Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish

null / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome, Italy, Sep 4, 2025 / 06:05 am (CNA).

A Catholic evangelization movement in Slovakia has grown from its local parish roots to international recognition, employing 30 full-time ministers and drawing thousands of people to worship concerts across central Europe. But the effort faces opposition from some clergy and Catholic faithful who question its Protestant-influenced methods. 

The Godzone Project, launched in 2009 by the SP community (which stands for “Silné Posolstvo” in Slovak, meaning “strong/powerful message”) together with bishops in Slovakia’s Banská Bystrica Diocese, combines rock music, multimedia effects, and contemporary worship styles to engage young Catholics in a country where church attendance has declined since the fall of communism in 1989.

From a small Slovak town to the world stage in Rome 

In 2023, approximately 25,000 people participated in the Godzone Project’s flagship project — a series of worship concerts that were held in cities across Slovakia and the Czech Republic. A few bishops spoke at the events, including apostolic nuncio to Slovakia Archbishop Nicola Girasoli.

CNA spoke to Godzone after their concert at the Festival of Unity and Hope during the Jubilee of Youth held July 28 to Aug. 3 in Rome.

“We offer a hand especially in evangelization and strive to ensure that young people find a community where they can receive a deeper formation and be more grounded. We also work on the spiritual and personal formation of the young so they can help their parish by leading a group,” a Godzone representative said.

The Godzone Project is also part of the Global 33 ecumenical campaign that is bringing together more than 200 leaders from across the globe and to prepare for Jubilee 2033, which will mark 2,000 years since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Navigating tensions and misunderstandings 

Slovakia remains a predominantly Catholic country in Central Europe, boasting a significant number of young priests. Following the fall of communism in 1989, modern trends such as secularization and a decline in church attendance became apparent.

Two decades ago, a group of friends with a passion for Christ founded the SP community. Bishop Marián Chovanec of the Diocese of Banská Bystrica, where the SP community resides, wrote that “it respects the spiritual authority of the pastors of the Church and submits to it, thus the Church and our office protect it.”

In 2009, their “Projekt Godzone” was created within the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Slovakia under the Section for Youth and Universities.

Yet Godzone did not win the hearts and minds of all. Traditional ways of living one’s faith still matter to many of the faithful, some of whom are suspect of new styles and methods of evangelization. The new evangelization efforts has been criticized for its “big, flashy, perfunctory” shows as well as the use of what some consider “Protestant evangelizing elements and slogans.” A few dioceses do not permit the project to operate within their territory. 

It’s hard to say whether more resistance comes from within the Church or outside of it, Július Slovák, the leader of Godzone, said in an earlier interview with CNA.

“We never said that we are the only way, that we are the chosen. We offer this path and live it as honestly as we can,” Slovák said. Therefore, “if God or a higher authority tells us to end this service and take up another means, we will do it, since the project is not our identity.” 

Slovák invited those who are seekers, or who do not like them, to visit their headquarters and not to believe “alarmist news or fake interpretations.” 

New offerings for kids, young families

Over time, the project has diversified its offerings, collaborating with various artists and combining classical music, rock, rap, and dance; employing audiovisual effects, merchandising, social media, and podcasts. It launched Godzone Kids for young families and the Godzone Conference, featuring lectures and talks. It boasts of having hundreds of local leaders and small prayer groups.

The project has moved into neighboring country Czech Republic due to the similarity of language and culture, although Czech society is traditionally skeptical of Catholicism. Several Czech dioceses have invited the faithful to participate in the concerts.

“It is known for high-quality performances,” reads the website of the Archdiocese of Olomouc, and “besides excellent Slovak and Czech artists, a large team of volunteers helps the Godzone tour every year, whereas the tour is mostly financed by donations.”

Slovák told CNA how, in his experience, youth can be draw to the faith: “We ourselves should have the desire to proclaim Christ’s good news and not keep it for us. The more firmly we decide to walk with Christ and in the community of believers, the more we allow God to transform us with his love, the more the desire burns to be shared with others.”

Relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis on display. / Credit: Courtesy of Milagro Eucarístico Perú, 1649

CNA Staff, Sep 4, 2025 / 05:17 am (CNA).

From the finger of St. Thomas to the arm of St. Jude to the miraculous blood of St. Januarius and the Shroud of Turin, the Catholic Church is home to a plethora of relics. To an outsider, the tradition of venerating relics may seem strange; however, the roots of the practice are found in Scripture as well as in the ancient tradition of the Church.

