Catholic Nutshell News: Saturday 8/9/25
Topics include: Cash aid to single mothers fails; Iraq churches are full; How much of the Mass makes it count?; & Not enough churches in Finland
“We see through new tender verdant pecan leaves”
Today's news sources are Aleteia, CRUX, Catholic News Agency, National Catholic Register, First Things, and The Catholic Thing. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise their Catholic News Muscle)
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National Catholic Register
Cash aid to single mothers fails to improve child outcomes
By Zelda Caldwell, August 8, 2025
It was a bold experiment with the potential to impact the direction of U.S. anti-poverty policy significantly: Give poor single mothers monthly cash payments and measure the benefit to their children’s cognitive development over the first four years of their lives. The study, financed in part by the National Institutes of Health, randomly assigned 400 mothers to receive an unconditional monthly payment of $333 for the first four years of their child’s life, while 600 received just $20 per month. The results of the study — called “Baby’s First Years,” which was conducted May 2018 to July 2023, however, shattered the expectations of its authors, social scientists from prestigious universities in the U.S. “Monthly unconditional cash transfers totaling approximately $15,000 over 4 years to mothers with low incomes did not improve maternal mental health, maternal or child BMI, or maternal report of children’s health,” the report concluded.
Catholic News Agency
Iraq churches full: 1,500 children celebrate First Communion
By Georgena Habbaba, August 9, 2025
Eleven years have passed since ISIS seized Mosul and the Nineveh towns and with every anniversary commemorated each year, the same question arises: How many Iraqi Christians remain? Despite tensions and renewed challenges from regional conflict, Iraqi churches remain full. Just weeks ago, Christians there celebrated joyfully as 1,000 young boys and girls received their first Communion. In Iraq’s capital, Chaldean parishes celebrated first Communion for 50 children, while 32 others received the sacrament at the Syriac Catholic parish. Most significantly, 11 children took their first Communion at the Syriac Catholic Church of Our Lady of Deliverance. The same church witnessed a horrific massacre in 2010, when dozens of worshippers and two priests were killed and hundreds wounded.
Agenzia Fides
Caritas Vietnam joins hands to prevent human trafficking
By Andrew Doan Thanh Phong, August 8, 2025
Human trafficking is increasingly complex and unpredictable in Vietnan, like the rest of the world, in which social networks are a "fertile ground" for criminals to exploit to lure and defraud victims. The situation of forcing Vietnamese people to go to neighboring countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and China for online fraud is becoming a hot social issue in Vietnam, causing serious consequences. Sr. Teresa Pham Ninh Khanh Hau of Caritas Hung Hoa Diocese talked with more than 100 teenagers to share essential knowledge to help them raise awareness and vigilance against human trafficking. According to the Ministry of Police, the government of Vietnam has recently discovered and investigated hundreds of cases, which rescued many victims, and dismantled the criminal inter-provincial and international groups of human trafficking.
Aleteia
The Catholic convert who survived Nagasaki
By Michael Cook, August 11, 2015
On August 9, 1945, an atomic bomb exploded over St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral in the Nagasaki suburb of Urakami. The brick neo-romanesque building collapsed instantly, vaporizing, incinerating, and crushing two priests hearing confessions and an unknown number of worshippers. The explosion killed an estimated 70,000 people—one-third of the population of Nagasaki—more than half of the 106,000 American servicemen who died in the Pacific Theatre. In the 16th century, Nagasaki was the centre of Japanese Christianity. After a severe persecution in which many died as martyrs, Christianity was all but obliterated. Takashi Nagai, a soldier, doctor, university lecturer, husband, father, and A-bomb survivor, may become a saint in the Catholic Church. WWII horrors and his deeply Catholic sweetheart, later killed at Nagasaki, led him from atheism towards Christianity. In 1934, he became a Catholic. His answer to the bomb? “Was not Nagasaki the chosen victim, the lamb without blemish, slain as a whole-burnt offering on an altar of sacrifice?”
Our Sunday Visitor
How much of the Mass makes it count?
By Simcha Fisher, July 26, 2025
I had been taught you have to be at Mass for the Gospel reading for it to count as fulfilling your Sunday obligation. “Kind of a weird thing to have a rule about,” said one child, hearing we would be late. We didn’t make it in time. Yet another kid bailed out for complicated reasons, and very few Fishers were truly at Mass for very long at all. I looked it up and discovered that no “cut-off” time makes it “count” or not. The rule, such as it is, seems to be: “All of the Mass is very good and very important, so get to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation unless you can’t; and be there for all of it, unless you can’t.” Sometimes it is a sacrifice to be at Mass. It’s hard when you have unruly kids to wrangle; when you didn’t wake up feeling amazing; when it’s hot and the music is terrible; or when you don’t like the other people in the pews. It’s hard when you’re mad at God, or you think maybe God is mad at you. The rules are there to help you learn how to break out of a finite world that needs rules to hold it together, and to learn how to live forever.
