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National Catholic Register
‘Moral Choices’ on water as reservoir levels shrink to historic lows
By Daniel Payne/EWTN News, September 12, 2026
Santa Fe, New Mexico, Archbishop John Wester is urging the faithful to come to a full appreciation of the “gift of water,” with the archbishop’s message coming amid historic droughts and low water levels in the western state. The archbishop’s pastoral letter, “Uniting for Our Sacred Waters,” was released this month as fears of declining water reservoirs increased in New Mexico. It also follows Pope Leo XIV's prayer intention for the care of water. The Holy Father described clean water as a “blessing” but noted that 25% of the world’s population lacks safe drinking water. The NASA Earth Observatory revealed this summer that the Elephant Butte Reservoir, the state’s largest, had shrunk to just 1.4% capacity, its lowest since 1971, driven by persistent drought conditions and early snowmelt. He lamented what he described as the “squander[ing]” of water in New Mexico, specifically the depletion of groundwater supplies there.
EWTN News
U.S. bishops on ‘deep spiritual bonds’ between Catholics, Jews
By Daniel Payne, September 19, 2026
The U.S. bishops this week underscored the “deep spiritual bonds” between Catholics and Jews and the need to build “genuine friendship and understanding” between the two religious groups, with the message coming ahead of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Scranton Bishop Joseph Bambera, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ ecumenical committee, said, “At the heart of this observance is the recognition that our relationships with God and with one another call us continually to reflection, repentance, and renewal to consider how we can live more faithfully and more generously. The holy day for Jews involves fasting and atonement and is held in late September or early October. In 2026, it begins at sunset on Sept. 20 and ends by nightfall on Sept. 21. Bambera further noted the need to “reject anti-Semitism in all its forms.” Catholics, he said, are called to oppose that form of hatred as well as to deepen their understanding of Judaism and Jewish people.
Aleteia
Vatican’s shift on other religions, 60 years later
By D. R. Esparza, September 17, 2026
On September 16, the Holy See published a doctrinal Note marking the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate — the Second Vatican Council’s landmark declaration on the Church’s relations with non-Christian religions, promulgated by Pope Paul VI on October 28, 1965. Titled “A Journey of Hope: Sixty Years of Interreligious Dialogue and Fraternity in the Light of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate,” the Note was approved by Pope Leo XIV on June 22 and jointly issued by three offices of the Roman Curia: the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, and the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. Nostra Aetate — “In Our Time” — marked a historic turning point. In five concise sections, it urged respect for other faith traditions and explicitly declared that the Catholic Church “rejects nothing that is true and holy” in them. If anything, the fragmentation of the contemporary world and the weaponization of religious identity in multiple conflicts make the unfinished work toward a “shift in mindset” more urgent.
Related: Did the pope change the game on interreligious dialogue? - By Charles Collins, CRUX, September 18, 2026
The Pillar
Mexican priest murdered in region known for organized crime
By Filipe d’Avillez, September 18, 2026
Fr. Román de la Cruz, 48, was the parish priest of Huejutla. He was shot dead, and his body was left on the side of the Tolago-Tetlapaya highway in the Lolotla district of Hidalgo on Tuesday, 15 September. According to local press, a threatening note was found beside his corpse, but the content of the note has not been made public. The region in which Fr. Román was murdered is notoriously dangerous due to the activities of criminal organizations that fight over trafficking routes, including illegal fuel trade. While it is possible that Fr. Román was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, social media personalities have pointed to a dispute between the priest and the local mayor as the reason for his murder. The “Y que viva Cristo Rei” YouTube Channel is hosted by a man who goes by the name of “The Legendary Fr. Daniel” and who wears a clerical collar but hides his face. The YouTube personality’s evidence is circumstantial, but it has caused some impact in a country where the overlap between criminality and politics is widespread.
OSV News
The ‘Camino’ of St. Francis: A new California pilgrimage route
By Kimberley Heatherington, September 19, 2026
A new pilgrimage route in St. Francis’s honor, the Camino de San Francisco, is inspired by California's historic mission trails and, coinciding with the Jubilee Year of St. Francis, has been founded to allow pilgrims to follow the saint’s footsteps. Stretching from Mission San Rafael Arcángel to Mission Dolores in San Francisco, the 24.56 miles of streets, paths, and trails are divided into four segments, so pilgrims can tailor their journey. Father Christopher Iwancio — a Capuchin Franciscan friar and executive director of Modern Catholic Pilgrim, an organization describing its work as “to prepare pilgrims, get them to holy sites in the United States, and expand a hospitality network to care for those pilgrims as they journey” — had the idea for the Camino de San Francisco after visiting San Antonio.
