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Blood of Naples saint fails to liquefy in what some see as bad omen
NAPLES — Wednesday was not a good day for superstitious Neapolitans.
9,000 DEAD: Report reveals grim infant death toll, cruelty at Church-run homes in Ireland
DUBLIN/TUAM — Thousands of infants died in Irish homes for unmarried mothers and their offspring mostly run by the Catholic Church from the 1920s to the 1990s, an i…
Toronto Catholic school board reposts LGBT resource link after criticism
Toronto’s Catholic school board has reinstated the link to an LGBT support phone line on its website following outrage from the community.
Church's liability to victims confirmed as legal battle over Mount Cashel abuse ends
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — The Supreme Court of Canada has refused a bid by the Roman Catholic archdiocese in St. John’s to appeal a ruling that found it liable for sexual …
Sinners -- including priest and dominatrices -- charged in altar threesome
Author of the article
ostmedia News
Publishing date:Mar 22, 2021 • 34 minutes ago • 1 minute read • comment bubbleJoin the conversation
The Rev. Travis Clark and two dominatrices were charged with vandalism following an alleged altar threeseome in Louisana.
The Rev. Travis Clark and two dominatrices were charged with vandalism following an alleged altar threeseome in Louisana. PHOTO BY ST. TAMMANY PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE /SCREEN GRAB
Article content
Lord have mercy, indeed.
A former Lousiana priest and a pair of dominatrices faced vandalism charges for having sex atop a church alter last September, according to a report.
Travis Clark, 37, Mindy Dixon, 41, and 28-year-old Melissa Cheng were initially charged with obscenity following the alleged unholy rendezvous inside Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Pearl River, La., NOLA.com reported. However, the St. Tammany Parish District Attorney’s Office has since announced lesser charges for the trio’s alleged tryst.
Court records indicate they were caught by a passerby who saw them through a church window and reported the sins to police.
The dominatrices were wearing corsets and high heels during the threesome, which was being recorded, according to court documents. Also recovered at the scene? Sex toys, stage lights and recording devices.
No word if there were handcuffs involved before, as well as after.
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Mandy Dixon. ST. TAMMANY PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Mandy Dixon. ST. TAMMANY PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
An attorney for Dixon and Cheng told NOLA.com that state prosecutors “overstepped their bounds” by bringing the charges against them.
The women confessed to cops at the time they were at the church to film “roleplay” with the priest — and cops determined the activities were all consensual. However, the trio was arrested on obscenity charges because they were in view of the public.
Melissa Cheng. Mandy Dixon. ST. TAMMANY PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Melissa Cheng. Mandy Dixon. ST. TAMMANY PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Clark was reportedly removed from the church the day after his arrest.
The church’s altar, meanwhile, was burned and a new one consecrated last fall.
torontosun.com
Author of the article
ostmedia NewsPublishing date:Mar 22, 2021 • 34 minutes ago • 1 minute read • comment bubbleJoin the conversation
The Rev. Travis Clark and two dominatrices were charged with vandalism following an alleged altar threeseome in Louisana.
The Rev. Travis Clark and two dominatrices were charged with vandalism following an alleged altar threeseome in Louisana. PHOTO BY ST. TAMMANY PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE /SCREEN GRAB
Article content
Lord have mercy, indeed.
A former Lousiana priest and a pair of dominatrices faced vandalism charges for having sex atop a church alter last September, according to a report.
Travis Clark, 37, Mindy Dixon, 41, and 28-year-old Melissa Cheng were initially charged with obscenity following the alleged unholy rendezvous inside Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Pearl River, La., NOLA.com reported. However, the St. Tammany Parish District Attorney’s Office has since announced lesser charges for the trio’s alleged tryst.
Court records indicate they were caught by a passerby who saw them through a church window and reported the sins to police.
The dominatrices were wearing corsets and high heels during the threesome, which was being recorded, according to court documents. Also recovered at the scene? Sex toys, stage lights and recording devices.
No word if there were handcuffs involved before, as well as after.
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Mandy Dixon. ST. TAMMANY PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Mandy Dixon. ST. TAMMANY PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
An attorney for Dixon and Cheng told NOLA.com that state prosecutors “overstepped their bounds” by bringing the charges against them.
The women confessed to cops at the time they were at the church to film “roleplay” with the priest — and cops determined the activities were all consensual. However, the trio was arrested on obscenity charges because they were in view of the public.
