What began as a class assignment at John Paul II High School in Plano has grown into a nonprofit supporting North Texas firefighters. Inspired by his grandparents’ loss in the Los Angeles wildfires and motivated by a desire to turn Catholic social teaching into action, Sebastian Lee, a recent graduate of John Paul II High School, developed an idea that extended far beyond the classroom. With the help of a classmate, his brother, local fire officials, and supportive teachers, the project evolved into a registered nonprofit that is now raising funds, producing behind-the-scenes content, and building relationships with fire departments across the region.
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Instead of hauling construction materials as he does most days, José Gutiérrez used his trailer to transport donations collected by Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church parishioners on May 31 to support victims of an explosion at The Clyde, an apartment building in Oak Cliff.
Imagine being born in 1182, at a time when you could happily spend your whole life in the same community. But while you are a child, a shipwreck takes away the money your father had intended to be your dowry, and so, while you are at the age of 12 your parents decide, at least for the moment, to send you away to a convent for an education. There’s no way to phone home, and instead of being with your family and friends, you have to follow the strict schedule of some nuns. As a child, you don’t want to become a nun, and instead you care a lot about what you look like and about impressing potential suitors. After all, until that shipwreck took your dowry, you were hoping to get married relatively soon.
Pope Leo XIV celebrated the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See and his family.
Independence Day is a reminder that Americans’ “inalienable rights” mentioned in the Declaration of Independence — life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — are gifts from God, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl said July 4 in the nation’s capital.
Ahead of the fireworks and the flag-waving, and before the barbeques, ceremonies, and parades, American Catholics approaching the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence this Fourth of July may well pause to ask: Is all this pomp truly patriotism? And further: What is patriotism in the Catholic understanding, and how can it be practiced well?
02 Jul: Polish, Ukrainian cardinals call for reconciliation amid historical tensions between nations
Four years after Poles welcomed millions of Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s full-scale invasion, Catholic leaders from both countries are urging their peoples not to let historical disputes undo that solidarity as disputes over World War II history inflamed relations between Poland and Ukraine.
Pope Leo XIV spent what is traditionally his weekly day off on Tuesday issuing a flurry of legislation and appointments June 30, overhauling the Vatican’s financial watchdog agency, revising the governing structure of the Vicariate of Rome, and making several appointments in the Roman Curia.
Pope Leo XIV’s call for unity in diversity extends beyond greater communion within the Catholic Church and includes one’s wider community, some newly appointed U.S. archbishops said.
Pope Leo XIV has called on all Christians to work together toward the celebration of 2033, when the Catholic Church will mark an extraordinary Jubilee Year commemorating 2,000 years since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.