Related: Minimum of the Sunday Obligation, Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem., Catholic Answers
Related: Catholic Holy Days of Obligation: The Complete List, December 16, 2024, posted by Oblates of the Virgin Mary
CRUX
Historic Filipino parish closed: Vlogger ‘spits’ into holy water font
By Joseph San Mateo, August 7, 2025
An archbishop in the southern Philippines ordered the temporary closure of a 19th-century parish after a vlogger allegedly spat into its holy water font. The incident went viral and fueled rage in this Catholic-majority country. In a decree issued on Monday, Ozamis Archbishop Martin Sarmiento Jumoad condemned the “grave act of sacrilege committed by an individual who spat at the holy water font” of Saint John the Baptist Parish in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental. Jumoad said the parish “shall remain closed until further notice as a sign of penance and reparation.” “This is to invoke conversion of heart and communal purification as guided by Catholic teaching,” the archbishop said. He also scheduled a Holy Hour of Adoration and Solemn Confessions on Wednesday “to foster repentance, seek forgiveness, and restore the sanctity of the parish … By this decree, may the faithful be reminded that sacred objects and places are vessels of God’s grace and deserve our utmost respect and reverence.”
The PILLAR
Vatican overrules Canadian bishop’s decision to close parish, again
By Jack Figge, August 8, 2025
For the second time in 15 months, the Vatican overturned a Canadian archbishop's decision to close a small parish, thus continuing a three-year dispute between parishioners and the archbishop. Parishioners at Holy Rosary Parish in Portugal Cove-St. Philips, Newfoundland, announced earlier this week that the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy had once again overturned Archbishop Peter Hundt’s decision to close Holy Rosary and merge it with the nearby Holy Trinity parish. This new decree continues a three-year saga that began after the archdiocese announced it would sell Holy Rosary Church and 17 of the archdiocese's other 34 parish properties amid an ongoing bankruptcy filing and a court order to compensate victims of sexual abuse. The dicastery ruled that the archdiocese did not have the right to sell Holy Rosary Parish property, because the parish is a distinct juridic person.
CatholicVote
Dozens of militants attack priests, nuns, catechist in India
By Annie Ferguson, August 8, 2025
A violent mob ambushed two Catholic priests, two nuns, and a catechist in eastern India earlier this week, as they were leaving a village following a memorial Mass, according to an Aug. 8 report from Agenzia Fides. The attackers, reportedly about 70 members of the militant Hindu nationalist group Bajrang Dal, accused the group of attempting religious conversions — allegations Church leaders called false and inflammatory. India’s Latin Rite bishops later condemned the assault, describing it as “disturbing and out of place,” according to Agenzia Fides. “Less than half a kilometer from the village, in a narrow, wooded area, a group of about 70 men from the Bajrang Dal was waiting for us,” said Fr. Lijo in a statement released by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CCBI). “First, they attacked our catechist, who was riding a motorcycle. They brutally beat him, dismantled the motorcycle, emptied the fuel tank, and threw him away.” The group then turned on the priests.
From CNA & Pillar Post & ChurchPop for 8/9/25
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — August 9, 2025
The Catholic News Agency provides reliable, free, and up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, emphasizing the words of the Holy Father and the happenings of the Holy See to anyone with internet access.
Pope Leo XIV tells newly ordained 24-year-old priest to ‘never lose your joy’ - Aug 9, 2025 - By Walter Sánchez Silva - “What a great gift from the Lord, one month after my priestly ordination, to be able to greet the pope. The Holy Father encouraged me to be faithful and not to lose the joy of the priesthood in prayer,” said Father Miguel Tovar.
Daniel O’Connell: The peaceful liberator who won Catholic emancipation in Ireland - Aug 9, 2025 - By Patrick J. Passmore - Daniel O’Connell, known as “The Liberator,” was a pivotal figure in 19th-century Ireland, championing the cause of Catholic emancipation.
Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents sign historic peace deal at White House - Aug 8, 2025 - By Madalaine Elhabbal - After decades of conflict over the ethnically Armenian-Christian Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a peace deal on Friday, Aug. 8.
The Pillar
Ed Condon’s Pillar Post for Friday, 8/8/25
The Pillar offers a frequent news summary, a capsuleized take on the Catholic News. Here’s Ed Condon’s analysis of the news from yesterday’s Pillar Post:
The Church in Spain’s reports and denials that the government moved to block the appointment of a new apostolic nuncio. While the government has not yet approved or rejected the appointment of Archbishop Piero Pioppo as the new Vatican ambassador, the government is dragging its feet as a protest over recent tensions with the Spanish bishops.