Zeale
Vatican-backed documentary considered for Oscar
By Elizabeth Ervin, September 18, 2026
A Vatican-backed documentary about a young Italian man living with muscular dystrophy is taking a step toward Oscar consideration, bringing his reflections on faith, suffering, and hope to Hollywood audiences. Green Lava will screen in Beverly Hills from Sept. 18-24 as part of the qualification process for the Academy Awards’ Best Documentary Short Film category. The documentary follows Giacomo Mattivi, 22, who lives with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair and ventilator. The sociology student, poet, and catechist has said his condition has shaped his understanding of life and suffering, Vatican News reported. The film could become the first Vatican-collaborated film submitted for Oscar consideration in the Academy Awards’ nearly century-long history, Variety reported. Emotions to Generate Change produced the film in collaboration with the Vatican Dicastery for Communication.
Zenit
Priests must put faith before politics as midterms approach
By Tim Daniels, September 17, 2026
With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, the U.S. Catholic bishops are asking priests to do more than tell Catholics to vote: help them understand why their faith should shape how they participate in public life. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a new formation guide for dioceses, offering priests and deacons practical material for teaching what the Church calls “faithful citizenship.” The document does not endorse candidates, parties, or particular electoral choices. Instead, it seeks to equip clergy to present Catholic social teaching as a framework for moral discernment before Catholics enter the voting booth. The timing is deliberate. The November 2026 elections will determine control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, but the bishops’ document attempts to place electoral politics inside a much wider understanding of Christian responsibility. The guide describes faithful citizenship not as an activity performed every few years, but as a way of living the Gospel through the responsibilities of public life.
Pima Asia News
Violence against women in Delhi: Has anything really changed?
By Nirmalo Carvalho, September 19, 2026
Almost fourteen years after the Nirbhaya case – the murder of a 23-year-old student who was brutally assaulted and beaten by six men on a bus, a case that shocked the Indian public and led to major legislative reforms – two new incidents of violence against teenage girls in recent weeks have raised a painful question once again in Delhi: what has really changed in terms of the safety of women and girls? The most recent case concerns a 16-year-old girl found dead on 13 September on a piece of wasteland near Kushak Road, in the Swaroop Nagar area. The police suspect she was the victim of a gang rape and murder. Four people, including three minors, have been arrested. Investigators reportedly used footage from over 50 CCTV cameras to identify a suspicious vehicle and track down the suspects. A few days earlier, a 16-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh reportedly boarded a bus bound for Noida, convinced she was traveling safely to her destination. According to the police, during the journey to Delhi, the driver and the conductor allegedly sexually assaulted her before abandoning her near Kashmere Gate. Both have been arrested.
Keep informed - 9/19/26 matters for Catholics:
Snippets: EWTN News, aciafrica, & Word on Fire
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — September 19, 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.
Christian leaders unite against chemical abortion - By Kate Quiñones - Drafted by a group of more than 30 pastors from around the U.S., the Declaration for Life with Christian Leaders supports pro-life legislation, condemns chemical abortion, and affirms the dignity of unborn children from conception. The four-page declaration has been signed by 100 faith leaders from Missouri as well as 50,000 citizens.
From ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’ to Catholic content creator: John Sansone’s journey of faith - By Francesca Pollio Fenton - In 2025, John Sansone made his television debut when he appeared on Fox’s reality dating show “Farmer Wants a Wife” as one of the farmers searching for love. Today, he has traded in the television screen for cellphone screens as a Catholic content creator.
How a special needs ministry is bringing families back to the Church - By Kate Quiñones - Two Louisiana Catholic moms with special-needs kids felt isolated so they founded a support ministry that has since transformed communities and brought families back to Mass.
aciafrica
aciafrica’s top headlines — September 19, 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 Holy Father's words and the Holy See's activities.
“I made a rosary out of cloth”: Italian Missionary Priest Reflects on Two-Year Detention in Mali - Fr. Pier Luigi Maccalli has reflected on the two years he spent in detention in Mali before his release on 8 October 2020, recalling how he made a rosary out of cloth and relied on his faith during captivity.
Catholic Bishops Laud Police Response to Women’s Killings in South Africa as Number of Slain Women Hits 9 - The Justice and Peace Commission of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) has praised the South African Police Service (SAPS) for its response to the killing of women in the country, while calling for sustained efforts to bring those responsible to justice.
Catholic Archdiocese of Bukavu in DR Congo Mourns 27 Children Killed in Fire Disaster - The children — 19 girls and eight boys — died in the fire that broke out on September 10, in Cimpunda, located in the Kadutu municipality of Bukavu. Students from Catholic schools affiliated with Our Lady of Mercy Parish gathered on Thursday, September 17, to pay tribute to the victims
Word on Fire
Fresh insights from the Word on Fire Institute - September 19, 2026
Word on Fire reaches millions every year by effectively sharing the Gospel via podcasts, videos, books, articles, Scripture studies, and Gospel meditations.