Melissa Cheng. Mandy Dixon. ST. TAMMANY PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Melissa Cheng. Mandy Dixon. ST. TAMMANY PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Clark was reportedly removed from the church the day after his arrest.
The church’s altar, meanwhile, was burned and a new one consecrated last fall.
Sinners -- including priest and dominatrices -- charged in altar threesome
Lord have mercy, indeed.
Toronto Catholic school board to recognize Pride Month after Halton veto
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Publishing date:May 07, 2021 • 1 day ago • 1 minute read • 56 Comments
A rainbow flag is waving in the wind.
A rainbow flag is waving in the wind. PHOTO BY STOCK ART /Getty Images
Article content
The Toronto Catholic District School Board says it will celebrate Pride Month every June, starting this year.
The TCDSB trustees voted in favour of proclaiming Pride Month on Thursday night.
The decision comes 10 days after the Halton Catholic District School Board voted against flying the rainbow flag or recognizing Pride Month.
Pride Month honours the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, a rallying point for the LGBTQ+ community.
A Pride flag will be flown at the TCDSB’s office and all of its schools for the month of June.
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In response, to the Halton Catholic District School Board vote, all nine Catholic high schools in Halton Region posted a rainbow-themed message of support to LGBTQ+ students and parents.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Publishing date:May 07, 2021 • 1 day ago • 1 minute read • 56 Comments
A rainbow flag is waving in the wind.
A rainbow flag is waving in the wind. PHOTO BY STOCK ART /Getty Images
Article content
The Toronto Catholic District School Board says it will celebrate Pride Month every June, starting this year.
The TCDSB trustees voted in favour of proclaiming Pride Month on Thursday night.
The decision comes 10 days after the Halton Catholic District School Board voted against flying the rainbow flag or recognizing Pride Month.
Pride Month honours the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, a rallying point for the LGBTQ+ community.
A Pride flag will be flown at the TCDSB’s office and all of its schools for the month of June.
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In response, to the Halton Catholic District School Board vote, all nine Catholic high schools in Halton Region posted a rainbow-themed message of support to LGBTQ+ students and parents.
Toronto Catholic school board to recognize Pride Month after Halton veto
The Toronto Catholic District School Board says it will celebrate Pride Month every June, starting this year.
Four years after death, nun's body shows no signs of decay
Author of the articleostmedia News
Published May 25, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
Sister Wilhelmina’s remarkably well-preserved body in the tiny town of Gower, Mo.
Sister Wilhelmina’s remarkably well-preserved body in the tiny town of Gower, Mo. PHOTO BY STEPHANIE LYNN/FACEBOOK /TORONTO SUN
This was, apparently, no sister act.
A nun’s exhumed body showed no visible signs of decomposition a whopping four years after being buried — and it’s bringing people out in droves to the tiny rural Missouri town of Gower, some 64 kilometres north of Kansas City.
People are making the pilgrimage to see to well-preserved body of Sister Wilhemina Lancaster and it’s being called the “miracle in Missouri,” according to The New York Post.
Lancaster was 70 when she founded Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles.
She died in May 2019 at age 95, according to the Catholic News Agency.
Benedictine nuns dug up Lancaster’s coffin last Thursday to move it to beneath the altar in the convent’s chapel, a customary exercise.
“We were told by cemetery personnel to expect just bones in the conditions, as Sister Wilhelmina was buried without embalming and in a simple wood coffin,” one nun told Newsweek, according to the Post.
However, Mother Abbess Cecilia Snell looked through a crack in the coffin and saw “a totally infact foot with the sock on, looking just like it did when we buried her.”
She told the Eternal World Television Network her first reaction was disbelief: “I didn’t just see that.”
Flashlight in hand, she then took a closer look and confirmed her initial observation, prompting cheers from the other nuns.
When they eventually opened the coffin, the sisters were astonished to find Lancaster’s body with almost no signs of decay.
“The dirt that fell in early on had pushed down on her facial features, especially the right eye, so we did place a wax mask over it,” a nun told Newsweek. “But her eyelashes, hair, eyebrows, nose and lips were all present, her mouth just about to smile.”
The nuns then reportedly lifted Lancaster’s’ body, which they estimated weighed as much as 90 pounds.