Below are 10 of the most asked questions pertaining to relics and their veneration.

What is a relic?

A relic is a physical object that had a direct association with a saint or with Jesus Christ. The word relic derives from the Latin word “relinquere,” which means “to abandon or leave behind.”

What are the different classes of relics?

Traditionally, relics can be broken down into three classes: first, second, and third. 

First-class relics are the body or fragments of the body of a saint, such as pieces of bone or flesh. An example of a first-class relic would be the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas or the bone of St. Jude Thaddeus. Pieces of the cross on which Jesus was crucified are also considered first-class relics.

A second-class relic is an item that a saint touched or owned, such as a shirt or book, or fragments of these items.

Third-class relics are items that a saint has touched or items that have been touched to a first-, second-, or another third-class relic. For example, touching the first-class relic of St. Bernadette Soubirous’ bones with your own personal rosary would make your rosary a third-class relic.

Additionally, a 2017 decree on relics identified the difference between “significant” and “nonsignificant” relics.

The decree defines a significant relic as “the body of the blesseds and of the saints or notable parts of the bodies themselves or the sum total of the ashes obtained by their cremation.” 

These relics are preserved in properly-sealed urns and are to be kept in places that guarantee their safety and respect their sacredness. 

“Little fragments of the body of the blesseds and of the saints as well as objects that have come in direct contact with their person are considered nonsignificant relics,” the decree states. 

These are also preserved in sealed cases “and honored with a religious spirit, avoiding every type of superstition and illicit trade.”

How are relics authenticated?

The process of authenticating a first- or second-class relic begins with the certification from a bishop or cardinal. In many cases the relics belong to the diocese to which the saint belonged. 

Then, especially for first-class relics, the item must be scientifically proven to be human remains along with other criteria. This is done to ensure that fake relics are not being venerated by the faithful.

There is no process for formally recognizing third-class relics.

Why do Catholics venerate relics?

Catholics venerate the relics of saints as a way to honor the saint’s inspiring way of life and bold faith. As Catholics, we strive to become saints ourselves and are encouraged to imitate the lives of the saints in our own daily lives.

St. Jerome, a great biblical scholar, said: “We do not worship relics, we do not adore them, for fear that we should bow down to the creature rather than to the creator. But we venerate the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore him whose martyrs they are” (“Ad Riparium,” i, P.L., XXII, 907).

The veneration of relics is a Catholic practice of honoring the extraordinary work God did in a person’s life — a person who has achieved the highest level of holiness in the Catholic Church.

Is relic veneration biblical?

Yes. There are several instances in the Bible where individuals are healed by touching an item. 

In 2 Kings 13:20-21, the corpse of a man is touched to the bones of the prophet Elisha and the man comes back to life. In Matthew 9:20-22, the hemorrhaging woman is healed by touching the hem of Jesus’ cloak. People were healed and evil spirits were driven out when handkerchiefs from the apostle Paul were placed on these individuals as is written in Acts of the Apostles 19:11-12. 

Can relics perform miracles?

It is important to understand that while relics may be used in many miracles that are mentioned, the Catholic Church does not believe that the relic itself causes the miracle; God alone does. The relic is the vehicle through which God may work, but God is the cause for the healing. 

Any good that comes about through a relic is God’s doing. But the fact that God chooses to use the relics of saints to work healing and miracles tells us that he wants to draw our attention to the saints as “models and intercessors” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 828).

Is it OK to own a relic?

Ideally a relic should be kept in a church or shrine where it can be made available for public veneration. However, the Church does not forbid the possession of relics by laypeople. They may even be kept in homes. Additionally, the Church no longer issues relics to individuals — not even clergy. The Church will only issue relics to churches, shrines, and oratories. 

Can I buy or sell relics?

According to canon law of the Catholic Church, the sale of first- and second-class relics is strictly forbidden. Relics can only be given away by their owners, and some very significant relics, such as a heart, arm, etc., cannot be given away without the permission of the Vatican.

Where can I see or venerate relics?

Relics are housed all over the world in different churches and shrines. For example, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Notre Dame, Indiana, is home to an estimated 1,200 relics. In Venice, Italy, St. Mark’s Basilica houses the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist. Catholics can venerate relics of the true cross at the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem in Rome. 

Relics will also go on tour to churches across cities throughout the world in order for the faithful to have an opportunity to venerate them.