The Holy Face of Manoppello: Beauty, Strangeness, and Evangelization - Just after my tenth birthday, my mother enjoyed an apparently miraculous healing through the intercession of Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos after a stroke left the right side of her body paralyzed. The morning after, our pastor brought her Bl. Seelos’s relic; my father hung it around her neck and left her to watch Mass on television in her hospital room. At the final blessing, she tried to make the Sign of the Cross and found that her hand and arm worked again. She was healed.
Sin and Redemption in Craig Finn’s Little Worlds - Craig Finn is something of a strange figure in the world of pop and indie songwriters. Finn doesn’t invent new worlds or languages as Tolkien does, doesn’t insert any magical creatures into his songs, but he creates—or sub-creates—entire lives and the worlds that surround them in miniature. He sketches characters and stories over four or five minutes with the same care and attention of a model world builder.
Psychotherapy or Confession? - In the last quarter-century we have become connoisseurs of our own interiority. The language of psychology, once reserved for the consultation room, has puzzlingly entered into common usage. We know our attachment styles, our personality types, our love languages, our trauma responses, and perhaps even the unconscious motives that prevent us from finishing tasks. If self-knowledge alone could save us, ours would be the most pristine, most devout generation since the apostles walked in Galilee. However, self-knowledge alone may be an incomplete discipline.
September 19, 2026 - USCCB Daily Mass Readings
You can listen HERE — or read HERE:
Saturday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Catholic commentary:
National Catholic Register
Catholic high school football rivalry helping to tackle hunger
By Jenny Koch, September 18, 2026
Cross-town rivals Reitz Memorial High School and Mater Dei High School, two Evansville, Indiana-based Catholic schools, aren’t just playing for school pride and post-season positioning. They are also playing for the poor. The matchup between the Reitz Memorial Tigers and the Mater Dei Wildcats, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the Indiana Football Coaches Association poll at the time, marked the 10th installment of an Evansville fundraiser known as the Hunger Bowl. Organized by the local Knights of Columbus, the initiative combines football and faith to raise money for a local food pantry operated by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP). The big game drew fans from more than 20 different parishes in the Diocese of Evansville, a territory that hugs the Ohio River in southwestern Indiana and includes 70,000 Catholics. This year’s goal is $50,000.
First Things
The friendly neighborhood philosopher (Spiderman?)
By Liel Leibovitz, September 18, 2026
Every now and then, a work of art comes along that helps us think through the thicket of mysteries that is the human condition, shedding new light on the questions that have occupied the finer minds of our species for millennia. Such was the Iliad. Such was Hamlet. Such was Don Quixote. And such is Spider-Man: Brand New Day. No, really. The latest installment in Marvel’s interminable superhero saga is not only one of the highest-grossing films of all time—it is the fastest film ever, entertainment media reported breathlessly, to cross the $800 million mark—but also among the most soulful. The problem it raises has bedeviled us for ages and is only getting worse: the conundrum philosophers call the problem of other minds. People sometimes say philosophers spend too much time in their own heads. But the question has been central to Western thought for centuries, a thread connecting René Descartes to John Stuart Mill to Bertrand Russell.
The Imaginative Conservative
Jesus counts the hard-core cost of being his disciple
By Brian Sudlow, September 17, 2026
Luke 14:25-33 shows Jesus turning to a large crowd and speaking some home truths. What must they have thought, these enthusiasts who followed after Him? For Jesus does not want enthusiasm; He wants fidelity, a completely different thing. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. These are not comforting words, no more than the words He had said first of all: If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Thus, it would appear, Jesus expects them all to count the cost carefully before they follow Him. For in the rest of this gospel extract, he asks a series of rhetorical questions about those who begin a thing but cannot finish it. And what is that cost? Jesus answers with a rhetorical finish: Therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
The Catholic Thing
The gradual East-West divergence is worth exploring
By Dmitri Solzhenitsyn, September 18, 2026
n August 2026, America Magazine reported that “the liturgy wars are back (and never really left).” The fight Catholics have been having on and off – regarding the Traditional Latin Mass versus the Novus Ordo, Traditionis Custodes versus Summorum Pontificum, and so forth – is nearly six decades old. Yet where the Orthodox are concerned, the original liturgical-canonical divergence goes back more than twenty-five times further. In Catholic-Orthodox dialogue, liturgical matters are usually less contested than theological questions. (Among the latter are papal authority and the filioque, as I explore in my book Reuniting Rome with the Orthodox.) Nevertheless, differences in rites can hinder communions' ability to claim the same experience of worship and, at the extreme, can even make it harder for them to identify with one another as fellow Christians. Accordingly, the gradual East-West divergence is worth exploring.
Image of Coconut by Celio Nicoli from Pixabay
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