After the nuns washed some mold and mildew off Lancaster’s body, her habit and the crown and bouquet of flowers with which she was buried all appeared in perfect condition.
“I mean, there was just this sense that the Lord was doing this,” Snell said. “Right now we need hope. We need it. Our Lord knows that. And she was such a testament to hope. And faith. And trust.”
nypost.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article
ostmedia NewsPublished May 25, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
Sister Wilhelmina’s remarkably well-preserved body in the tiny town of Gower, Mo.
Sister Wilhelmina’s remarkably well-preserved body in the tiny town of Gower, Mo. PHOTO BY STEPHANIE LYNN/FACEBOOK /TORONTO SUN
This was, apparently, no sister act.
A nun’s exhumed body showed no visible signs of decomposition a whopping four years after being buried — and it’s bringing people out in droves to the tiny rural Missouri town of Gower, some 64 kilometres north of Kansas City.
People are making the pilgrimage to see to well-preserved body of Sister Wilhemina Lancaster and it’s being called the “miracle in Missouri,” according to The New York Post.
Lancaster was 70 when she founded Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles.
She died in May 2019 at age 95, according to the Catholic News Agency.
Benedictine nuns dug up Lancaster’s coffin last Thursday to move it to beneath the altar in the convent’s chapel, a customary exercise.
“We were told by cemetery personnel to expect just bones in the conditions, as Sister Wilhelmina was buried without embalming and in a simple wood coffin,” one nun told Newsweek, according to the Post.
However, Mother Abbess Cecilia Snell looked through a crack in the coffin and saw “a totally infact foot with the sock on, looking just like it did when we buried her.”
She told the Eternal World Television Network her first reaction was disbelief: “I didn’t just see that.”
Flashlight in hand, she then took a closer look and confirmed her initial observation, prompting cheers from the other nuns.
When they eventually opened the coffin, the sisters were astonished to find Lancaster’s body with almost no signs of decay.
“The dirt that fell in early on had pushed down on her facial features, especially the right eye, so we did place a wax mask over it,” a nun told Newsweek. “But her eyelashes, hair, eyebrows, nose and lips were all present, her mouth just about to smile.”
The nuns then reportedly lifted Lancaster’s’ body, which they estimated weighed as much as 90 pounds.
After the nuns washed some mold and mildew off Lancaster’s body, her habit and the crown and bouquet of flowers with which she was buried all appeared in perfect condition.
“I mean, there was just this sense that the Lord was doing this,” Snell said. “Right now we need hope. We need it. Our Lord knows that. And she was such a testament to hope. And faith. And trust.”
Nun’s body exhumed 4 years after death shows no signs of decay, sparks ‘miracle’ claims
Catholics have been flocking to Gower, Missouri, to view the incorrupt body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, who died in 2019.
nypost.com
HOLY!: Four years after death, nun's body shows no signs of decay
A nun's exhumed body showed no visible signs of decomposition a whopping four years after being burial.
Catholic trustees travel to Italy to buy $100Gs worth of artwork for new Brantford high school
The artwork includes life-sized, hand-painted wooden statues of St. Padre Pio and the Virgin Mary
Author of the article:Michelle Ruby
Published Oct 15, 2024 • Last updated 3 days ago • 5 minute read
A lifesize statue of St. Padre Pio, shown in this artist rendering, will be installed in the new Catholic high school being constructed on Powerline Road that will bear his name. The statue is among about $100,000 worth of artwork that will be put in the school chapel. The Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board spent about $45,000 to send four trustees to Italy to commission the artwork earlier this year.
A lifesize statue of St. Padre Pio, shown in this artist rendering, will be installed in the new Catholic high school being constructed on Powerline Road that will bear his name. The statue is among about $100,000 worth of artwork that will be put in the school chapel. The Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board spent about $45,000 to send four trustees to Italy to commission the artwork earlier this year. Submitted
Four local Catholic school board trustees travelled to Italy earlier this year to purchase $100,000 worth of artwork for a new high school under construction in Brantford.
Rick Petrella, chair of the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board, said installation of the religious art pieces is part of the plan to make the new St. Padre Pio Secondary a “flagship” school for the board.
The artwork, which includes life-sized, hand-painted wooden statues of St. Padre Pio and the Virgin Mary, a large crucifix, and sculptures depicting the 14 Stations of the Cross, will be put in the chapel at the new high school, which will open in September 2026 on Powerline Road.