Are there relics of Jesus or Mary?

There are no first-class relics of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Catholic Church teaches that Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven. However, the most well-known second-class relic that is believed to have been Mary’s is her veil, which is kept in Chartres Cathedral in France.

The case is similar for Jesus. While there are no bodily relics of Christ, who rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, there are fragments of the true cross, a fragment of the holy manger in which Jesus was placed after he was born, and fragments of black-and-white stone that are said to be from the pillar on which he was scourged.

The stamps of saints-to-be Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati will be worth 1.35 euros ($1.60) each. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 4, 2025 / 04:10 am (CNA).

The young faces of Blessed Carlo Acutis (1991–2006) and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901–1925) will be immortalized in special stamps issued on the occasion of their canonization. The canonization ceremony will be presided over by Pope Leo XIV on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 7, in St. Peter’s Square.

To pay tribute to these two young witnesses of the Gospel, the Postal and Philatelic Service of the Governorate of Vatican City State, in collaboration with the postal authorities of Italy, the Republic of San Marino, and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, have prepared a special issue of commemorative stamps, according to the service’s website.

One of the stamps depicts the portrait of Pier Giorgio Frassati painted by artist Alberto Falchetti (1878–1951), a member of the Frassati family. The other shows a photograph of Carlo Acutis wearing a red shirt and carrying a backpack, taken during a school trip to Mount Subasio, near Assisi, shortly before his untimely death from fulminant leukemia.

The Vatican Postal and Philatelic Service will issue 60,000 of the Acutis stamp and 50,000 of the Frassati stamp in collaboration with the Ministry of Enterprises, the San Marino Post Office, and the official postal service of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, with a face value of 1.35 euros ($1.60) each.

Special postmarks

In addition, two postmarks have been created to commemorate the canonization, reflecting the saintly lives of these two young men. The postmark for Acutis graphically reproduces the photo on the stamp, along with the symbol of the Eucharist with the monogram of Christ. The Frassati postmark features his signature and the inscription “Verso l’alto” (“to the heights”), which he wrote on a photo of himself scaling a mountain a month before his death.

For Acutis, in addition to the stamp, a special commemorative folder has also been issued as well as official first-day envelopes and the postmark from the “day of issue” at a cost of 10 euros ($11.66).

The new stamps and folder will be available for sale immediately after the canonization at the post office on St. Peter’s Square and at all Vatican post offices the following day.

The issuing of the new stamps seeks to underscore the power of the two young men’s Christian witness.

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

“I have never had a day that will stay with me like this day did,” said U.S. Vice President JD Vance following his visit with parents and victims of the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. The Vances are shown here outside the church during their Sept. 3, 2025, visit. / Credit: Alex Wroblewski-Pool/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 3, 2025 / 18:39 pm (CNA).

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance visited Minneapolis on Wednesday to meet with victims and families of the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting that occurred last week. 

The Vances visited the church sanctuary, which is the site of the shooting that claimed the lives of two children and left more than 20 wounded. The pair stopped outside the church to observe the memorial and leave bouquets of flowers.

A spokesperson for the vice president said Vance held a private meeting with the parents of the two children who were killed, Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel. Mike and Jackie Moyski and Jesse and Mollie Merkel met with Vance, Father Dennis Zehren of Annunciation Catholic Church, and Matt DeBoer, the principal of Annunciation Catholic School. 

The Vances also traveled to Children’s Minnesota Hospital to visit with some of the victims who are still in recovery, including Lydia Kaiser. Vance later spoke on the phone with Weston Halsne, another victim recovering from surgery who was not yet well enough to be visited in person when Vance was there. 

‘I have never had a day that will stay with me like this day did’

“We should talk more about these kids. We should talk less about the shooter,” Vance said to reporters at the airport following the visit. “I have never had a day that will stay with me like this day did.”

When asked about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s call for a special legislative session to consider new gun laws, the vice president said: “I’m not going to tell the Minnesota lawmakers or the governor exactly how they should respond to this tragedy. I think that … there’s a strong desire from across the political spectrum to do something so that these shootings are less common.”

“I think that it’s important that they actually take steps that are favorable, that are going to work. But besides that, I’m not an expert in Minnesota law,” Vance said. “I would just say, ‘Take the concerns of these parents seriously.’ I think all of us, Democrat, Republican, and independent, want these school shootings to happen less frequently. Hopefully there’s some steps that we can take to make that happen.”

null / Credit: angellodeco/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Sep 3, 2025 / 18:00 pm (CNA).

