Catholic Nutshell News: Saturday 5/30/26
What Catholics should know: Machine learning is reshaping employment; Surging need at Catholic Charities in Boston; Kansas priest arrested again; & Spain’s is no longer Catholic
“We see through new tender verdant pecan leaves”
Your 5-minute Catholic briefing for busy faithful. Today's sources: National Catholic Register, EWTN News, The Pillar, Crux, First Things, Catholic World News, & Aleteia. (Catholic Nutshell is a FREE subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise their Catholic News Muscle)
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National Catholic Register
Machine learning is reshaping employment
By Gigi Duncan, May 29, 2026
As AI rapidly reshapes the economy, many members of Gen Z are entering adulthood with uncertainty about work, stability, and the future. That anxiety has increasingly surfaced in public. In one example of what has become a common occurrence this spring, graduates booed a commencement speaker at the University of Central Florida after she praised AI during an address to arts, humanities, and communication students. “It felt like she did not know the crowd she was speaking to,” one graduating senior later told The New York Times. “It did not feel particularly inspiring for a group of young people about to enter the workforce in these creative fields.” A May 2025 Kickresume report found that roughly 58% of 2024 and 2025 graduates were still searching for their first job, while an April 2026 Oliver Wyman Forum survey found that 43% of CEOs planned to reduce junior-level positions over the next two years in favor of more senior roles.
EWTN News
Catholic Charities Boston’s surging need at city-wide food pantries
By Tessa Gervasini, May 30, 2026
Catholic Charities Boston has seen a surge in the number of families needing food pantry assistance, distributing nearly 3 million pounds of food over the past year. Over the past three months, Catholic Charities Boston has “seen over 2,000 new households register who have never come to our food pantries before,” said Jonathan Tetrault, the vice president of economic empowerment at Catholic Charities Boston. Tetrault told “EWTN News Nightly” on May 29 that these families “are seeking help with food assistance because of the many pressures that are … colliding to put pressure on their family budgets. So theyʼre reaching out to us for help,” he said. The organization operates "four food pantries across the cities of Brockton, Dorchester, Lowell, and Lynn. This past year, weʼve served nearly 70,000 people through these four food pantries – almost 3 million pounds of food through these four locations,” Tetrault said.
Aleteia
Do Byzantine Catholics pray the Hail Mary prayer?
By Philip Kosloski, May 23, 2026
Roman Catholics are very familiar with the Hail Mary prayer, and the Rosary has become one of the most defining Catholic devotions. If somebody mentions the Hail Mary prayer, it is likely they are referring to the Roman Catholic tradition. However, Roman Catholics are not the only ones who pray the Hail Mary. Byzantine Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians similarly pray a version of the Hail Mary in the liturgy and in personal devotion. The Hail Mary has technically been around since Luke wrote his Gospel, and even before that, since Gabriel and Elizabeth said the words Luke recorded.In the Gospel of Luke, we find the two principal verses that make up the frequently used “Hail Mary” prayer. The first part of the prayer is derived from the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel greeted Mary by saying, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” (Luke 1:28)
Related: Popes, Mariology, and the history of the Marian title ‘Mediatrix of All Graces’, by McKenna Snow, Zeale News, May 29, 2026
The Pillar
Kansas priest arrested in a second criminal investigation
By The Pillar, May 29, 2026
A priest in the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, surrendered himself to local authorities last weekend after an internal audit at his former parish alleged that he stole more than $100,000 prior to his resignation. The priest resigned last fall after becoming the subject of a separate criminal investigation into unspecified potential illegal acts allegedly committed against an adult in 2022. Father Richard Storey, 55, surrendered to the Leawood, Kansas Police Department on May 23. He was charged with theft of property or services worth $100,000 — a level five felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The alleged financial crime occurred while Storey was pastor at Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood, Kansas — a township located in the Kansas City, Kansas area. Storey was installed as pastor at Curé of Ars in 2015 and served until his resignation in September 2025. Authorities say that the theft of $160,000 occurred between Jan. 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2025.
Related: Catholic priest found guilty of sexually abusing women under his spiritual care in Texas, by Gina Christian, OSV News, May 29, 2026
OSV News
Can Catholics as consumers drive a better AI future?
By Courtney Mares, May 30, 2026
As a small group of tech companies races to dominate the artificial intelligence era, much of the world has been left wondering whether ordinary people have any voice in the AI future that is being built. But one AI ethics expert says the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics hold more influence than they realize, and that Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” could be the catalyst for a collective response. Ron Ivey, a research fellow at Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program and founder of the Noesis Collaborative, a nonprofit focused on steering AI development toward human benefit, says Catholics, through collective action and as consumers, can help shape the AI landscape. “We do have different ways of using AI,” Ivey told OSV News in an interview following the promulgation of Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas.” “We make choices about how we buy and use these products,” Ivey argued, saying that AI companies need customers and Catholics represent a meaningful share of the global consumer base.