Also purchased on a trip to South Tyrol on the northern tip of Italy was a bust of Pope Francis, which will be installed at the new Pope Francis Elementary School, set to open in September 2025 in Caledonia.
Petrella said he personally bought a new hand-carved crucifix for the boardroom at the school board office on Fairview Drive and donated an outdoor statue for the courtyard of St. Padre Pio, with a combined value of about $6,800.
Four trustees, including Petrella, Dan Dignard, Bill Chopp and Mark Watson, travelled to South Tyrol, an area known for producing religious art since the 1500s, for a week in July to meet with artisans and commission the artwork. Area artisans supply works to the Pope, and to monasteries, hospitals and other facilities.
The trip cost $45,000, including airfare, accommodation and food.
“We wanted to do some kind of sculpture,” said Petrella during a recent interview. “We looked at buying it off the shelf, but nothing stood out.”
Petrella said he began researching art in South Tyrol and had some email exchanges and Zoom calls with artisans there.
“It soon became apparent that we were spending a decent amount of money and needed to do our due diligence,” said Petrella. “The sculptors invited us to their studio to show us their work. It allowed us to finalize the design and have something tangible. We saw the carvers bring the wood to life.
“There is no way the board would hand over a penny without seeing it in person. It’s a lot of money and we wanted to make sure we were getting value for the money.”
Petrella said the board was able to “negotiate better pricing due to the volume of items we were purchasing.”
He said the school board’s positive financial standing was a factor in making the decision to travel to Europe and buy the “one-of-a-kind” artworks.
School artwork
Four Stations of the Cross, shown in this artist rendering, is among about $100,000 worth of artwork commissioned by local Catholic trustees on a trip to Italy. The artwork will be installed in the chapel at St. Padre Pio Catholic Secondary School, being constructed on Powerline Road. Submitted
“Through many years of sound fiscal planning and record surpluses our board is in a position that allows us to reinvest in our schools by increasing teachers, support staff and capital projects in our schools, while we maintain a balanced budget.”
The board’s $180-million operating budget for 2024-2025 includes an accumulated surplus of $33 million.
Funding for the artwork came from surplus. Money for the trip to Italy for the four trustees, who spent a few days with the artisans and time visiting local parishes, came from “trustee honoraria and expenses,” a bucket of funding generally used for travel and other trustee-related expenses.
Petrella said normally all trustees attend the annual meeting of the Canadian Catholic Trustees Association at a cost of about $18,000. Only Dignard attended this year’s event held in Calgary from May 30 to June 1. Petrella said that extra money was directed to the Italy trip.
“Everyone who went (to Italy) is directly tied to this and all needed to be part of the planning,” said Petrella. “It wasn’t a vacation. It was fully in line with the trustee expense policy.”
The Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board has six trustees. Dignard, Petrella and Chopp represent Brantford and Watson represents Haldimand. The two Norfolk trustees, Dennis Blake and Carol Luciani, didn’t travel to Italy.
Petrella said he brought plans for the artwork to the St. Padre Pio Chapel Catholicity Committee in April. A single paragraph in the meeting minutes says the meeting took place to “share concepts and finalize design of the statues from an Italian sculptor.”
Petrella said the committee, a spin-off of the larger faith advisory committee, has various sub committees. Representing the new secondary school are Petrella, Dignard, Chopp and various staff members.
Purchase of the art and the cost for the trip to Italy didn’t require the approval of the full school board, said Petrella.
“The reason was mainly due to the dollar amount being small in relationship to the larger project, and the fact that those dollars are enveloped as part of the bigger budget approval process, which is approved by the board annually. All trustees were fully aware of the plans in respect to this when they voted on the larger board budget. Once dollars are allocated in the broader budget, they can be accessed throughout the budget year for items such as this.”
The $46-million St. Padre Pio Catholic Secondary School will have capacity for about 1,400 students. Petrella said it will not only have a strong academic and arts side, but a state-of-the-art athletic field with astroturf and a large wing dedicated to teaching students about skilled trades.
“We haven’t built a high school in 30 years,” said Petrella. “In the mind of trustees, this will be the flagship school of the board. We are going all in on this new Catholic high school. We’re very proud of it.”