A new report from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law estimates that 1% of individuals aged 13 and older in the United States — approximately 2.8 million people — now identify as transgender, with younger generations significantly more likely to identify as such compared with older age groups.

According to the report, 0.8% of U.S. adults, or over 2.1 million people, identify as transgender, while 3.3% of youth aged 13 to 17 — roughly 724,000 people — identify as transgender.

The findings, drawn from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2021–2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the 2021 and 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), provide the most comprehensive data yet on transgender youth, particularly from the 2023 YRBS.

The BRFSS, which began offering states the option to ask about transgender identity in 2014, saw 41 states include the question in at least one year from 2021 to 2023, up from 19 states in 2014. 

The gender identity distribution among transgender adults is roughly evenly split: about one-third identify as transgender women (biological men), one-third as transgender men (biological women), and one-third as transgender nonbinary.

The study found the distribution to be consistent across U.S. regions and states, with no significant variations noted in the 2021–2023 data compared with earlier years.

Younger age groups more likely to identify as transgender

The data highlight an obvious generational trend: younger age groups are far more likely to identify as transgender than older ones, and individuals who identify as transgender are younger on average than the broader U.S. population. Among young adults aged 18 to 24, 2.7% identify as transgender, compared with just 0.3% of those aged 65 and older, a statistically significant difference.

Of those aged 13 and older who identify as transgender, 25.3% are youth aged 13 to 17 (up from 18.3% in prior estimates), 28.9% are young adults aged 18 to 24 (up from 24.4%), and 50.7% are aged 18 to 34. Overall, three-quarters (76%) of the transgender population aged 13 and older are under 35.

Gender ideology ‘isn’t going away’

Theresa Farnan, a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center focusing on the challenges of gender ideology through the Person and Identity Project, told CNA these numbers seem accurate and problematic.

“In some ways, these numbers are shocking,” Farnan said, “and others, they don’t shock me at all. They actually seem kind of low.”

She cited a 2021 study at an urban school district that found nearly 10% of the students identified as transgender.

The numbers codify “significant problems,” Farnan said. 

“Gender ideology isn’t going away,” she continued. “There are 2.8 million people acting on this false anthropology, who have internalized it so much they don’t think their body tells them anything about who they are.”

Executive orders banning transgender medical procedures on children, while good, will not solve what she calls a “youth-driven problem.” 

In addition, policies promoting transgender ideology “will be right back in full force when a Democrat becomes president again,” she said.

State laws in conservative states “might not have teeth.” She pointed out that while such procedures are banned in Georgia, the law exempts procedures that are “lifesaving.”

“A doctor will just say these procedures are lifesaving!” she said.

“There are cultural factors pushing this” ideology, she said. “If we’re going to get serious at keeping people from these harms, we need to address it at all levels.”

Farnan cited a recent study that showed young people are still “reachable.” Almost 90% of college students surveyed said they felt pressured to say they held more progressive views than they actually did just to “virtue signal” in order to conform. Nearly 80% said they self-censored about their views on gender ideology.

Clear upward trend

The 2023 data shows a clear upward trend in transgender identification, particularly among youth (3.3% vs. 0.7% in 2017) and young adults (2.7% vs. 1.3% in 2016 for ages 18–24), compared with older adults (0.3% for ages 65 and older).

These numbers confirm a trend observed in Williams Institute reports since 2011, which have tracked the size and characteristics of the transgender population.

According to the report, the 2023 estimate of 1% (2.8 million) is a significant increase from 0.6% (1.4 million) in 2016 and 0.7% (1.8 million) in 2020. This represents a 100% increase from 2016 and a 56% increase from 2020 in the estimated number of transgender individuals. The rise is attributed to better data collection (e.g., 41 states in the 2021–2023 BRFSS vs. 19 in 2014) and increased willingness to identify as transgender, particularly among youth, probably due to changing cultural norms.

Farnan told CNA there are many risk factors leading to the increase in transgender identification, particularly among youth. “It very often co-occurs with mental health issues like depression, anxiety, attachment disorders, and sexual trauma” as well as “autism, parents’ mental health issues, and broken families.”

“Pornography use also plays a huge role, especially for boys,” she said.

