The exterior of the new Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City. / Credit: Joe Holdren/EWTN News

CNA Staff, Mar 6, 2025 / 16:20 pm (CNA).

A Catholic charter school is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to approve the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school in a case that could reshape school choice and religious freedom in the U.S.

In an opening brief filed on Wednesday, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School — a Catholic charter school managed by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma — maintained that it is religious discrimination for the state to withhold generally available funding solely because the school is religious.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court previously ordered Oklahoma’s charter school board to rescind the contract with St. Isidore in June, citing the First Amendment’s prohibition of laws that would establish a state religion.

Shortly after, both St. Isidore and the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board filed separate petitions to the U.S. Supreme Court in October 2024.

In the opening briefs, St. Isidore and the school board maintained that if the state is going to offer general funding for private charter organizations, it cannot deny that funding to a charter school on the basis of religion. 

“The First Amendment protects St. Isidore from discriminatory state laws that would bar it from participating in that program or receiving funding solely because the school it has designed is religious,” read the brief filed by the Notre Dame Law School’s Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic, a teaching law practice that trains Notre Dame law students.

The attorneys pointed out that Oklahoma designed the program “to foster educational diversity through privately designed and operated charter schools … but Oklahoma denies that opportunity to religious entities solely because they are religious.” 

In a similar vein, the charter school board argued on Wednesday that the Oklahoma Supreme Court decision was a “distortion of the First Amendment” that “would have devastating effects on religious organizations,” according to the opening brief filed by Alliance Defending Freedom, a nonprofit that defends First Amendment rights. 

“Faith-based groups often provide vital public services in which they partner with the government or are subject to government regulation,” the brief read. “Yet under the decision below, many of these organizations would be deemed state actors disqualified from providing broad-ranging social services — including foster care, adoption services, medical care, homeless shelters, and other aid to disadvantaged communities.”

Isidore was initially approved to be a charter school by the state board in 2023, but Oklahoma’s Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a lawsuit against the board, arguing the establishment violated the state’s religious liberty protections.

Drummond opposed the charter school’s petitions to the Supreme Court last year, maintaining that having a Catholic charter school is a “clear-cut First Amendment violation,” according to a Dec. 9 press release.

Nicole Stelle Garnett, John P. Murphy Foundation professor of law at Notre Dame, said St. Isidore is asking the Supreme Court to uphold its “basic right against religious discrimination.”

“States routinely partner with faith-based organizations to serve the public — whether by providing education, shelter, food, health care, you name it,” Garnett said. “The Supreme Court has repeatedly made clear that the government may not offer support to private groups like these and then deny that opportunity to organizations based on their religion.”

Oklahoma ranked 49th in education in the U.S. in 2024, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, with 84% of its eighth graders testing “not proficient” in math and 76% of its fourth graders “not proficient” in reading.

Michael Scaperlanda, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and chairman of St. Isidore's Board, noted that the archdiocese wanted to improve educational access for Oklahomans. 

“Too many children in Oklahoma — particularly in remote and rural communities — don’t have robust learning opportunities or access to schools that may serve their children’s individual needs,” Scaperlanda said in a March 6 statement. “We want to help fill that gap by offering an excellent, Catholic education to all interested families across the state, regardless of their zip code, their income, or any other circumstance.” 

“All children deserve to thrive in an environment that fits them, and we hope to help make that a reality,” Scaperlanda added. 

There are more than 30 privately operated charter schools in Oklahoma. John Meiser, director of Notre Dame Law School’s Religious Liberty Clinic, lauded Oklahoma’s endeavor to “foster educational pluralism” and “create a diversity of learning options for all children” but noted that this must be open to all.  

“That is a great endeavor. But bedrock constitutional law is clear: Oklahoma cannot invite any and all educators to participate in it except those who happen to be religious,” Meiser said. 

The Supreme Court will hear arguments on April 30, with a decision expected this summer. 

Maryland Capitol. / Credit: Dave Newman/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Mar 6, 2025 / 15:35 pm (CNA).

Maryland’s Catholic bishops recently expressed concern that a proposed change to the state’s tax code, specifically the elimination of itemized deductions, could reduce charitable giving in the state. 

As part of a broad tax reform agenda pushed by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, the bill in the Maryland Legislature would double the standard deduction — the flat amount that tax filers can claim without having to list and prove all their deductions — while eliminating itemized deductions. The latter are often used by taxpayers to claim charitable expenses.

A 2023 state report cited by the Baltimore Sun showed that roughly 20% of Maryland taxpayers made use of itemized deductions. Moore’s office has claimed that only wealthy households use them and that middle- and low-income taxpayers largely won’t be affected.