The spending of other school boards, including the cash-strapped Thames Valley District school board in London, has recently come under scrutiny. That board spent nearly $40,000 to send 18 administrators on a three-day retreat in August at the Toronto Blue Jays stadium hotel amid a $7.6-million budget deficit that has prompted deep cuts, including to funding for kids’ field trips.
Petrella said the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board’s financial position allows it “to invest and do things maybe some other boards can’t.”
“I understand how people may see it,” he said of the expenses related to the artwork. “If we weren’t in a strong fiscal position we wouldn’t do it.
“I would hope Catholic ratepayers would understand and support the great things we’re doing. We’re trying to make this a great centre of learning.”
![br-1017-br-trustees-art1[1].jpg](https://forums.canadiancontent.net/data/attachments/23/23546-ef9f14e9cf442902d85c06d18516e929.jpg "br-1017-br-trustees-art1[1].jpg")
torontosun.com
The artwork includes life-sized, hand-painted wooden statues of St. Padre Pio and the Virgin Mary
Author of the article:Michelle Ruby
Published Oct 15, 2024 • Last updated 3 days ago • 5 minute read
A lifesize statue of St. Padre Pio, shown in this artist rendering, will be installed in the new Catholic high school being constructed on Powerline Road that will bear his name. The statue is among about $100,000 worth of artwork that will be put in the school chapel. The Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board spent about $45,000 to send four trustees to Italy to commission the artwork earlier this year.
A lifesize statue of St. Padre Pio, shown in this artist rendering, will be installed in the new Catholic high school being constructed on Powerline Road that will bear his name. The statue is among about $100,000 worth of artwork that will be put in the school chapel. The Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board spent about $45,000 to send four trustees to Italy to commission the artwork earlier this year. Submitted
Four local Catholic school board trustees travelled to Italy earlier this year to purchase $100,000 worth of artwork for a new high school under construction in Brantford.
Rick Petrella, chair of the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board, said installation of the religious art pieces is part of the plan to make the new St. Padre Pio Secondary a “flagship” school for the board.
The artwork, which includes life-sized, hand-painted wooden statues of St. Padre Pio and the Virgin Mary, a large crucifix, and sculptures depicting the 14 Stations of the Cross, will be put in the chapel at the new high school, which will open in September 2026 on Powerline Road.
Also purchased on a trip to South Tyrol on the northern tip of Italy was a bust of Pope Francis, which will be installed at the new Pope Francis Elementary School, set to open in September 2025 in Caledonia.
Petrella said he personally bought a new hand-carved crucifix for the boardroom at the school board office on Fairview Drive and donated an outdoor statue for the courtyard of St. Padre Pio, with a combined value of about $6,800.
Four trustees, including Petrella, Dan Dignard, Bill Chopp and Mark Watson, travelled to South Tyrol, an area known for producing religious art since the 1500s, for a week in July to meet with artisans and commission the artwork. Area artisans supply works to the Pope, and to monasteries, hospitals and other facilities.
The trip cost $45,000, including airfare, accommodation and food.
“We wanted to do some kind of sculpture,” said Petrella during a recent interview. “We looked at buying it off the shelf, but nothing stood out.”
Petrella said he began researching art in South Tyrol and had some email exchanges and Zoom calls with artisans there.
“It soon became apparent that we were spending a decent amount of money and needed to do our due diligence,” said Petrella. “The sculptors invited us to their studio to show us their work. It allowed us to finalize the design and have something tangible. We saw the carvers bring the wood to life.
“There is no way the board would hand over a penny without seeing it in person. It’s a lot of money and we wanted to make sure we were getting value for the money.”
Petrella said the board was able to “negotiate better pricing due to the volume of items we were purchasing.”
He said the school board’s positive financial standing was a factor in making the decision to travel to Europe and buy the “one-of-a-kind” artworks.
School artwork
Four Stations of the Cross, shown in this artist rendering, is among about $100,000 worth of artwork commissioned by local Catholic trustees on a trip to Italy. The artwork will be installed in the chapel at St. Padre Pio Catholic Secondary School, being constructed on Powerline Road. Submitted
“Through many years of sound fiscal planning and record surpluses our board is in a position that allows us to reinvest in our schools by increasing teachers, support staff and capital projects in our schools, while we maintain a balanced budget.”
The board’s $180-million operating budget for 2024-2025 includes an accumulated surplus of $33 million.
