The Vatican’s doctrine office announced Thursday it will release a document on Nov. 4 about titles of Mary that refer to her “cooperation in the work of salvation.” Mary’s contribution to human salvation, specifically the title of “Co-Redemptrix” (“Co-Redeemer”) has been a point of theological debate for decades — with proponents calling for Mary’s role in redemption to be declared a dogma...

During the Mass on the Solemnity of All Saints, also the culmination of the Jubilee of the World of Education, Pope Leo XIV proclaims Saint John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church. His legacy, the Pope emphasized, is to form people "so that they may shine like stars in their full dignity.”

Earlier this month, a body known as GAFCON — the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans — declared it was “now the Global Anglican Communion.” In the Oct. 16 declaration, entitled “The future has arrived,” the alliance of conservative Anglican church leaders said it had resolved to “reorder” the Anglican Communion, the world’s third-largest Christian communion after the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy.

Feast date: Nov 06

St Leonard of Noblac was a Frank courtier, and during a certian invasion which they were losing, the Queen suggested to Leonard that he invoke the help of God to repel the invading army. He did, and the tide of battle turned, naming Clovis victorious. Saint Remigius, bishop of Rheims then used this miracle to convert the King, Leonard, and a thousand of thier followers to Christianity. Following his conversion, St. Leonard refused the offer of a See from his grandfather, King Clovis I.

He then began a life of austerity, sanctification, and preaching. His desire to know God grew so strong that he decided to enter the monastery at Orleans. His brother, Saint Lifiard, followed his example and, leaving the King's court, built a monastery at Meun, and lived there.

However, Leonard desired further seclusion, so he withdrew into the forest of Limousin, converting many on the way, and living on herbs, wild fruits, and spring water. He built himself an oratory, leaving it only for journeys to churches. Others, recognizing his holiness, begged to live with him, and a monastery was formed. Leonard had a great compassion for prisoners, and converted many and obtaining their release.

He died of natural causes around 559. After his death, churches were dedicated to him in France, England, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Bohemia, Poland and other countries. Pilgrims flocked to his tomb, and in one small town in Bavaria there are records of 4,000 favors granted through Saint Leonard's intercession.

Feast date: Nov 06

On November 6, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Jean-Théophane Vénard, a French missionary to Vietnam who was martyred for the faith.

Famous for having inspired St. Therese of Lisieux, who said of St. Jean-Théophane that he was someone who had lived her own image of a martyr and missionary, St. Jean was born in France, became a priest in the Society of Foreign Missions, and was sent to Vietnam.

Due to the persecutions of the anti-Christian emperor Minh-Menh, priests were forced to hide in the forest and live in caves. They were able to sneak out at night and minster to the people. Eventually someone betrayed St. Jean, and he was arrested. During his trail, he refused to renounce his faith in order to save his life. He was condemned to death, and spent the last few weeks of his life locked in a cage.

It was during his incarceration that he wrote many letters, some to his family. His most famous line is from a letter to his father in which he said, “We are all flowers planted on this earth, which God plucks in His own good time: some a little sooner, some a little later . . . Father and son may we meet in Paradise. I, poor little moth, go first. Adieu."

In reading these letters, St. Therese the Little Flower came to understand and use the image of being a little flower, whom God nevertheless cared for and cultivated, despite her minute size.

St. Jean-Théophane Vénard was beheaded Feb. 2, 1861. 

His severed head was later recovered and is preserved as a relic in Vietnam. The rest of his body rests in the crypt of the Missions Etrangères in Paris.

Hailing UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as a “beacon of hope” during a recent meeting of the organization, a Vatican official offered some reflections on human development.

“Development cannot be reduced to mere figures and indicators,” said Msgr. Daniel Pacho, Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs of the Section for Relations with States and International Organizations. “Above all, it is about people, especially those living in poverty and in dire need.”

“Another important condition for integral human development is religious freedom,” he added. “Although religious extremism can sometimes hinder the exercise of the right to religious freedom, intentionally spreading religious indifference or practical atheism by countries also creates obstacles to true human development.”

A jury has awarded $4.8M to a victim of historic sexual abuse in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, five years after the diocese emerged from bankruptcy proceedings.

The victim stated he was abused by the now-laicized Joseph Cashman in the 1970s. The victim first reported the abuse in 1991.

As part of the 2021 bankruptcy settlement, the diocese paid $22 million to abuse victims. The plaintiff who was awarded $4.8 million filed his lawsuit in 2023.

The chairman of two committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, joined by the president of Catholic Relief Services, called on world leaders to act urgently to address climate change at COP30, the upcoming UN climate conference in Brazil.

“Climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation are devastating communities already burdened by poverty and exclusion,” said Archbishop Borys Gudziak, Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, and Sean Callahan. “We call on world leaders to act urgently and courageously for an ambitious Paris Agreement implementation that protects God’s creation and people.”

Vatican News, the news agency of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, has published excerpts of a papal message for the reopening of the earthquake-ravaged Basilica of St. Benedict in Norcia, Italy.

In the message, signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, Pope Leo described the reopening as “a sign of religious rebirth.” The basilica’s reconstruction, added the message, was “deeply felt and long awaited by many people, not only in Umbria but also in Italy and other countries.”

By a 70%-30% margin, Texas voters have enshrined a parental rights amendment in the state’s constitution:

To enshrine truths that are deeply rooted in this nation’s history and traditions, the people of Texas hereby affirm that a parent has the responsibility to nurture and protect the parent’s child and the corresponding fundamental right to exercise care, custody, and control of the parent’s child, including the right to make decisions concerning the child’s upbringing.

The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops supported the amendment.