It is also very difficult to extricate oneself from the trangender community once a young person has entered it, Farnan said. She referred to Robin Westman, the Minnesota man who killed two children and injured 21 more people, 18 of them children, last week. “If you express any doubts, everyone in that community turns on you,” she said.

Robin Westman, 23, a man who struggled with his sexual identity, shot through the now-boarded windows of Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, 2025, killing two children and injuring 21 others. / Credit: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 3, 2025 / 17:46 pm (CNA).

The shooter who killed two children and injured 21 others at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis blamed “gender and weed” for his mental health issues and discussed how his struggles with gender dysphoria contributed to his desire to commit the attack.

Robin Westman, the 23-year-old male shooter who self-identified as a transgender woman, made the admission in the manifesto he publicized on YouTube shortly before the shooting, according to a translation by the New York Post.

“Gender and weed [expletive] up my head,” Westman wrote in the manifesto, which was written in Cyrillic characters and phonetic English words. “I wish I never tried experimenting with either. Don’t let your kids smoke weed or change gender until they are like 17.”

Westman legally changed his first name from “Robert” to “Robin” when he was 17 years old to reflect his desire to present himself as a woman. He worked for a marijuana dispensary earlier this year but was not working there when he carried out the Aug. 27 attack.

Although Westman’s mother gave parental consent for the name change, his writings claim she did not agree with the decision.

“When I was first out to my mother, she was VERY antagonistic,” he wrote. “She really made me hate myself and think I will never be good enough … I remember one day, she said something like, ‘In the future you will look back and feel ridiculous about who you feel like you are inside. You will regret this.’ Well guess what mom?! I regret being born.”

According to the Post’s translation, Westman claimed the way his mother handled his gender dysphoria “led me to wanting to kill so so many people.”

A previous translation of other sections of the manifesto by the Post revealed that Westman also expressed “regret” for “being trans” and wrote: “I wish I was a girl. I just know I cannot achieve that body with the technology we have today. I also can’t afford that.”

Even though he criticized how his mother handled his gender dysphoria, he also wrote that he wished “I never brainwashed myself” about gender but maintained long hair “because it is pretty much my last shred of being trans.” He wrote that “I know I am not a woman, but I definitely don’t feel like a man.”

Westman appeared to partially contradict himself in an English-language letter he wrote to his family and friends, which he also published on YouTube. In the letter, he told his mother and father, “you didn’t fail me” and “I truly appreciate the love you have given me.” His writings expressed struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts, which were ongoing for years.

The shooter attended the school whose parish he targeted and his mother worked there until her retirement in 2021, about one year after the formal name change.

Westman’s plans and motivations

One video Westman posted to YouTube showed the parish as a preplanned target.

In the video, he showed a detailed drawing of the layout of the church. A translation of some of his manifesto writings from CNN revealed that he visited the church and pretended he was interested in coming back to Catholicism. One entry discussed a visit to the parish, in which he wrote the teachers “will not be expecting an attack in the very first week of school.”

The CNN translation further showed that Westman had the desire to commit a mass shooting for much of his life, stating: “Every school I went to, I have some fantasy at some point or another of shooting up my school. Even every job.” He also describes being suspended when he was in seventh grade for asking a student “where would you hide” if there was a school shooting.

According to the translation, Westman also wrote “this is not a church or religion attack, that is not the message” and “the message is there is no message.”

However, videos he posted before the shooting suggested an anti-Catholic motivation along with an affinity for mass murderers, Satanism, racism, and antisemitism. He also conveyed threats to President Donald Trump.

In one video, Westman zoomed in on an image of Jesus Christ wearing a crown of thorns that he attached to the head of a human-shaped shooting target. He laughed before showing many anti-Christian messages written on the guns and magazines, including “take this all of you and eat it” on a rifle and “where is your God?” on a magazine.

Westman also drew an inverted pentagram on one of the magazines with the number “666” and an inverted cross on a rifle, both of which are symbols often co-opted by Satanists. A notebook he showed in one video included a drawing in which he was looking into a mirror with a rifle on his back and the reflection showed what appeared to be a demon looking back at him.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced the agency is investigating the attack as “an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.” Police have not stated a primary motive.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in an interview with Fox & Friends that the National Institutes of Health is looking into the role that psychiatric drugs could potentially play in shootings, noting that many contain warnings of “suicidal ideation.”  

“We’re launching studies on the potential contribution of some of the SSRI [selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor] drugs and some of the other psychiatric drugs that might be contributing to violence,” he said.