Zeale
50 Republican lawmakers file brief backing bishops’ challenge
By Elise Winland, May 29, 2026
Fifty Republican lawmakers filed an amicus brief on May 26, urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to block a Biden-era regulation they say would force employers, including religious organizations, to provide workplace accommodations for employees seeking abortions under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), escalating a high-profile legal fight over the scope of federal pregnancy protections. The brief supports the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), The Catholic University of America, and the civil corporate entities for the dioceses of Lake Charles and Lafayette, Louisiana, in their ongoing lawsuit against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The challengers argued in the 2024 suit that the EEOC exceeded its authority by interpreting the PWFA to require abortion-related workplace accommodations nationwide, even though the statute does not mention abortion.
CatholicVote
Diocesan bishop authorized to remove the superior of a monastery
By Valentina di Giorgio, May 29, 2026
In a decision that may appear highly technical to non-specialists but carries important implications for ecclesial governance, Leo XIV has approved a canonical clarification concerning the dismissal of superiors in autonomous monasteries, reinforcing mechanisms of accountability within consecrated life while preserving the Church’s traditional structures of authority. The measure, made public by the Holy See Press Office on May 28, grants the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life the faculty to authorize a diocesan bishop to issue a decree of dismissal under Canon 699-§2 when the religious to be dismissed is himself the major superior of the monastery. The measure represents both continuity with Francis’ broader canonical reforms and an example of Leo XIV’s willingness to continue refining Church governance through targeted legal adjustments rather than dramatic structural overhauls.
CRUX
Spain’s ‘post-secular’ cultural is no longer Catholic
By Fionn Shiner, May 30, 2026
Last April, Archbishop Luis Argüello of Valladolid, the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, said at the opening of the bishops’ plenary meeting: “The time has passed, settled for centuries, when we said: I’m Catholic because I was born in Spain.” For a country that for centuries has been seen as a Catholic heartland, one that evangelized South America and produced saints such as Sts. Ignatius Loyola, Teresa of Avila, and Dominic, this was a significant admission. According to the 2025 Barometer on Religion and Beliefs in Spain, only 46% of the population consider themselves Catholic, and 37% believe in God. At the same time, 64% of those surveyed believe in “energies” while 42% believe in astrology and 37% in reincarnation. “As in other Western European countries … modernization brought about a very radical change in culture, morality, sexual and emotional relationships, and also religion. Since the 1960s … Spain has, in a way, seen large sectors of the population lose that attachment to Catholicism,” said Rafael Ruiz Andrés, of the Faculty of Political Science and Sociology of the Complutense University of Madrid.
Keep informed - 5/30/26 matters for Catholics:
Snippets: EWTN News, aciafrica, & Word on Fire
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — May 30, 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.
Florida judge rules against Planned Parenthood in false advertisement case - By Kate Quiñones - In November 2025, state Attorney General James Uthmeier sued Planned Parenthood for $350 million, alleging that the abortion provider spread information that was deceptive and misleading by claiming abortion drugs are safer than Tylenol, Viagra, and penicillin.
Priest evangelizing in the peripheries of Lima says he sees ‘miracles all the time’ - By Diego López Marina - Father Julio Ampueroʼs ministry in a poor area of Lima, Peru, is experiencing good fruit through retreats, confessions and an outreach at a menʼs shelter.
Outgoing religious freedom commissioner highlights ‘worsening’ global religious freedom crisis - By Tessa Gervasini - Commissioner Stephen Schneck said, “The problems not only are very, very present, but worsening,” Schneck told EWTN News. “I think the situation for religious freedom in the world today is worse than it was when I came on the commission, and certainly worse than it was a decade ago.”
aciafrica
aciafrica’s top headlines — May 30, 2026
ACI Africa was founded in 2019 to provide free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Catholic Church in Africa, with particular emphasis on the words of the Holy Father and the activities of the Holy See.
As Church in Africa Grows, Cardinal Tagle’s Call to “mission, not ambition” Offers Timely Warning: Kenyan PMS Director - May 30, 2026 - By Silas Isenjia - The National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Kenya has described Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle’s call for a missionary spirit free from worldly ambition as “a prophetic challenge.”
Today, May 30, We Celebrate St. Joan of Arc - May 30, 2026 - Today is the feast of St. Joan of Arc, the patroness of France. Joan was born to a peasant family in Champagne, France, in the early 15th century.