Funding for the artwork came from surplus. Money for the trip to Italy for the four trustees, who spent a few days with the artisans and time visiting local parishes, came from “trustee honoraria and expenses,” a bucket of funding generally used for travel and other trustee-related expenses.
Petrella said normally all trustees attend the annual meeting of the Canadian Catholic Trustees Association at a cost of about $18,000. Only Dignard attended this year’s event held in Calgary from May 30 to June 1. Petrella said that extra money was directed to the Italy trip.
“Everyone who went (to Italy) is directly tied to this and all needed to be part of the planning,” said Petrella. “It wasn’t a vacation. It was fully in line with the trustee expense policy.”
The Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board has six trustees. Dignard, Petrella and Chopp represent Brantford and Watson represents Haldimand. The two Norfolk trustees, Dennis Blake and Carol Luciani, didn’t travel to Italy.
Petrella said he brought plans for the artwork to the St. Padre Pio Chapel Catholicity Committee in April. A single paragraph in the meeting minutes says the meeting took place to “share concepts and finalize design of the statues from an Italian sculptor.”
Petrella said the committee, a spin-off of the larger faith advisory committee, has various sub committees. Representing the new secondary school are Petrella, Dignard, Chopp and various staff members.
Purchase of the art and the cost for the trip to Italy didn’t require the approval of the full school board, said Petrella.
“The reason was mainly due to the dollar amount being small in relationship to the larger project, and the fact that those dollars are enveloped as part of the bigger budget approval process, which is approved by the board annually. All trustees were fully aware of the plans in respect to this when they voted on the larger board budget. Once dollars are allocated in the broader budget, they can be accessed throughout the budget year for items such as this.”
The $46-million St. Padre Pio Catholic Secondary School will have capacity for about 1,400 students. Petrella said it will not only have a strong academic and arts side, but a state-of-the-art athletic field with astroturf and a large wing dedicated to teaching students about skilled trades.
“We haven’t built a high school in 30 years,” said Petrella. “In the mind of trustees, this will be the flagship school of the board. We are going all in on this new Catholic high school. We’re very proud of it.”
The spending of other school boards, including the cash-strapped Thames Valley District school board in London, has recently come under scrutiny. That board spent nearly $40,000 to send 18 administrators on a three-day retreat in August at the Toronto Blue Jays stadium hotel amid a $7.6-million budget deficit that has prompted deep cuts, including to funding for kids’ field trips.
Petrella said the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board’s financial position allows it “to invest and do things maybe some other boards can’t.”
“I understand how people may see it,” he said of the expenses related to the artwork. “If we weren’t in a strong fiscal position we wouldn’t do it.
“I would hope Catholic ratepayers would understand and support the great things we’re doing. We’re trying to make this a great centre of learning.”
Catholic trustees travel to Italy to buy $100,000 worth of artwork for new high school
Catholic trustees travel to Italy to by $100,000 worth of artwork for new high school
Pope Leo XIV declares teen computer whiz Carlo Acutis the first millennial saint
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Nicole Winfield
Published Sep 07, 2025 • 4 minute read
Pope Leo XIV speaks ahead of a Holy Mass and canonization ceremony of Blessed Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Sept. 7, 2025.
Pope Leo XIV speaks ahead of a Holy Mass and canonization ceremony of Blessed Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Sept. 7, 2025.
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV declared a 15-year-old computer whiz the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint Sunday, giving the next generation of Catholics a relatable role model who used technology to spread the faith and earn the nickname “God’s influencer.”
Leo canonized Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006, during an open-air Mass in St. Peter’s Square before an estimated 80,000 people, many of them millennials and couples with young children. During the first saint-making Mass of his pontificate, Leo also canonized another popular Italian figure who died young, Pier Giorgio Frassati.
Leo said both men created “masterpieces” out of their lives by dedicating them to God.
“The greatest risk in life is to waste it outside of God’s plan,” Leo said in his homily. The new saints “are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces.”
An ordinary life that became extraordinary
Acutis was born on May 3, 1991, in London to a wealthy but not particularly observant Catholic family. They moved back to Milan soon after he was born and he enjoyed a typical, happy childhood, albeit marked by increasingly intense religious devotion.
Acutis was particularly interested in computer science and devoured college-level books on programming even as a youngster. He earned the nickname “God’s Influencer,” thanks to his main tech legacy: a multilingual website documenting so-called Eucharistic miracles recognized by the church, a project he completed at a time when the development of such sites was the domain of professionals.