A woman kneels to pray during a prayer service of peace and healing at the Cathedral of St. Paul held to address the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in neighboring Minneapolis on Aug. 28, 2025, in St. Paul, Minnesota. A gunman fired through the windows of Annunciation Church while students were sitting in pews during a Catholic school Mass, killing two children and injuring at least 17 others. / Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

National Catholic Register, Sep 3, 2025 / 17:16 pm (CNA).

Should Catholic churches make it harder to shoot through windows?

That question has taken on urgency this past week after a gunman fired dozens of bullets through narrow stained-glass windows during an all-school daily Mass at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, killing two schoolchildren and wounding at least 21 other people, including pupils and elderly.

Security experts who spoke with the Register said windows are an obvious vulnerability for many churches, and they suggested Church officials should pay more attention to making them more secure.

“Your glass is the weakest point,” said Joe Bockheim, account manager of West Michigan Glass Coatings, a company in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that provides enhanced security measures for windows for schools and churches, among other clients.

Thomas Mynsberge, a former member of the Michigan State Police’s SWAT team and a security consultant, told the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, he often recommends that clients install break-proof films on their windows, some of which can prevent a bullet shot by a handgun from penetrating.

That’s not the case for high-velocity rifles, such as the one the shooter used in Minneapolis.

“But what it would do is maybe slow the speed down considerably and maybe make it less lethal,” said Mynsberge, founder and president of Critical Incident Management Inc. of Grand Haven, Michigan.

Film vs. thicker stuff

As deadly as the mass shooting last Wednesday was, it could have been worse.

That’s because the shooter was unable to get into the church, authorities said.

“Annunciation Church had a practice that once Mass began, they locked the doors of the church. This incident occurred shortly after the Mass was beginning. So there’s no question that the fact that the doors were locked likely saved additional lives,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a press conference last Thursday.

“What’s particularly heinous and cowardly about this is these children were slaughtered by a shooter who could not see them. He was standing outside of the building firing through very narrow church windows on the level where they would line up with the pews,” O’Hara said. “And even ultimately when he got to the rear of the church, where there’s an entryway that’s basically all glass, and fired out the window where a person could walk in, ultimately did not walk in.”

It’s not clear whether Annunciation Church had strengthened its windows.

Security film for glass windows is typically made of polyethylene terephthalate polyester, although a newer version made of urethane has recently come on the market, said David Carson, chief operating officer of Michigan Glass Coatings, of Auburn Hills, which counts schools and churches among its clients.

The industry standard width for security film is 8 mills — meaning 8 one-thousandths of an inch — although thicker films are available, as is layering of films to provide more protection, Bockheim of West Michigan Glass Coatings told the Register.

The film was originally designed to keep glass from shattering upon impact from a sledgehammer or crowbar in order to make it more difficult for an intruder to gain quick entry. Such film may slow down the velocity of a bullet, depending on its thickness and layers, and in some cases even prevent a bullet from getting to the other side, Bockheim said.

Yet stopping a bullet fired by a high-velocity rifle with confidence requires 1-inch-thick polycarbonate installed either inside or outside of existing glass windows and attached to the frame.

“The bullets just stick in it, almost like they’re gel,” Carson said.

“Film’s going to give you time. Film’s going to send a message that we’re not going to let you walk in,” Carson said. “And bullet-resistant glass is going to stop the bullets.”

The cost difference is sharp.

Both companies told the Register that installing film over glass typically costs about $20 to $25 a square foot, though the per-unit cost is usually less with larger jobs and more with smaller jobs.

As an example, Bockheim said his company provided security film for eight mostly glass doors and eight sidelights, which are doors that have smaller glass windows, for a Catholic church in Grand Rapids at a cost of about $2,000 to $2,500.

But the 1-inch polycarbonate can cost 15 to 18 times as much as the much thinner films, Bockheim said.

And even then, it may not provide as much security as needed.

“If the money’s there, this is the most cost-effective way to keep bullets from going through glass,” Bockheim said. “But there’s a whole security envelope that needs to be considered. And honestly — and I hate to say it — having somebody armed is going to be just as important as strengthening glass.”

Brian Eaton, an Arizona police officer and founder of Porters of St. Joseph, a Catholic men’s apostolate that trains ushers at 17 parishes in the state to provide security during Mass, noted that strengthening windows can be expensive, but he said every bit helps.