The Maryland Catholic Conference (MCC), which represents the state’s bishops, said in a Feb. 28 testimony to the state Legislature’s Budget and Taxation Committee that the Catholic Church’s presence in Maryland, which includes parishes, schools, hospitals, and numerous charities, “combine to form our state’s second-largest social service provider network, behind only our state government.”

The conference warned that the proposed change could have “unintended consequences” on charitable giving in the state, because eliminating itemized deductions removes the tax incentive for charitable donations.

Research from the Tax Policy Center suggests that when a similar policy was enacted at the federal level in 2018, charitable giving declined by billions of dollars. 

“Charitable giving is not merely a financial transaction, it is an expression of our shared moral responsibility to care for the poor, the vulnerable, and those in need,” the Maryland Catholic Conference said in its statement. 

“Catholic social teaching calls us to solidarity and the preferential option for the poor, recognizing that human dignity is upheld when we work together to support those who are struggling,” the conference said.

“Faith-based and nonprofit organizations play a vital role in meeting the needs of our communities, offering food, shelter, education, and support to countless individuals and families.”

While the intention of increasing the standard deduction may be to provide financial relief to Maryland taxpayers, “it should not come at the expense of charitable giving and the ability of civil society to care for those in need,” the conference continued. 

“Catholic teaching affirms the principle of subsidiarity, which holds that needs should be met at the most local level possible. Charitable organizations and religious institutions are often best positioned to provide direct assistance efficiently and compassionately,” the group said. 

“Removing this incentive will weaken the financial foundation of these organizations and ultimately shift the burden to government programs, which are already strained.”

The Maryland bills are currently being considered by committees in the state House and Senate.

Perpetual Pilgrims from the St. Juan Diego Route process into Lucas Oil Stadium in July 2024 with an image of their patron saint. / Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

CNA Staff, Mar 6, 2025 / 15:05 pm (CNA).

The National Eucharistic Congress announced this week the names of the eight Perpetual Pilgrims who will accompany the Eucharistic Jesus on a 3,300-mile walking pilgrimage from Indianapolis to Los Angeles this summer, beginning in May.

The latest iteration of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, dubbed the Drexel Route, was announced in mid-February, while the biographies of the pilgrims were posted online this week. 

This year’s pilgrimage is a continuation of last year’s unprecedented four simultaneous Eucharistic pilgrimages, which started at the edges of the country and eventually converged in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress in July 2024. 

The goal of the pilgrimages is to bear public witness to the truth that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. 

This year’s Drexel Route will open with a Mass of Thanksgiving in Indianapolis on Sunday, May 18. The route then heads northwest through Illinois to Iowa before turning to the southwest and descending through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. From Texas the route continues roughly west through New Mexico, Arizona, and finally California.

Over a quarter of a million people across the country encountered the pilgrimages last summer, organizers said. As with last year, the small group of young adult Perpetual Pilgrims will accompany the Eucharist the entire way, while any person wishing to join for small portions of the route will be able to sign up to do so.

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage website includes biographies for each of the eight young Perpetual Pilgrims who will be walking the entire route with Jesus. 

Arthur “Ace” Acuña is originally from Las Vegas and graduated from Princeton University in 2023 with a degree in chemical and biological engineering. He works for the Aquinas Institute — Princeton’s campus ministry — finding creative ways to share the joys of the Catholic faith with students. 

Stephen Fuhrmann is from Lindsay, Texas, and plans to graduate from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural business. He developed a deep love for Jesus in the Eucharist while in college. 

Johnathan “Johnny” Silvino Hernandez-Jose resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and helps run his family’s construction company. He has a heart for service in his diocese, assisting with confirmation, young adult groups, and a ministry for the Hispanic community. 

Cheyenne Johnson is originally from Lakeland, Florida, and currently lives in Indianapolis, where she serves as the director of Catholic campus ministry at Butler University. She is a convert to Catholicism. 

Leslie Reyes-Hernandez is from Phoenix, originally from Illinois, and teaches freshman algebra at a public high school. She encountered Christ’s love through the Eucharist in college and serves in college ministry at the Grand Canyon University Newman Center. 

Rachel Levy grew up in small-town Indiana and graduated from Indiana University with a degree in marketing before transitioning to full-time ministry. She currently serves the Office of Young Adult and College Campus Ministry for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, accompanying young adults in their faith journey. 

Frances Webber, originally from Virginia but currently living in Minnesota, is a senior in college studying theology and business. She works for the Center for Catholic Social Thought and is involved with Saint Paul’s Outreach. 

