Fridays, "Living that coconut kinda life."
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Crux
Regenerative agriculture: More than soil health — it’s spiritual
By Jessie Wardarski, September 11, 2026
The Midwest 63 acres (25 hectares) of land was once a conventional row crop farm. Transformed by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, an agronomist and regenerative farmer who grew up in the northern Guatemalan rainforest, Salvatierra Farms embraces crop diversity and natural solutions. No herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers — for its poultry or other operations. Drawing on his formal agricultural education and the wisdom of his Indigenous elders, Haslett-Marroquin’s approach to farming has brought together an unlikely network of Midwesterners dedicated to caring for the Earth for spiritual reasons. They include Lakota tribal members, former large-scale farmers, and Catholic sisters. “These dark green spiritualities — the ones that have a kind of sense of the intrinsic value of nature, of our belonging to it and not superiority over it — are growing rapidly around the world,” said University of Florida environmental studies professor Bron Taylor.
Zeale News
120 million taxpayers could claim education freedom tax credit
By Elise Winland, September 10, 2026
An estimated 121.5 million Americans could qualify to use a new federal tax credit that rewards taxpayers for donating to K-12 scholarship programs beginning in 2027, according to a new report from the American Federation for Children (AFC) Growth Fund. The figure represents 74% of U.S. tax filers and is more than double some earlier estimates of the potential donor pool, the school choice organization said in its Sept. 9 analysis. Enacted in 2025 as part of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” it allows individual taxpayers to claim a dollar-for-dollar federal income tax credit of up to $1,700 when they donate to approved scholarship granting organizations (SGOs). Those nonprofit organizations use the donations to provide K-12 scholarships that can cover eligible education expenses, including expenses for private school and homeschooling. The credit takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.
OSV News
Support for democracy rises in Americas, but concerns remain
By Kate Scanlon, September 10, 2026
Support for democracy has begun a modest recovery across the Americas, according to the 2026 Pulse of Democracy report by the University of Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs and Vanderbilt University’s Center for Global Democracy. However, researchers also expressed concern about the rise of authoritarianism. Two-thirds of Latin Americans supported democracy in 2026, up 6 percentage points from 2023. Support increased in nearly every country, across age groups and educational levels, suggesting a trend that is not driven by any single demographic group. “The findings offer some encouraging signs, but they also underscore the work that remains,” said Ann Mische, acting director of Notre Dame’s Kellogg Institute for International Studies. “Improving people’s daily lives matters, but strengthening democracy also requires institutions that people trust.” Mariana Rodríguez Vargas, director of research and engagement at Vanderbilt’s Center for Global Democracy, said, “65% of adults in Latin America now agree that democracy, whatever its problems, is better than any form of government.”
Aleteia
Jesus in Hollywood: Streets fill for Eucharistic procession
By Theresa Civantos Barber, September 11, 2026
Hollywood, California, the heart of the American film industry, is a high-energy town whose streets have seen all kinds of stars on the Walk of Fame. But a different scene filled its streets — a scene of quiet prayer and worship, and peaceful singing — on September 9, when Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles led hundreds of the faithful in a Eucharistic Procession. The procession drew more than 1,000 participants, according to the archdiocese, who did not let the humidity and heat deter them. Blessed Sacrament Church was completely filled with approximately 1,000 attendees — nuns, priests, families with children, and people of all ages — as Archbishop Gomez, Fr. Paul Sustayta, and Deacon Steve Greco led a program. After carrying Our Lord in the Eucharist through the streets of Hollywood and past some of Hollywood’s most recognizable landmarks, the procession returned to the church for a Silent Eucharistic Adoration Holy Hour.
National Catholic Register
Catholic theologian joins Trump’s Department of Homeland Security
By Zelda Caldwell, September 10, 2026
Chad Pecknold, a longtime professor at The Catholic University of America and prominent Catholic theologian, has begun working for the government agency that oversees immigration enforcement. Pecknold is now the principal director of public outreach for DHS’ Office of Public Engagement. “It is truly an honor to serve my country in this capacity,” he said. The Catholic theologian’s appointment to DHS comes amid ongoing clashes between the U.S. bishops and the Trump administration over immigration enforcement. The DHS has prioritized curbing illegal immigration, including carrying out a mass deportation campaign, securing the border, and making legal immigration and asylum claims more selective and difficult. Pecknold has consistently argued that defending the country’s borders does not contradict Catholic teaching. Rather, he argues, it is necessary to achieve the common good.