“If they can’t afford the bullet-proof then the break-proof is a good alternative,” Eaton told the Register by text. “Prevents bad guy from getting in, even if he can shoot through it.”

Taking needed steps

Security experts say they understand that many churches operate on thin budgets.

“I think what you have to consider most of the time is what is feasible — get the safety as high as you can as quick as you can without changing everything around you,” Carson said.

Even so, Carson, a former high school physics teacher, said responsible decision-makers need to do more than they are doing now.

“We know who’s at risk. We need to put something toward it. It’s not being taken seriously enough,” Carson said. “There are ways to stop intruders. We’re not taking all those steps.”

Bockheim, a lifelong Catholic who attended local Catholic schools, lamented the condition of American society that makes discussions such as this one necessary.

“Business aside, I want us to fix our people, not our windows,” he said.

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

Pope Leo XIV poses on a custom BMW R 18 papal motorcycle gifted to him by the Christian Jesus Bikers at the Vatican, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Sep 3, 2025 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

A group of black-clad bikers rumbled into St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday to present Pope Leo XIV with a custom cruiser motorcycle destined for charity.

The pope met members of the Christian Jesus Bikers at the end of his general audience at the Vatican on Sept. 3. The motorcycle club rolled into Rome for a Jubilee of Hope pilgrimage after a three-day day ride from Schaafheim, Germany.

The pope blessed and signed the white BMW R 18 motorcycle before briefly climbing onto the seat to the bikers’ applause.

The custom-designed papal motorcycle will be auctioned off in Munich on Oct. 18, and the funds will benefit children working in mica mines in Madagascar through Missio Austria.

The director of Missio Austria, Father Karl Wallner, OCist, told EWTN News on Wednesday that the point of the pilgrimage was “not just fun and coming to see the pope but also to help the poorest of the poor” through the project for exploited children.

Wallner said Pope Leo appeared to like the motorcycle a lot. At the audience, “he told the CEO of BMW that he himself liked to drive the motorcycle. So I think we have the first motorcycling pope.”

The two-cylinder boxer engine cruiser was given a papal redesign by the Witzel company in Germany before taking to the road for the biker pilgrimage, which included daily Mass in churches along the way to Rome.

Around 30 members of the Jesus Bikers club also processed through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica before attending Mass together on Sept. 3.

One of the motorcyclists at the Sept. 3 audience, a Protestant from Berlin who goes by the name Rocky, told EWTN News he joined the Jesus Bikers after finding the club on the internet.

“The honesty and freedom attracted me,” Rocky said. “It’s not like other motorcycle clubs, where I have to prove myself for a year and perform certain rituals. I was accepted here, and a year later, I received my robe. You just have to be baptized, believe in Jesus Christ, and have a motorcycle. We want to pray, ride, and do good.”

Claus Dempewolf, who is responsible for those interested in joining the motorcycle club, expressed his satisfaction with the first leg of the ride in an interview with EWTN News earlier this week.

“The weather was perfect, the roads were good,” he said. 

When asked who ultimately decides whether or not someone can become a member of the Jesus Bikers, Dempewolf replied: “That’s decided by our president and our road captain; our president is Jesus Christ, our road captain is the Holy Spirit.”

Pope Francis was an honorary member of the Jesus Bikers, which has over 100 members worldwide. The Argentinian pope also received a white motorcycle from the group in 2019.

Pope Francis also received two Harley-Davidson motorcycles and a motorcycle jacket in 2013 from Harley owners who gathered at the Vatican during a Rome celebration of the 110th anniversary of the iconic American street bikes.

One of the Harley-Davidsons, with papal autograph, and the leather jacket brought in more than $350,000 for a Rome charity at an auction in 2014.

In a Aug. 31, 2025, homily at Holy Trinity Parish in the Diocese of São Tomé e Príncipe, Bishop João de Ceita Nazaré lamented that many couples have forgotten the value of their marriage vows. / Credit: Photos courtesy of the Diocese of São Tomé and Príncipe

ACI Africa, Sep 3, 2025 / 11:45 am (CNA).

Bishop João de Ceita Nazaré of the Diocese of São Tomé e Príncipe has expressed concern over the growing crisis of family life, warning that widespread marital infidelity in male spouses is leaving painful scars on women, children, and the very fabric of society.

São Tomé e Príncipe is the second-smallest and second-least populous African sovereign state after Seychelles. It is located in the Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Africa. 