Spiritan Archbishop in Angola Urges Formation of Priests Capable of Discerning “Signs of the Times” - May 29, 2026 - By João Vissesse - Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi of Angola’s Catholic Archdiocese of Lubango has called for the formation of Priests capable of discerning the “signs of the times” and responding effectively to the social, spiritual, and cultural challenges facing contemporary society.
Word on Fire
Fresh insights from the Word on Fire Institute - for May 30, 2026
Word on Fire reaches millions every year by effectively sharing the Gospel via podcasts, videos, books, articles, Scripture studies, and Gospel meditations.
Created Equal with Unalienable Rights? - by Dr. Christopher Kaczor - May 30, 2026 - What does the Declaration of Independence mean when it says that all human beings are “created equal”? Let’s begin with what it does not mean. As Michael Pakaluk points out, “People today generally take it to mean something like equality of station or equality of outcome.”
The Dunning-Kruger Effect and Social Media - by Dr. Richard DeClue - May 29, 2026 - There are a large number of people who have a substantial following but are not nearly as well-informed as they think they are.
The Anti-Narrative of Sin and Evil - by Christopher Hazell - May 27, 2026 - I was in a desperate way, and I was having an existential crisis of meaning. If God did not exist, then the entirety of my life meant nothing.
May 30, 2026 - USCCB Daily Mass Readings
You can listen HERE — or read HERE:
Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Chosen for today’s Catholic commentary:
Catholic Stand
Follow the Holy Spirit
By Carol Monaco, May 30, 2026
Picture yourself with Mary, our Blessed Mother, and the Apostles during the time of Pentecost. “And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit” [Acts 2:2–4]. How do we respond to this great gift from God? By our accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, takes up residence in our hearts. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” [1 Corinthians 3:16]. Truly, “the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us” [Romans 5:5]. As the Spirit lives within each of us, “let us also follow the Spirit” [Galatians 5:25]. That means obeying God’s will and reflecting the life and teachings of Jesus Christ in our daily living. Doing so keeps our thoughts, our words, our deeds in union with the Holy Trinity.
New Advent
Denver Archbishop Golka recognizes Missio Dei as Catholic
By Phillip Hadden, May 20, 2026
Missio Dei Inc., now formally recognized by the proper ecclesial authority, as Missio Dei Catholic, is an apostolate dedicated to the mission of the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and with it, the education of the Catholic faith, in the spirit of the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity—Apostolicam Actuositatem. The ecumenical council document is the founding and operating document for our cooperative organization. The Fathers of the Vatican II council, recognizing the challenges of our modern society, sought to remind, reassert, and arm the laity—the Church Militant—with the Church’s first mission: to proclaim and witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations. “An apostolate of this kind does not consist only in the witness of one's way of life; a true apostle looks for opportunities to announce Christ by words addressed either to non-believers with a view to leading them to faith, or to the faithful with a view to instructing, strengthening, and encouraging them to a more fervent life.
First Things
AI is not the culprit
By Ephraim Radner, May 21, 2025
I am far less worried about AI and related technological temptations than many of my peers are. There are good reasons to be wary of the economic and environmental costs of new technologies, as well as the social and moral costs. But honestly, vices are legion and have been since Eden. What is AI’s real danger, then? Perhaps it is more ordinary than we want to admit. Time will tell. But in my view, academia has been so debased for so long that the harm done by the latest debasements through AI involves no great loss. In fact, maybe some good will come of AI disruption. It may force genuine thinking to the margins, which means a pause in the conveyor belt of economically driven “intellectual production.” That would be all to the good. For too long, we have been mired in the futility of academic self-elaboration and the exhaustion of combinatory problem-solving. We’ve relied on pablum and on rote journalistic and routinized political thinking for so long that driving human intellectual interchange underground for a while will be helpful. We need a new “catacombs of thought.” Why not put academics out of work?
Related: Not About AI, (the choice of path – between a desire for comfort and doing what’s right – is not new), The Catholic Thing Joseph R. Wood, May 29, 2026
The Catholic Thing/EWTN
Pope decries ‘drastic sterility,’ discrimination against motherhood
By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú, EWTN News, May 28, 2026
Pope Leo XIV decried a rejection of Christian values in European institutions, leading to what he characterized as “a time of drastic sterility” and “purportedly family-friendly policies” that also support abortion. In a May 25 audience with members of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Demography, the pope underscored the central place of the family — founded on marriage between a man and a woman — as a pillar for avoiding both excessive state intervention and the advance of individualism. The Holy Father denounced what he described as a “rejection of the Christian inspiration of the founding fathers of the EU institutions,” which in his view has led “to a time of drastic sterility, not only because too many have been deprived of the right to be born, but also because there has been a failure to pass on the material and cultural tools that young people need to face the future.”
Image of Coconut by Celio Nicoli from Pixabay
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