He was known to spend hours in prayer before the Eucharist each day. The Catholic hierarchy has been trying to promote the practice of Eucharistic adoration because, according to polls, most Catholics don’t believe Christ is physically present in the Eucharistic hosts.
But Acutis limited himself to an hour of video games a week, apparently deciding long before TikTok that human relationships were far more important than virtual ones. That discipline and restraint has proved appealing to the Catholic hierarchy, which has sounded the alarm about the dangers of today’s tech-driven society.
In October 2006, at age 15, Acutis fell ill with what was quickly diagnosed as acute leukemia. Within days, he was dead. He was entombed in Assisi, which known for its association with another popular saint, St. Francis.
Millions flock to Acutis’ tomb
In the years since his death, young Catholics have flocked by the millions to Assisi, where they can see the young Acutis through a glass-sided tomb, dressed in jeans, Nike sneakers and a sweatshirt. He seems as if he’s sleeping, and questions have swirled about how his body was so well preserved, especially since parts of his heart have even toured the world as relics.
Both saint-making ceremonies had been scheduled for earlier this year, but were postponed following Pope Francis’ death in April. Francis had fervently pushed the Acutis sainthood case forward, convinced that the church needed someone like him to attract young Catholics to the faith while addressing the promises and perils of the digital age.
“It’s like I can maybe not be as great as Carlo may be, but I can be looking after him and be like, ‘What would Carlo do?”‘ said Leo Kowalsky, an 8th grader at a Chicago school attached to the Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish.
Kowalsky said he was particularly excited that his own namesake — Pope Leo — would be canonizing the patron of his school. “It’s kind of all mashed up into one thing, so it is a joy to be a part of,” Kowalsky said in an interview last week.
Much of Acutis’ popularity is thanks to a concerted campaign by the Vatican to give the next generation of faithful a “saint next door” who was ordinary but did extraordinary things in life. In Acutis, they found a relatable tech-savvy millennial — the term used to describe a person born roughly between 1981 and 1996 who was the first generation to reach adulthood in the new millennium.
The Vatican said 36 cardinals, 270 bishops and hundreds of priests had signed up to celebrate the Mass along with Leo in a sign of the saints’ enormous appeal to the hierarchy and ordinary faithful alike.
Popular piety for the digital age
An hour before the Mass, St. Peter’s Square was already full with pilgrims, many of them young millennial Italians, many with toddlers in strollers.
“I learned from different people what his professors, his teachers said about his joy and the light he carried around him,” said Leopoldo Antimi, a 27-year-old Roman who got to the square early to secure a spot. “So for me personally as an Italian, even on social networks that are used so much, it is important to have him as an influencer.”
Matthew Schmalz, professor of religious studies at Holy Cross college in Worcester, Massachusetts, said Acutis’ canonization extends the church tradition of popular piety to the digital age.
“He becomes an emblem or model of how Catholics should approach and use the digital world–with discipline and with a focus on traditional Catholic spirituality that defies the passage of time,” he said in statement. “He is a new saint of simplicity for the ever complex digital landscape of contemporary Catholicism.”
Frassati, the other saint being canonized Sunday, lived from 1901-1925, when he died at age 24 of polio. He was born into a prominent Turin family but is known for his devotion to serving the poor and carrying out acts of charity while spreading his faith to his friends.
— AP visual journalists Trisha Thomas in Vatican City and Jessie Wardarski in Chicago contributed to this report.
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Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Nicole Winfield
Published Sep 07, 2025 • 4 minute read
Pope Leo XIV speaks ahead of a Holy Mass and canonization ceremony of Blessed Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Sept. 7, 2025.
Pope Leo XIV speaks ahead of a Holy Mass and canonization ceremony of Blessed Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Sept. 7, 2025.
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV declared a 15-year-old computer whiz the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint Sunday, giving the next generation of Catholics a relatable role model who used technology to spread the faith and earn the nickname “God’s influencer.”
Leo canonized Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006, during an open-air Mass in St. Peter’s Square before an estimated 80,000 people, many of them millennials and couples with young children. During the first saint-making Mass of his pontificate, Leo also canonized another popular Italian figure who died young, Pier Giorgio Frassati.
