“Worth your weight in walnuts”

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Our Sunday Visitor

Study will identify why some priests leave the ministry

By Gina Christian, October 23, 2026

The Catholic University of America has launched a new study to explore why some priests choose to leave ministry within a few years of ordination. “There is a perception among some bishops and other Catholic leaders that there has been an increase in the number of men leaving priestly ministry in their early years,” said university official Sara Perla. The survey — the results for which will be released sometime in the fall of 2027 — will combine quantitative and qualitative methods, with the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University compiling the data set. “We’ve got 9,000 names, and we have to figure out where every one of them is today,” Jesuit Father Thomas P. Gaunt, executive director of CARA, said. The process is a “one-by-one” inquiry, he said — and, he added, “the dilemma is being able to identify and then contact those who have left the priesthood.”

National Catholic Register

Blowback pushes one bishop to apologize about Trump meeting

By Tina Dennelly/EWTN, October 25, 2026

Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee issued what he called a “public apology” on Sunday for his role in the Oct. 22 meeting of bishops at the White House. Grob said that over the last few days, he had “received many questions and comments about the October 22 meeting I and 11 other bishops attended at the White House, which was soon thereafter publicized by the administration without the consent of the participants.” He went on to say that his “intention was never to cause confusion, anger, or disappointment among the people entrusted to my care” and that he issued the Oct. 25 statement to provide context for the meeting. Grob’s statement follows another participant at the Oct. 22 meeting, Denver Archbishop James Golka, who led the prayer in the Oval Office, defending his participation in the event. Golka said he “knew people might be upset” and that it could be “use[d] for political purposes.”

Related: Denver archbishop responds to criticism over Trump prayer meeting: ‘I was being a Catholic priest’, EWTN, By Daniel Payne, October 24, 2026

Related: CatholicVote president defends bishops who prayed over Trump, McKenna Snow, Zeale, October 25, 2026

EWTN News

Catholic Church in Egypt keeping youths attached to their faith

By Amira Abuzeid, October 17, 2026

The Catholic Church in Egypt faces the challenge of keeping its young population attached to the faith, a bishop in the country said, noting that many youths abandon the Catholic faith at marriage. Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Emmanuel Bishay of Egypt’s Coptic Catholic Eparchy of Luxor clarified that relations between the Catholic and Orthodox churches are good. However, he noted the challenge of keeping youths in the Church, adding that to deepen the Catholic faith, the Church runs formation programs alongside initiatives that make it easier for young Catholics to meet and build relationships. “At the official level, relations between the Catholic and Orthodox churches are good. There is affection, and people exchange greetings on religious occasions,” Bishay said in an Oct. 19 ACN report.

PIMA Asia News

Russian Orthodox Church challenged with moral framework in war

By Vladimir Rozanskij, October 26, 2026

At a critical juncture for the Russian economy due to the war with Ukraine, which drags on with no end in sight, the Orthodox Church is also reflecting on economic issues. In an interview with the TASS news agency, also published on the Moscow Patriarchate’s website. Ilya Kuzmenkov, vice-president of the Synodal Department for Church-Society Relations, discussed the relationship between religion and the economy, and why the economy is not self-sufficient. If one looks at the economy from this perspective, “then a moral law emerges, an ethical question arises, and where there is an ethical question—a matter of moral choice—a religious context also emerges; questions of faith and values arise when decisions are made, whether macroeconomic or microeconomic.” Moreover, without knowledge and understanding of moral laws and the history of the Gospel, “modern people are largely unprepared, even in certain respects, including in terms of business management”.

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The Pillar

Are excommunicated SSPX confessions and weddings still valid?

By Ed. Condon, October 21, 2026

More than three months after the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued its decree excommunicating the leadership of the Society of St. Pius X, questions remain about the full effects of the society’s schism. More than three months after the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued its decree excommunicating the leadership of the Society of St. Pius X, questions remain about the full effects of the society’s schism. A document from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith stated that SSPX clergy invalidly performed both sacraments. However, reports of a new canonical opinion from another Vatican department suggest the DDF statement may be inaccurate—and that the Vatican faces another issue in which departments will offer dueling interpretations of the Church’s law in force.

Zeale

Pope Leo: Knowing God exists is not enough

By McKenna Snow, October 25, 2026

In his Oct. 25 Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV encouraged the faithful to cultivate authentic, wholehearted love for God, emphasizing that the human heart finds its fulfillment in communion with Him. Knowing that God exists is not enough — one should strive to let love be the foundation of his or her relationship to Him, according to the Pontiff. “Christ places love at the very center of our relationship with God,” Pope Leo said. “Indeed, it is not enough to know that God exists, that He is the only God, or that he is the Almighty. The Lord seeks a personal relationship with us: the one true God wants to become our God.” His reflection comes from the Sunday Gospel passage in Matthew 22, where a scholar asks Jesus which commandment is greatest. Jesus replies by quoting Deuteronomy: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

Aleteia

Lawyer donates salary to keep pediatrician in his town

By Cecilia Zinicola, October 23, 2026

Sebastián Darrichón is an Argentine lawyer dedicated to his career, with many hours of study and extensive training. He stands out not only for his strong professional performance but also for his principles and his firm determination to do good. Sebastián took on a job with the local government, in addition to his other work. Anonymously and voluntarily, Sebastián decided to donate his pay from that job to the doctor so he could keep serving children in Puerto Gaboto. This action—taken quietly, with no other intention than to help—came to light through an informal note from the municipal president. The story took off on social media, then bigger outlets picked it up, from online news sites to television and print. Darrichón told Aleteia that his decision to use earnings from his town job to pay the pediatrician is an act of gratitude for all he has received.

