Healing Ministry

09/05/2026

A Massachusetts priest was attacked Monday evening while protecting the Blessed Sacrament during confession and Eucharistic Adoration (Holy Hour) at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.

Around 5:15 p.m. on September 1, 59-year-old Jose Nascimento of New Bedford entered Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on Bonney Street while Father Christopher Peschel was hearing confessions and the monstrance was exposed for adoration. Witnesses said the man stomped in, acted erratically, banged on the altar, knocked items over, and tried to take the monstrance — the vessel holding the consecrated Host.

Father Peschel came out of the confessional, tried to de-escalate, and escorted the man outside. There Nascimento punched the priest and struck him in the face with an empty beer can inside a plastic bag. A parishioner, Joao Debrito, jumped in and helped pin the suspect until New Bedford police arrived.

The priest suffered a minor facial injury (including a cut under the eye) and was treated at St. Luke’s Hospital. He is reported to be doing well. No one else was hurt. The monstrance was not stolen.

Nascimento was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery, threat to commit a crime, disorderly conduct, and disturbing the peace. He later had a profanity-laced outburst at arraignment and was ordered to undergo further mental-health evaluation.

From the hospital, Father Peschel posted:
“Yes a man attacked me at confessions and adoration this evening after he tried to steal the monstrance. I forgive him. I am just glad nobody else was hurt. I pinned him down until the police arrived. NBPD, the ambulance crew, and the staff at St Luke have been great. I am alright, thank you all again.”

Father Peschel, ordained in 2014, is pastor of the parish, dean of the New Bedford Deanery, and a chaplain to the Massachusetts State Police. The historic Portuguese parish has served New Bedford’s South End since 1902.

09/01/2026

Texas has some incredible hidden treasures, but this tiny chapel might be one of the most beautiful.

09/01/2026

The American Priest Who Chose to Stay—and Died for His Flock

He could have escaped.

He was warned that his name was on a death list.

Instead of fleeing to safety, he returned to the people he loved.

The Church now honors him as Blessed Stanley Francis Rother, a priest and martyr who gave his life for Christ and his flock.

Born on March 27, 1935, in Okarche, Oklahoma, Stanley Rother grew up on a farming family. Though he struggled in seminary studies, he persevered through humility, hard work, and deep trust in God. He was ordained a priest in 1963 for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.

A few years later, Father Rother volunteered to serve as a missionary in the remote highlands of Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala, where he ministered to the indigenous Tz'utujil people.

He embraced their way of life completely.

He learned their difficult language, translated the New Testament and parts of the liturgy into Tz'utujil, celebrated the sacraments, taught the faith, cared for the sick, and helped improve the lives of the poor. To the people, he became more than a missionary—he became their spiritual father.

But Guatemala was descending into civil war.

Priests, catechists, and faithful Catholics were being persecuted and murdered for defending the dignity of the poor and remaining faithful to the Gospel. Father Rother knew his own life was in danger.

At the request of his superiors, he temporarily returned to Oklahoma.

Yet his heart remained with his people.

He famously said:

> "The shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger."

Knowing full well that returning could cost him his life, Father Rother went back to Guatemala to continue serving his parish.

On the night of July 28, 1981, armed men broke into the rectory.

Father Rother resisted, protecting the Blessed Sacrament and defending himself as long as he could. During the struggle, he was shot and killed.

He was 46 years old.

The people of Santiago Atitlán mourned him as their beloved pastor. According to his wishes, his body was returned to Oklahoma for burial, while his heart was buried beneath the altar of his parish church in Guatemala, symbolizing that his heart would forever remain with the people he loved.

Recognizing that he was killed in hatred of the faith and his pastoral ministry, Pope Francis approved his martyrdom. On September 23, 2017, Father Stanley Rother was beatified, becoming the first U.S.-born priest recognized as a martyr by the Catholic Church.

Blessed Stanley Rother reminds us that a true shepherd does not abandon his flock when danger comes. He teaches us that faithful love sometimes requires the ultimate sacrifice and that Christ's servants are called to lay down their lives for others.

Blessed Stanley Francis Rother, priest and martyr, pray for us. 🙏✝️

Fear Not

08/23/2026

Something extraordinary is about to travel across America.

The relics of St. Bernadette Soubirous—the young visionary who saw the Virgin Mary at Lourdes—will arrive in the United States this September.

The year-long pilgrimage will begin at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., before continuing across the country.

During the previous U.S. tour, hundreds of thousands of people came to pray. Many waited for hours just to spend a few moments near the relics of the humble girl to whom Our Lady appeared 18 times.

Saint Bernadette never sought fame. She simply repeated what Mary had told her and remained faithful through suffering, illness, and disbelief.

Now her witness of humility, healing, and hope is returning to America.

Would you travel to venerate her relics if they came near your city?

08/12/2026

FATHERDAN REEHIL WITH ExorcistCatholic SpeakerPro-Life Advocate TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8th, 2026 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Estancia del Norte by Hilton(across from north star mall)37 NE Loop 410 At McCulloughSan Antonio, TX 78216 REGISTER Admission: Free for all adults but you must register to be put on the gue...