Federal authorities say they are close to closing their case against a priest who died a fugitive in Mexico, fleeing an indictment of federal wire fraud in an alleged theft from his parishioners. The case is unique because the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, faced criminal charges over the alleged fraud of laicized priest Lenin Vargas, but in 2020, it entered into a deferred prosecution agreement to avoid criminal penalty.
Did you know there is a shrine to Our Lady of the Snows in Antarctica, known affectionately to locals as “Roll Cage Mary”? Because I did not. I do now, though.
ChurchPOP Trending
ChurchPOP provides fun, informative, and authentically Catholic news and culture - August 9, 2025
What is Saint Michael's Lent? The Powerful Little-Known Tradition We Need for Our Times - Let us pray with fervor, through the intercession of Saint Michael, for Christ’s help as we battle the forces of darkness!
How Will You Greet Jesus in Heaven? Parish Shows What They Would Do in Touching Video - How will you greet Jesus in Heaven? These Catholics show precisely what they would do in this tear-jerking video!
Pilgrim Who Gets Sick & Misses Jubilee of Youth Vigil Receives Unexpected Gift in Saint Peter's Basilica - Pilgrim Ana Rocío Rodríguez was unable to attend the vigil at Tor Vergata in Rome due to a sudden illness. However, God granted her an unexpected gift: the opportunity to enter a nearly empty Saint Peter’s Basilica, walk through the Holy Door, and pray the Rosary for young people around the world.
Nutshell reflections for 8/9/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection - AUDIO - August 9, 2025
Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
What We Need Now
Significant focus to decrease stigma of mental illness
By What We Need Now Interview, August 5, 2025
Lillian Henricks, PsyD, is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist practicing in Littleton, CO, and works remotely with residents in Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PsyPact) member states. “I think that the main reason for an increasing emphasis [in mental health] is because we are human, and because Catholics suffer with mental illness or have loved ones that do. When we cannot always access the fullness of healing solely through prayer and the sacraments, we turn to the natural realm. Thankfully, there has been significant focus on decreasing the stigma associated with mental health and seeking parity in mental health care.” Catholic faith and psychology have been perceived at odds in the past. “While there is still some basis for this tension, there is an exciting exercise in integration taking place that is enriching both the mental health field and the Church.”
The Catholic Thing
A Catholic crisis in Finland: Not enough churches
By Niwa Limbu, Catholic Herald, August 8, 2025
Catholics in Finland are having to travel hundreds of miles to reach Mass as the country’s only diocese struggles to meet the needs of a growing and scattered flock. Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Raimo Goyarrola of Helsinki (Finland’s only diocese) described the intense logistical challenges facing his priests. “Every weekend we cover thousands of kilometers to bring the heavenly food to our faithful,” he said. The Diocese is one of the largest in Europe in terms of area. Despite this, there are only eight parishes with 28 priests attempting to minister to Catholics, many of whom are immigrants, refugees, or international workers.
Bishop Barron
We allow our skepticism to get the better of us
By Bishop Robert Barron, August 9, 2025
Friends, today in our Gospel, we meet a boy driven mad by a demon whom the disciples could not heal. They asked Jesus why they had failed, and he said, “Because of your little faith.” In all circumstances, you have to pray with faith. Have you noticed how Jesus, time and again, says to people before working a miracle, “Do you believe I can do this?” Once, Matthew tells us, Jesus was unable to perform many miracles because he met with so little faith among the people. Lots of people today, especially in the healing ministry, seem able to reproduce what Jesus did, precisely because of the purity of their faith. Is part of our problem simply a lack of faith? Perhaps. We allow our skepticism to get the better of us. We’re just a little embarrassed by asking God for things, or we’re convinced that he is a distant power only vaguely connected to our lives. But God is far greater than that.
First Things
Democracy needs religion—but which one?
By Peter J. Leithart, August 8, 2025
Despite the flood of labor-saving devices, we don’t eat in a leisurely way. We eat more quickly, sleep less, and communicate less with others. Acceleration subverts the political promise of modernity. For democracy to work well, we have to slow down, deliberate, and consider, but modern acceleration won’t let us. Before leaders formulate a solution, the problems change. Modernity promises freedom, but leaves us feeling like rats trapped on a spinning wheel. “Resonance” repairs the damage of acceleration. In his most recent book, Democracy Needs Religion, Rosa offers a charming musical illustration of social resonance. But how do we get from acceleration to resonance? We must, Rosa insists, cultivate what Solomon calls a “listening heart” (1 Kings 3:9), an open, receptive, responsive stance toward the world and others. And we need religion because it makes us responsive.
Image of Pecans by tseiu from Pixabay
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