Leo said both men created “masterpieces” out of their lives by dedicating them to God.
“The greatest risk in life is to waste it outside of God’s plan,” Leo said in his homily. The new saints “are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces.”
An ordinary life that became extraordinary
Acutis was born on May 3, 1991, in London to a wealthy but not particularly observant Catholic family. They moved back to Milan soon after he was born and he enjoyed a typical, happy childhood, albeit marked by increasingly intense religious devotion.
Acutis was particularly interested in computer science and devoured college-level books on programming even as a youngster. He earned the nickname “God’s Influencer,” thanks to his main tech legacy: a multilingual website documenting so-called Eucharistic miracles recognized by the church, a project he completed at a time when the development of such sites was the domain of professionals.
He was known to spend hours in prayer before the Eucharist each day. The Catholic hierarchy has been trying to promote the practice of Eucharistic adoration because, according to polls, most Catholics don’t believe Christ is physically present in the Eucharistic hosts.
But Acutis limited himself to an hour of video games a week, apparently deciding long before TikTok that human relationships were far more important than virtual ones. That discipline and restraint has proved appealing to the Catholic hierarchy, which has sounded the alarm about the dangers of today’s tech-driven society.
In October 2006, at age 15, Acutis fell ill with what was quickly diagnosed as acute leukemia. Within days, he was dead. He was entombed in Assisi, which known for its association with another popular saint, St. Francis.
Millions flock to Acutis’ tomb
In the years since his death, young Catholics have flocked by the millions to Assisi, where they can see the young Acutis through a glass-sided tomb, dressed in jeans, Nike sneakers and a sweatshirt. He seems as if he’s sleeping, and questions have swirled about how his body was so well preserved, especially since parts of his heart have even toured the world as relics.
Both saint-making ceremonies had been scheduled for earlier this year, but were postponed following Pope Francis’ death in April. Francis had fervently pushed the Acutis sainthood case forward, convinced that the church needed someone like him to attract young Catholics to the faith while addressing the promises and perils of the digital age.
“It’s like I can maybe not be as great as Carlo may be, but I can be looking after him and be like, ‘What would Carlo do?”‘ said Leo Kowalsky, an 8th grader at a Chicago school attached to the Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish.
Kowalsky said he was particularly excited that his own namesake — Pope Leo — would be canonizing the patron of his school. “It’s kind of all mashed up into one thing, so it is a joy to be a part of,” Kowalsky said in an interview last week.
Much of Acutis’ popularity is thanks to a concerted campaign by the Vatican to give the next generation of faithful a “saint next door” who was ordinary but did extraordinary things in life. In Acutis, they found a relatable tech-savvy millennial — the term used to describe a person born roughly between 1981 and 1996 who was the first generation to reach adulthood in the new millennium.
The Vatican said 36 cardinals, 270 bishops and hundreds of priests had signed up to celebrate the Mass along with Leo in a sign of the saints’ enormous appeal to the hierarchy and ordinary faithful alike.
Popular piety for the digital age
An hour before the Mass, St. Peter’s Square was already full with pilgrims, many of them young millennial Italians, many with toddlers in strollers.
“I learned from different people what his professors, his teachers said about his joy and the light he carried around him,” said Leopoldo Antimi, a 27-year-old Roman who got to the square early to secure a spot. “So for me personally as an Italian, even on social networks that are used so much, it is important to have him as an influencer.”
Matthew Schmalz, professor of religious studies at Holy Cross college in Worcester, Massachusetts, said Acutis’ canonization extends the church tradition of popular piety to the digital age.
“He becomes an emblem or model of how Catholics should approach and use the digital world–with discipline and with a focus on traditional Catholic spirituality that defies the passage of time,” he said in statement. “He is a new saint of simplicity for the ever complex digital landscape of contemporary Catholicism.”
Frassati, the other saint being canonized Sunday, lived from 1901-1925, when he died at age 24 of polio. He was born into a prominent Turin family but is known for his devotion to serving the poor and carrying out acts of charity while spreading his faith to his friends.
— AP visual journalists Trisha Thomas in Vatican City and Jessie Wardarski in Chicago contributed to this report.
Pope Leo XIV declares teen computer whiz Carlo Acutis the first millennial saint
Pope Leo canonized Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006, during an open-air Mass in St. Peter's Square before an estimated 80,000 people.