Related: Woman donates kidney to ex-husband for the sake of their children, by Dolors Massot, Aleteia, September 15, 2019

Zenit

Law gives priests and other clergy an opening to Social Security

By ZENIT Staff, October 25, 2026

Thousands of American clergy members who once opted out of Social Security and Medicare will have a limited opportunity to reconsider that decision under a new law President Donald Trump signed on October 20. The legislation, backed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), reopens a path to retirement and health coverage for religious leaders who may have made that choice decades ago. The measure, H.R. 227, creates a two-year window during which eligible clergy can elect to resume paying Social Security and Medicare taxes on their ministerial earnings. The opportunity applies to tax years 2029 and 2030. Rejoining the system will not automatically guarantee benefits: priests, pastors, and other religious workers must still satisfy the ordinary contribution requirements. The change addresses a longstanding feature of U.S. tax law. Ministers can generally seek an exemption from Social Security and Medicare taxes on income earned through their ministry, subject to statutory conditions.

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Snippets: EWTN News, Aleteia, & Catholic World News

EWTN News

EWTN’s top headlines — October 26, 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.

Polish bishops oppose abortion bills, name historian to lead abuse commission - By EWTN News Staff - Polandʼs Catholic bishops on Oct. 24 spoke out against two bills that would ease the countryʼs abortion law and named a historian to lead their long-planned commission on the sexual abuse of minors in the Church.
Rights group urges immediate release of 6 Christians detained over TikTok video in Egypt - By ACI Africa Staff - Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has urged Egyptian authorities to free six young Christians detained for more than two weeks after posting a TikTok video that authorities considered offensive to Islam. ADF said the six, who range in age from 17 to 23, were detained and questioned on charges of “exploiting” and “insulting” the religion of Islam.
Virgin of Guadalupe takes center stage at U.S. Hispanic ministry meeting - By David Ramos - “It has been a moment of such joy and spirituality, of such devotion and emotion, to go on discovering who Holy Mary of Guadalupe and her humble messenger, St. Juan Diego, are during this encounter,” Chávez told EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

Aleteia

Aleteia’s free access to Catholic news

Launched in 2013, Aleteia is a free online daily news publication. The site is available in six languages (French, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Polish, and Slovenian). Aleteia reaches nearly 50 million people worldwide, making it one of the leading online Catholic media outlets.

Love fiercely, says dad of special needs daughter - Andrew Bodoh, father of Elizabeth, who has a rare brain disorder, wrote an honest and encouraging book about the blessings of raising a child with disabilities. It’s called Love Fiercely: Lessons from the Dad of a Special Needs Daughter.
4 People who died in the 1990s closer to sainthood - The causes for canonization of two missionary bishops have gone forward, along with four other causes advancing, according to a note published October 24. The Vatican also recognized the heroic virtues of two Italian priests, a Capuchin friar who was a disciple of Padre Pio, and a consecrated laywoman from Argentina. Four of the six cases involve people who died only in the 1990s, and a fifth died in the 1980s.
The value of stability when we’re looking to escape - There’s a time and place for seizing opportunities and making changes, but perhaps we do it too much as an excuse for immaturity. We hardly tolerate boredom. Friendships are abandoned for a new set. Church-hopping is endemic.

Catholic World News

CatholicCulture.org from Trinity Communications

Catholic World News (CWN) is an independent Catholic news service staffed by lay Catholic journalists, dedicated to providing accurate global news from a distinctly Catholic perspective.

Ukrainian Catholic leader thanks Pontiff for support, gives him prisoners’ list - As he thanked the Pontiff for the Vatican’s efforts to secure the release of prisoners of war, the Major Archbishop gave Pope Leo a new list of prisoners. “Mother Church is working to ensure that all our prisoners of war and illegally detained hostages are released as soon as possible,” the Major Archbishop said.

Cardinal Parolin condemns anti-Semitism, distinguishes it from criticism of Israeli policies - In an address to leaders of the American Jewish Committee, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, said, “Allow me to reiterate, once again and without any ambiguity, the Holy See’s firm rejection of anti-Semitism in all its forms. Jews must be able to live, worship, and educate their children without fear.”

Vatican diplomat expresses ‘profound concern’ about nuclear landscape - “Nuclear arsenals are being modernized and expanded, and rhetoric surrounding their potential use is becoming increasingly prevalent,” Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said at a recent UN committee meeting. “Meanwhile, integrating artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies into nuclear-related systems introduces further risks by influencing the conditions under which decisions of incalculable consequence are made.”