08/09/2026

08/06/2026

High in the mountains of Wyoming, a growing community of Carmelite monks is building something almost unheard of in the modern world: a vast stone monastery in the traditional Gothic style.

The Monastery of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel—known as New Mount Carmel—was designed as a permanent home for generations of contemplative monks. Construction began in 2014, and the community moved into the completed portion in 2019. Work now continues on the monastery’s main chapel, with thousands of individual stones being prepared for its arches, walls and sanctuary.

The monks are not merely commissioning the building from a distance. They design, program, cut, carve and set the stone themselves, using modern machinery to create architecture inspired by the great medieval monasteries of Christendom. The project is built phase by phase without debt, supported by benefactors and the monks’ own labour.

While much of the modern world builds for the next few decades, these monks are building for centuries. Every stone is placed for the glory of God, creating a monastery where prayer, silence, Gregorian chant and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass may continue long after its builders have passed away.

The Gothic tradition is not dead. In the Rocky Mountains, it is rising again. ✝️⛪🏔️

08/04/2026

Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller Issues Pastoral Letter Calling Faithful to Solidarity with Migrants

Read the press release below or online: https://archsa.org/archbishop-gustavo-garcia-siller-issues-pastoral-letter-calling-faithful-to-solidarity-with-migrants/

We Will Come to You: United in Solidarity with Our Brothers and Sisters in Migration offers roadmap of dignity, welcome, and hope for the local Church
SAN ANTONIO — Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS, has issued a new pastoral letter, We Will Come to You: United in Solidarity with Our Brothers and Sisters in Migration, released August 3 at San Fernando Cathedral. Addressed to the more than 1 million Catholics of the archdiocese and to all people of good will, it offers a pastoral roadmap grounded in human dignity and the Gospel call to welcome the stranger.

He released it on the 100th anniversary of San Antonio’s elevation to a metropolitan archdiocese, as the nation marks 250 years of independence. Amid widespread fear among immigrant families and unprecedented immigration enforcement, he calls for renewed discernment and pastoral accompaniment.

“Families we know by name are now afraid to come to the sacraments. Like the Good Samaritan who drew near to the wounded, we cannot walk past them,” said Archbishop Gustavo. “I write to console the suffering, to awaken the indifferent, and to confront injustice with the courage the Gospel demands.”

The letter outlines four pillars:

- Human Dignity: every person, regardless of legal status, bears the image of God and an inviolable dignity.

- Encounter with Christ: in welcoming the migrant to welcome, protect, promote, and integrate — we meet Christ Himself.

- A Church That Goes Forth: parishes and families are called to accompaniment, from Know Your Rights formation to ministry with the detained.

- The Common Good: an appeal to civic leaders on the non-negotiable principles of dignity, family unity, and due process.

Parishes, Catholic schools, and campus ministries will receive a reflection guide and liturgical resources, with emphasis on September’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

Availability and Resources:

The full text is available in English (https://archsa.org/we-will-come-to-you/) and Spanish (https://archsa.org/regresare-a-ustedes/), with a reflection guide, a video reflection from the archbishop, and liturgical resources, with emphasis on September’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

08/01/2026

Behind every statistic on human trafficking is a wounded life, a broken family, and a stolen future. Across the world, however, thousands of Catholic sisters are quietly working to restore hope where exploitation has left deep scars.

According to its 2025 annual report, Talitha K*m, the international anti-human trafficking network founded by the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), reached more than 1.2 million people through prevention, protection, advocacy, and survivor care. Active in 113 countries, the network has become one of the Catholic Church's most significant responses to the global crisis of human trafficking.

Much of its work focuses on protecting those most at risk. Of the nearly 929,000 people reached through prevention initiatives last year, hundreds of thousands were women, girls, and children, equipping vulnerable communities with the knowledge and support needed to resist exploitation.

Sister Abby Avelino, the network's international coordinator, warned that traffickers are increasingly using digital platforms to lure victims with false promises of employment before forcing them into cyber-enabled criminal activities through violence and coercion. She stressed that these evolving threats require stronger global cooperation and compassionate action.

Founded in 2009, Talitha K*m continues to expand its international partnerships while promoting justice for survivors and raising awareness among young people. Earlier this year, Pope Leo encouraged the network's mission during the World Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking, affirming the Church's commitment to defending human dignity.

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*m

07/27/2026

Need a miracle? Ask for the intercession of St. Charbel Makhlouf. 🙏

From a woman in Arizona who reportedly regained her sight after venerating his relics to a critically ill baby in France whose condition unexpectedly improved after his family prayed a novena, countless people have attributed extraordinary healings to this humble Lebanese saint.

God does not promise us the miracle we request, but prayer is never wasted. Through the intercession of the saints, He can bring healing, strength, peace, and a deeper trust in His will.

Prayer to St. Charbel

Almighty God, who manifested the power of St. Charbel’s intercession through numerous miracles and favors, grant us, through his intercession, the grace we now ask of You.

State your intention.

St. Charbel, pray for us. Amen.