In a Aug. 31 homily at the diocese’s Holy Trinity Parish, Nazaré, lamented that many couples have forgotten the value of their marriage vows.

“Marriage is not a game. It is a sacred mission,” he said. “Our families are wounded, destroyed, deceived, and left adrift because many have already forgotten the value of the word given at the altar.”

He continued: “The family crisis is today one of the greatest spiritual and social challenges of the Santomean community, and marital betrayal has left deep scars on women, children, and the very social structure.”

“Our married women are dying. They die inside; they die of abandonment; they die because they gave everything of themselves and were left with nothing,” Nazaré bemoaned. “Fidelity in marriage is not only a Christian virtue but an essential condition for the stability of society.”

The bishop said “many of the wounds we see in families today stem from the emotional and spiritual disorganization of couples.” 

For him, “the wives who cry today did everything to keep their homes: They carried rice, sold fish, washed clothes, helped build the house, and today they are abandoned.” 

“This suffering is real. We hear mothers say they no longer know what they are worth; children who tell their mothers to their faces: ‘You are good for nothing.’ This is not only ingratitude. It is the result of a broken family structure,” the bishop said. 

He denounced marital infidelity, describing it as a “silent social wound that slowly disintegrates the family and spiritual fabric.” 

“We have families built on lies. The husband has two women, and neither of them knows she is being betrayed. Or she knows but endures it because she fears being alone. And the children? They grow up in confusion. They grow up without an example,” Nazaré lamented.

“How can we want a strong youth if the model we give them is one of lies, abandonment, and wounds?” he said.

The 51-year-old bishop also spoke of the role of women in the family and in the Church, referring to Mary, the mother of Jesus, as a model of humility, service, and dedication. 

“Mary did not disappear. She ran to serve. She carried the Son of God in her womb, but she never exalted herself. So too are our mothers. When they are faithful, they uphold the world. But today, many have been betrayed, wounded, forgotten. We need to once again recognize the value of women, of wives, of mothers. They are not replaceable,” he said.

On the responsibility of men — especially fathers, husbands, and godfathers — he noted that “to be a real man is not to collect relationships but to keep your heart in one place: with your wife and children.” 

He denounced the behavior of those who, he said, “lie, cheat, and then show up in church with the face of saints.” 

For Nazaré, “the true Christian is the one who lives his faith at home, at work, and in marriage. You cannot be a Christian on Sunday and unfaithful on Monday.”

He appealed for the reconstruction of the family as the foundation of society and of Christian faith, warning that “if we want to change this country, we must start at home. Start by being faithful, truthful, and honest.”

“The Church can preach a thousand sermons, but if couples are not faithful, the children will continue to grow up wounded. Let us not allow betrayal, lies, and selfishness to destroy what God has united in love,” Nazaré said in his homily.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

An undated police photo shows evidence allegedly recovered from Joshua Michael Richardson’s car after threats police say he made against St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado, California. / Credit: Orange County Sheriff's Department

CNA Staff, Sep 3, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

Authorities in California arrested a man who brought a cache of weapons, including gun paraphernalia, to a remote California abbey late last month.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested 38-year-old Joshua Michael Richardson after he allegedly made criminal threats against St. Michael’s Abbey, located in Silverado, about 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles in the Santa Ana Mountains.

Richardson, an Alabama resident, originally sent the abbey “emails that were interpreted as threatening,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said in a Sept. 2 press release.

The suspect subsequently “visited the church in person and made additional threats,” after which a priest reported the incident to the sheriff’s department.

Authorities quickly located and arrested Richardson for the alleged threats, and upon searching his vehicle they found “body armor, high-capacity magazines, brass knuckles, and knives.”

Richardson was booked into the Orange County Jail. Records show he is being held at a police facility in the city of Orange. 

In its press release the sheriff’s department urged residents: “If something seems off, say something.”

“Trust your instincts and report suspicious activity, whether it is a strange message, unusual behavior, or something that does not sit right,” they said. “Your call could stop a crime before it happens.”

St. Michael’s Abbey, run by the Norbertine Fathers in Silverado, was founded in 1961. Currently, 60 priests and more than 40 seminarians live there. The Norbertines of the abbey ran the nationally renowned St. Michael’s Preparatory School from 1961 to 2020.

News of the arrest comes roughly a week after a gunman perpetrated a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, killing two children and injuring more than 20 other children and adults.