October 26, 2026 - USCCB Daily Mass Readings

You can listen HERE — or read HERE:

Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Today’s Catholic commentary:

One Magazine

War in Ukraine is reshaping children’s minds

By Anna Klochko, September Issue, 2026

For Oleksandra “Sasha” Paskal, 10, growing also means having the socket for her prosthesis adjusted or replaced every three months and getting a new artificial foot twice a year to match her right foot's growth. In 2022, when Oleksandra was 6 years old, she lost her leg in a Russian missile strike in the Odesa region of Ukraine. She also lost a finger and sustained multiple injuries to her head and torso. She survived, underwent rehabilitation, and received a bionic prosthesis. Now Oleksandra, a gymnast, is training again in Chornomorsk, southern Ukraine. The United Nations reported in July that more than 800 Ukrainian children have been killed and more than 2,950 children injured since Russia’s invasion in 2022. These numbers only detail the confirmed dead or wounded; the U.N. notes it is difficult to verify numbers in active war zones, and the fear is the numbers may be much higher.

Pillar

I actually found the new dicastery document rather powerful

By Edgar Beltrán, October 22, 2026

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) published Oct. 22 Venite ad me, a document on the transmission of the faith “in an epochal change.” It reflects on transmitting the faith within families, parishes, and Catholic institutions in an increasingly secularizing world. The document proposes returning to the kerygma, improving adult catechesis, and developing a missionary spirit within parishes. The DDF text makes clear that it is “a set of Considerations, not a Doctrinal Note. Its purpose, in fact, is primarily to stimulate ecclesial reflection and pastoral commitment regarding the transmission of the faith. Taken at a more global level, the document blames the lack of transmission of the faith also on an “incomplete inculturation of the Gospel — despite the continued prevalence of public expressions of religion in social life — [which] leads to a superficial faith: one that lacks roots and is more exposed to external influences.”

Aleteia

Their martyrdom left the diocese with only half its priests

By Daniel Esparza, October 26, 2026

On October 17, 2026, Pope Leo XIV authorized the beatification of 20 diocesan priests from the Spanish islands of Ibiza and Formentera, killed during the Spanish Civil War in the summer of 1936. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, presided over the ceremony at the Cathedral of the Virgin of the Snows in Ibiza. The Church will observe its liturgical memorial on November 6. The 20 men—parish priests, seminary professors, and pastoral workers—represented nearly half of the local clergy at the time. The diocese then counted 53 priests. In the span of a few weeks, 20 of them were dead. On September 13, following a bombardment that caused some two dozen deaths in the city, the order was given to execute all the prisoners. The massacre was carried out inside the Castle. The cause for beatification explicitly states that the only reason these men were killed was their identity as priests.

The Imaginative Conservative

The politics of Heaven

By L. Joseph Hebert, Jr., October 25, 2026

The city whose foundation we have now gone through,” Glaucon said, “has its place in speeches, since I suppose it exists nowhere on earth.” “But in heaven,” Socrates said, “perhaps, a pattern is laid up for the man who wants to see and found a city within himself on the basis of what he sees.” (Plato, Republic, 592b) Thomas More’s 1516 masterwork Utopia takes its title from a Greek conjunction of his own coinage, meaning “No Place.” This is not Plato’s word in the passage cited above: οὐδαμοῦ (oudamou), meaning “nowhere.” But as Frank Mitjans argues in his recent study, Thomas More’s Vocation, More certainly invents the now-ubiquitous term “utopia” with an eye to this exchange in Plato’s ancient dialogue—and to the argument behind it. By using an imaginary city, or polis, as a model of personal self-perfection, Socrates teaches a valuable, if negative, lesson about actual political affairs.

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“Worth your weight in walnuts”

Please support the following Catholic news services and spiritual support sites. Click here to view this email on the Catholic Nutshell News website. Today’s Catholic Nutshell News audio podcast is available on the Substack App.

Related: Denver archbishop responds to criticism over Trump prayer meeting: ‘I was being a Catholic priest’, EWTN, By Daniel Payne, October 24, 2026

Related: CatholicVote president defends bishops who prayed over Trump, McKenna Snow, Zeale, October 25, 2026

Related: Woman donates kidney to ex-husband for the sake of their children, by Dolors Massot, Aleteia, September 15, 2019

Keep informed - 10/26/26 news for Catholics: Snippets: EWTN News, Aleteia, & Catholic World News

October 26, 2026 - USCCB Daily Mass Readings

You can listen HERE — or read HERE:

Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Today’s Catholic commentary:

Image of Coconut by Celio Nicoli from Pixabay

Listen to an audio podcast of today’s Catholic Nutshell News on the Substack App!

Catholic Nutshell News is a subscription service hosted by Substack. Get up to a dozen recent articles, Monday-Saturday, to review regarding newsworthy issues. An easy way to browse top Catholic news and information services on the net. Edited by John Pearring.

Unless otherwise noted, the bible references linked in the posts are from the USCCB website online publication of the Books of the Bible.

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Keep informed - 10/26/26 news for Catholics:

Snippets: EWTN News, Aleteia, & Catholic World News

Catholic Nutshell News: Monday 10/26/26