Charlie McCullough, a recent Texas A&M graduate, is the only 2025 pilgrim who is a returner from last year. In 2024 he completed the southern Juan Diego Route, which began in Brownsville, Texas; this year he will serve as team leader for the Drexel Route. 

Speaking to CNA last year ahead of the first round of pilgrimages, McCullough expressed openness to God radically altering the course of his life during the pilgrimage. He said at the time that he was most looking forward to being able to help people experience small, “seemingly insignificant” interactions with Christ in the Eucharist that “radically change everything.”

“My hope for the pilgrimage is that every person that we encounter has something stir inside of them that makes them question: ‘Why do I feel differently when I was encountered by this procession? … What if that is truly the body and blood of Jesus Christ?’” McCullough said in 2024.

“I have full confidence that Jesus Christ is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Eucharist and if the pilgrimage simply stirs questions in the hearts of those that we encounter, I know that those questions will be answered with the truth.”

The 2025 pilgrimage route will include numerous opportunities to encounter the Eucharistic Jesus, including daily Mass, Eucharistic adoration, Eucharistic processions, witness talks, and fellowship meals with the Perpetual Pilgrims, organizers said.

Like last year’s events, this year’s pilgrimage will focus on Eucharistic encounters with marginalized communities, bringing the Eucharist to assisted-living facilities, food banks, a juvenile detention center, a hospital, and a federal prison along the route.

In addition, there will be a number of stops with particular significance to Catholics along the way: the tomb of Venerable Fulton Sheen in Illinois; the Shrine of Blessed Stanley Rother in Oklahoma City; several mission churches in Southern California; and St. Michael Church near Window Rock, which is the capital of the Navajo Nation in the southwestern desert.

In honor of the ongoing Jubilee Year of Hope, there will be an additional focus on Eucharistic healing, organizers said.

Prayer intentions for the pilgrims to carry with them on their journey can be submitted here.

Maria Valtorta (1897–1961) was an Italian Catholic mystic who was bedridden for more than 30 years and claimed to have received visions and revelations from Jesus and the Virgin Mary, which she related in extensive writing. The Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith said in a Feb. 22, 2025, press release that the messages contained in her writing “cannot be considered to be of supernatural origin.” / Credit: Public domain

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 6, 2025 / 14:35 pm (CNA).

The author, who remained bedridden for more than 30 years following an incident, claimed to have received visions and revelations from Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

Catholic farmer Matt Deimeke plants his Mexico, Missouri, field. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Matt Deimeke

St. Louis, Mo., Mar 6, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Amid debate in Washington, D.C., over the new administration’s deep cuts to numerous federal programs and contracts, farmers across the country are facing uncertainty as they await reimbursement for conservation and sustainability projects funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In a Day 1 executive order Jan. 20, President Donald Trump ordered that all funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) — which among other things allocated nearly $20 billion for agriculture programs — be paused.

Among the most popularly used programs funded by the IRA are the long-standing Environmental Quality Incentive and Conservation Stewardship programs, both of which are designed to reward farmers for good environmental practices such as taking steps to reduce erosion into local waterways. 

A very small percentage — less than 1% — of the USDA funds owed to farmers have been released as of late February, but many farmers are still awaiting reimbursement for projects they have already paid for out of pocket. 

Matt Deimeke, a Catholic family farmer from rural Mexico, Missouri, said he is not currently using the federal conservation programs for his soybean fields but has in the past. 

“If I was using them [now] and was expecting payments, it would definitely affect us,” he told CNA. 

Jim Ennis, executive director of Catholic Rural Life (CRL), told CNA that many Catholic farmers use and support the programs, which are designed to encourage farmers to implement practices that not only benefit the environment but also ensure the continued productivity of their land. 

CRL is a Minnesota-based national membership organization that promotes Catholic life in rural areas. In talking to CRL’s members around the country, Ennis said he encountered surprise and concern among farmers who had already invested in the practices promoted by these programs and were expecting reimbursement from the government.

“A lot of farmers voted for this new administration. Now, with these funds frozen, it caught some people — some of the farmers — by surprise,” Ennis noted.

“I was just speaking with one farmer today, and he said he knows a couple of farmers who are stuck because they had these contracts, and now they’re not sure what’s going to happen.”

Ennis explained that these programs can incentivize farmers to adopt environmentally friendly practices like reducing erosion and protecting water quality, practices that Catholic Rural Life strongly supports. By providing financial assistance and incentives, the programs make it easier for them to implement sustainable practices such as planting cover crops, which improve soil health.

