the possibility to study the life of this candidate has given me the opportunity also to not only to increase my intellectual, professional knowledge but also my spiritual life,” she said.
Deacon Jan Latta from St. Eugene Parish in Oklahoma City and his wife, were excited to see the 2017 beatification Mass featured in the film, because they had volunteered as ushers before he entered deacon formation. Deacon Latta said he found inspiration from the fact that Blessed Rother had initially failed his courses in a Texas seminary, Latin in particular, and transferred to the Emmitsburg seminary.
“I grew up on a farm in Iowa, and I’m not that intellectual. I had trouble in deacon formation with some of the classes,” reflected Deacon Latta. “If somebody tells you you’re not … smart enough to be a priest, he didn’t settle for that, and he followed his heart, and he was able to become a priest and go to Guatemala, and he followed his heart down there.”
During the panel discussion, Archbishop Coakley said that the message Blessed Rother offers is that there’s “nothing really extraordinary about him at all. He was just an ordinary guy … a farmer who became a priest, who became a missionary, who became a martyr, who has become a saint. God calls us all to holiness, and he calls us right where we are.”
He said he hopes the documentary will inspire people to live a life of holiness and to share their gifts in a way that they, too, can become everyday saints.
“We don’t have to go out of our way looking for it. We don’t have to travel across the world. It’s right here at home. It’s in our homes, in our families, in our parishes, in our places of work. That’s where we’re called to flourish and to become saints,” he said.
This is a scene from the movie “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” (OSV News photo/Sony Pictures)
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
By John Mulderig
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (Sony) Peter Parker and his titular alter ego (Tom Holland) face challenges both emotional and physical in this engaging extension of the long-lived franchise. Forced by circumstances to cause everyone around him to forget that they ever knew him, he lives in lonely isolation from his true love (Zendaya) and his best friend (Jacob Batalon). He also begins to experience mysterious medical problems related to his hybrid nature as part human, part arachnid. These come at a bad time since, having brought down a host of ordinary criminals, he faces an unknown opponent who has the ability to inhabit other people’s bodies. Predictably slick action set pieces are paced by poignant moments in director Destin Daniel Cretton’s Marvel Comics-based adventure which carries lessons about the importance of empathy and the futility of vengeance. Those positive values are somewhat offset by an excess of vulgar dialogue, especially from the mouth of an off-and-on ally (Jon Bernthal) the protagonist must rely on in his struggles, making the film questionable fare even for older teens. Much stylized violence with little gore, several instances each of profanity and milder swearing, brief sexual humor, considerable crude talk, a couple of crass terms.
Classification “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (Sony) – OSV News classification, A-III – adults. Motion Picture Association rating, PG-13 – parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
The Odyssey
Matt Damon portrays Odysseus and Zendaya as Athena in a scene from the movie “The Odyssey.” (OSV News photo/Melinda Sue Gordon, Universal)
“The Odyssey” (Universal) As written and directed by Christopher Nolan, this lavish, absorbing adaptation of Homer’s epic poem blends spectacle with thematic substance. With his army and the forces of his Greek allies having triumphed over their Trojan foes, King Odysseus (Matt Damon) of Ithaca sets out for his homeland. But his ships lose their way and he and his men are delayed by a series of challenging, and costly, misadventures. In spite of his decades-long absence, Odysseus’ queen (Anne Hathaway) remains faithful to him and despises the unwanted attention of the suitors (the most prominent played by Robert Pattinson) who have besieged her court. Though equally steadfast in his devotion to his father, Odysseus’ young son and heir (Tom Holland) grows impatient and steals away to gain information about the great warrior’s fate. Viewers formed by Judeo-Christian beliefs may find themselves somewhat adrift in a milieu in which the capricious, and often malevolent, gods of the ancient world hold sway. Yet they will easily identify with the screenplay’s emphasis on hospitality, especially as extended to those in need, its affirmation of a pagan version of the golden rule as well as its questioning of what constitutes a just war. Given this classic tale’s educational value, the film is probably acceptable for older teens. Much harsh but mostly bloodless violence, multiple disturbing images, a glimpse of rear nudity in a nonsexual context, a scene of marital sensuality, a couple of instances each of mild swearing and rough language, at least one crude term, about a half-dozen crass expressions.
Classification “The Odyssey” (Universal) – OSV News classification, A-III – adults. Motion Picture Association rating, R – restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
One Night Only
Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner star in a scene from the movie “One Night Only.” (OSV News photo/Nicole Rivelli, Universal)
“One Night Only” (Universal) A frenzied search for sex occupies most of the running time of this comedy from director Will Gluck. The intensity of the quest is due to the fact that the U.S. government has outlawed nonmarital encounters for all but one night of the year. Amid the furor, two New York City romantics (Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro) yearn for something deeper. Both, however, are willing to settle for what they can get. Fate keeps throwing them together after a chance meeting but competition for the last condom in town, among other factors, temporarily sours them on each other. Although the principal pair are appealing in some ways, they are not above such actions as petty theft and, while the wrap-up sends a message about the value of commitment, Travis Braun’s script has by then spent too much time smirking at the animalistic nature of human mating for this last-minute switch in tone to be effective. Skewed values, pervasive sexual humor, including frequent nonmarital sensuality, rear male nudity, off-screen premarital activity, same-sex kissing, about a half-dozen profanities, several milder oaths, much rough and some crude language, an obscene image.
Classification “One Night Only” (Universal) – OSV News classification, O – morally offensive. Motion Picture Association rating, R – restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
(John Mulderig is media reviewer for OSV News. Follow him on X @JohnMulderig1.)