EWTN News
Synod’s Group 6: ‘Gender-equality mechanisms’ in workplaces
By Victoria Cardiel, September 10, 2026
The General Secretariat of the Synod on Tuesday, Sept. 8, published the final report of Study Group 6, which presents concrete proposals for renewing relations among bishops, consecrated life, and ecclesial associations, including specific mechanisms to promote greater equality between men and women in Church workplaces. The report does not specify the mechanisms by which this participation would be implemented. One of the report’s main conclusions is that the Church should move toward broader participation by consecrated men and women in discernment and decision-making processes. It calls on Church leaders to “strengthen the relationship between the conferences of major superiors and the episcopal conferences to include consecrated persons in decision-making processes.” The experts consider the distinctive charisms of religious life an indispensable contribution to the Church’s evangelizing mission and argue that consecrated people should have a greater presence in bodies that make pastoral decisions.
The Pillar
Andorran PM says abortion to be legal by April, ignoring the Vatican
By The Pillar, September 3, 2026
The Andorran Prime Minister, Xavier Espot, has announced a plan to decriminalize abortion in the microstate by April next year “whether the Holy See likes it or not,” despite a Catholic bishop serving as co-head of state. After years of tense talks with the Vatican on the issue of abortion, dialogue with the Holy See will continue, but “with our sights set on the upcoming parliamentary session and, therefore, with the assurance that we can pass legislation to decriminalize abortion.” The country’s co-head of state is Bishop Josep Lluís Serrano Pentinat of Urgell. Andorra has an unusual political arrangement, with two co-princes serving as heads of state: the president of France and the Bishop of Urgell. As a result, legalizing any measure contrary to Catholic teaching can involve delicate political and ecclesial tensions, as a change in the law could theoretically involve the bishop. The Urgell diocese dates to the fifth century and serves 212,000 Catholics from its center in La Seu d’Urgell, a town in Spanish Catalonia.
Zenit
Battle ahead: Catholic Church in Poland takes stand on Surrogacy
By Joachin Meisner Hertz, September 9, 2026
Poland’s Catholic bishops have opened the new academic year with strong warnings on two fronts that, at first sight, may appear unrelated: the commercialization of human reproduction and the shrinking space for religion in public education. Behind both controversies lies a broader question that has become increasingly important in Poland’s cultural and political debate: what place should human dignity, parental rights and religious conviction occupy in a rapidly changing society? The Bioethics Expert Team of the Polish Bishops’ Conference described surrogacy as “gravely immoral” and called for decisive action to prevent Polish citizens from using the practice, whether at home or abroad. The bishops’ objection goes far beyond surrogacy's legal status. Their central concern is that the arrangement risks transforming both motherhood and childhood into objects of a contractual transaction. A procedure that cannot be justified at home, they argue, does not become ethically acceptable simply because it is carried out in another jurisdiction.
Keep informed - 9/11/26 news for Catholics
Snippets from Big Pulpit, EWTN, & the Loop
Big Pulpit
Tito Edwards Catholic site: September 11, 2026
The Big Pulpit website is a news aggregator that gathers quality insights and analysis on the Catholic Church worldwide.
It’s Not They Don’t Like the Rites, They Don’t Like the People Who Like the Rites – Fr. Z’s Blog
Will Leo Issue a Strong Motu Proprio Stopping Liturgical Abuses? – Fr. Allan J. McDonald
Why Did Muslim Terrorists Pick the Date 9/11 & How Mary & Tolkien Involved – S. Smith, Esq.
Rome Pilgrimage for Christ the King: No Mass in St. Peter’s This Year – Rorate Cæli
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — September 11, 2026
EWTN News provides reliable, free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, with updates on the Holy Father's words and the Holy See.
25 years after 9/11: How heroic faith inspired conversion and hope in Christ - By Colm Flynn - In 2001, there were relatively few cellphones and no social media. People watching news coverage of the attacks on television in Australia knew more about what was happening than those inside the towers.
Brazilian bishop bans alcohol, bingo, and cash raffles at events throughout his diocese - By Monasa Narjara - “It is the Church’s mission to exhort the faithful to bear witness to the virtues and to avoid vices,” Bishop Francisco Cota declared.
Bishop Boxie addresses why the U.S. has so few Black Catholic bishops - By Tessa Gervasini - “The last time that an African American bishop had been ordained was 10 years prior. When I was appointed a couple of months ago, I became the second African American bishop in the entire United States,” Boxie explained in an interview with “Vatican Access,” a Catholic News Service podcast.
The Loop
Zeale is CatholicVote, hosting the LOOP
Over half a million people receive the LOOP news rundown six days a week. Zeale is the new home of the LOOP. Zeale is a project of CatholicVote, America’s top Catholic advocacy organization leading the fight for faith, family, and freedom.