The programs support farmers in their role as stewards, Ennis said, encouraging them to care for the land so they can pass it on to the next generation. Many farmers, including many who are Catholic, are conservation-conscious and view farming as a vocation with a responsibility to care for the land, he said.

Participating in these programs can also help farmers reduce risk by providing a financial safety net — particularly important for farming families when commodity prices are low or after a difficult crop year, he said. 

While the current disruptions do not put the food supply in danger, the current funding freezes create a financial burden for farmers committed to good stewardship, many of whom will likely continue to farm sustainability even without the financial incentives, Ennis continued.

He encouraged farmers and people of goodwill to contact their legislators to advocate for the continued funding of these programs. The administration, in an effort to cut waste, is actually “freezing really excellent programs and funding,” he said. 

“These cuts can have these unintended consequences, and there’s a lot of collateral damage that I don’t think is intended,” Ennis concluded. 

“I think the USDA and the administration will realize that they need to follow through with those contracts. It’s not waste. It’s actually very prudent, responsible agriculture.” 

In addition to the conservation program uncertainty, Catholic farmers have expressed concern in recent weeks over the new administration’s cuts to the 70-year-old Food for Peace program, a USAID initiative that buys up American surplus grain and ships it to developing nations. Millions of bushels of food aid are currently stuck in storage pending an investigation into alleged USAID mismanagement. 

Catholic farmers in Kansas recently told “EWTN News In Depth” that while they would like to see any abuse or corruption in the aid agency weeded out, the U.S. needs to continue to deliver aid and get the farmers’ excess grain to the people who need it.

An Ash Wednesday Mass was reportedly held in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Office Building, adjacent to the White House on March 5, 2025. / Credit: Another Believer|Wikimedia Commons|CC BY-SA 3.0

Washington D.C., Mar 5, 2025 / 18:36 pm (CNA).

A Catholic Mass was reportedly celebrated for the staff at the White House today in observance of Ash Wednesday. 

An email from the White House Management Office informed staff that the Mass would take place in the Indian Treaty Room at 8:30 a.m. The Indian Treaty Room is located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, adjacent to the White House. 

“Staff who observe are welcome to attend,” the email stated. 

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump also issued a greeting for Ash Wednesday.

“This Ash Wednesday, we join in prayer with the tens of millions of American Catholics and other Christians beginning the holy season of Lent — a time of spiritual anticipation of the passion, death, and resurrection of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” the message reads.

“During the Lenten season, Christians spend 40 days and 40 nights praying, fasting, and giving alms to deepen our faith and strengthen our belief in the Gospel,” the statement continues. It further noted: “Today, followers of Christ wear crosses of ash on their foreheads — a sacred reminder of our mortality and our enduring need for Christ’s infinite mercy and redeeming love.”

The statement concluded with the president and the First Lady saying: “Let us prepare our souls for the coming glory of the Easter miracle,” adding: “May Almighty God bless you, and may he continue to bless the United States of America.”

Prior to the election, Trump had extended greetings to Catholics on feast days, taking to social media on Sept. 8, the Nativity of Mary, to post “Happy Birthday Mary!” along with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

He also tweeted the St. Michael Prayer marking the archangel’s feast day, accompanied by an image of St. Michael. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are among the most prominent Catholics occupying top positions in Trump’s second administration.

Ana Redondo, Spain’s minister of equality, is seen at the Spanish Congress of Deputies on Feb. 12, 2025. / Credit: Alberto Gardin/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Madrid, Spain, Mar 5, 2025 / 16:40 pm (CNA).

Spain’s minister of equality, Ana Redondo, said such an inclusion would be “a good way to protect sexual and reproductive rights and, above all, the freedom of women.”

José Antonio Satué, bishop of Teruel and Albarracín in Spain. / Credit: Diocese of Teruel and Albarracín

Madrid, Spain, Mar 5, 2025 / 15:10 pm (CNA).

José María Martínez, a teacher at Gaztelueta School (an Opus Dei institution located in Lejona, Spain) was notified of his second conviction on Monday, March 3.

The flag of the European Union. / Credit: U. J. Alexander/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 4, 2025 / 16:30 pm (CNA).

The European Catholic bishops stated that “Ukraine’s struggle for peace will also be decisive for the fate of Europe and the world.” 

Alcide De Gasperi delivers a speech in Bologna, Italy, in 1951. / Credit: Democrazia Cristiana, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Madrid, Spain, Feb 28, 2025 / 15:30 pm (CNA).

Servant of God Alcide De Gasperi was one of the promoters of the project for a united Europe, inspired by the values ​​of Christian humanism.