REPUBLICANS RALLY SUPPORT AT GOP MIDTERM CONVENTION - Republicans gathered in Dallas this week for a first-of-its-kind midterm convention, with President Trump urging turnout and pledging to campaign nationwide. Vice President JD Vance closed the event by drawing a sharp contrast with Democrats, as speakers also marked the first anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s assassination and warned that November will decide whether the “common sense revolution” holds.
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS HIGHLIGHTS 9/11 ACTS OF HEROISM - The Knights of Columbus is marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by remembering 46 members killed that day — including 12 firefighters, six law enforcement officers, and an elevator mechanic, who ran toward the towers to help others escape. The day after the attacks, the Knights launched a $1 million Heroes Fund for 419 families and later provided Catholic college tuition aid for children of deceased or disabled first-responder Knights.
TALARICO BACKS MINOR SURGERY BAN, WALKS BACK ‘SIX SEXES’ COMMENT - Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico said he would “absolutely” vote for a national ban on “transgender” surgeries for minors and now says “there are two” sexes, walking back a 2021 claim that modern science recognized six. The shift comes in the final stretch of a dead-heat race against Attorney General Ken Paxton.
September 11, 2026 - USCCB Daily Mass Readings
You can listen HERE — or read HERE:
Friday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Catholic commentary:
Catholic365
When God feels far away
By E V, September 10, 2024
Over the years, there have been moments when the emotional strength of certain encounters has felt like being drawn deeply into the very heart of the Lord. There have also been moments when, from a distance, His presence seemed to be miles and miles away. No matter how much I tried to draw closer, He seemed to become more distant. Perhaps God wasn't asking me to pray differently just for the sake of doing something different. Perhaps He was lovingly calling my attention back to Him and reminding me that He does not simply want me to be a person who prays to Him, He wants me to be a person who prays with Him. There is a profound difference. Prayer is not merely a routine I perform so that I can feel close to God. It is a relationship. It is an encounter. It is a conversation in which I learn not only to speak, but also to listen; not only to ask, but also to remain; not only to seek answers, but to remain with Him even when the answers do not come.
Catholic World Report
The Mass: Intimate encounter with the transcendent Lord
By BishopJames Conley, September 8, 2026
All of us, whether religious or not, long for transcendence because the human heart was made for it. By transcendence I mean the awareness of something greater than ourselves; something bigger than us. It’s that experience of something so beautiful, so powerful that words fail and our hearts are stirred. Perhaps you’ve felt this while gazing at a star-filled night sky, hiking the Ozarks, or entering a breathtakingly beautiful cathedral. Such natural experiences of transcendence are gifts that point us toward the transcendent God. God is wholly other—He is uncreated, infinitely holy, and beyond human comprehension. He is also far more unlike us than like us, and yet God made us in His image for relationship with Him. So, while the human heart longs for all kinds of encounters with something greater than itself, it yearns particularly for an encounter with the God of the universe.
Catholic Exchange
Would the Resurrection survive cross-examination?
By Peter Dominic Martino, September 11, 2026
The question posed starts with the standard of proof. A civil verdict requires only a preponderance of the evidence, a fraction over half. However, the test I applied in my book, Resurrection on Trial, is explanatory adequacy, used by historians and forensic investigators for events long past. Does the Christian claim of the Resurrection explain the full record more completely and coherently than every rival explanation, and does it resist displacement by them? That is a higher bar. An account does not clear this higher bar by merely edging out the competition. It must leave the fewest questions unexplained. It does not require absolute certainty, which no claim about antiquity can meet. We do not demand it of Alexander, Caesar, or Socrates. So, let’s legally test the claim of the Resurrection.
Bishop Barron
‘Who are you to tell me how to behave?’
By Bishop Robert Barron, September 11, 2026
Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus commands us to stop judging others. He asks, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?” We are exceptionally good at seeing faults in others, but we are equally adept at ignoring them in ourselves. A very popular book came out when I was a teenager. It was called I’m OK—You’re OK. It represented a culture of exculpation and feel-good self-affirmation. Not many years ago, Christina Aguilera crooned, “I am beautiful in every single way, and words can’t bring me down.” Look at so many debates today; the attitude that is winning is self-invention and self-assertion. “Who are you to tell me how to behave?” In all of this, we are fundamentally looking away from our guilt, our fault, our darkness. We are effectively drugging ourselves, dulling the pain of real self-consciousness. In the process, we turn ourselves into God, pretending to be absolute, flawless, and impervious to criticism.
Image of Coconut by Celio Nicoli from Pixabay
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