Catholic Nutshell News: Thursday 9/25/25
Topics include: Gaps in screening of priest candidates; Catholic college offers free tuition; Opposition mounts to Durbin award; & Bethlehem safe for visitors
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Today's sources include Aleteia, CNA, National Catholic Register, The Pillar, CatholicVote, John Eldredge, and ChurchPOP. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
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Catholic News Agency
Study finds gaps in screening of priesthood candidates
By Madalaine Elhabbal, September 25, 2025
The overwhelming majority of bishops and vocation directors expressed satisfaction with formation programs, according to a study conducted by The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University (CARA), in collaboration with the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, which analyzed how seminaries and dioceses screen candidates for holy orders. However, the study found gaps in evaluations related to learning disabilities and assessing tendencies toward “activity or inclination towards sexual activity with a minor or other trait that might indicate the person could be a harm to minors.” Bishops and vocation directors were asked to give their confidence levels about 28 “distinct areas” of formation at their seminaries. All categories of respondents said they believed psychological evaluations do not sufficiently screen for learning or developmental disorders or disabilities.
Aleteia
Catholic college announces free tuition program
By Christine Rousselle, September 23, 2025
St. Joseph’s College of Maine, the state’s only Catholic college, announced earlier this month that it would no longer charge tuition fees to Maine residents who come from families making below $100,000. [Maine’s median household income in 2023 was $73,700.] “The Monk’s Lantern Initiative,” which was formally announced on September 17, will provide qualified Maine residents with no-cost tuition for the school. St. Joseph’s College of Maine’s athletics teams are nicknamed “Monks.” Students must be enrolled full-time at St. Joseph’s College of Maine’s physical campus in Standish, Maine, make academic progress, fill out a federal financial aid form each year, and remain below the income limits to be eligible for all four years of college. “The Monk’s Lantern Initiative is a powerful expression of our core values,” said St. Joseph’s College of Maine President Joe Cassidy in a press release announcing the program.
Catholic News Agency
Opposition mounts to Archdiocese of Chicago plan to fete Durbin
By Madalaine Elhabbal, September 24, 2025
Opposition is mounting against Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich’s decision to honor U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Illinois, with a “lifetime achievement award” for his work surrounding immigration policy despite his long pro-abortion voting record. Following Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois’ denunciation of the decision, additional bishops have followed suit in speaking out against the upcoming ceremony honoring Durbin, scheduled to take place in November. Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, said, “I join [Paprocki] & [Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone] in urging [Cupich] to retract this award. Let us together pray & act consistently for life!” Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, chimed in on Tuesday, as did Bishop James Wall of Gallup, New Mexico. Prominent pro-life leaders have also weighed in, including Lila Rose, President of Live Action.
CatholicVote
Google to reinstate YouTube accounts banned in Biden era
By Elise Winland, September 24, 2025
Google, whose parent company is Alphabet Inc., said Sept. 23 that it will reinstate YouTube accounts that the Biden administration “pressed” them to “remove” because of content related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Alphabet Chief Counsel Daniel Donovon said the Biden administration “created a political atmosphere that sought to influence the actions of platforms based on their concerns regarding misinformation.” “It is unacceptable and wrong when any government, including the Biden Administration, attempts to dictate how the Company moderates content,” Donovan wrote, “and the Company has consistently fought against those efforts on First Amendment grounds.” Google will allow all creators back on the platform if they were removed “for repeated violations of COVID-19 and elections integrity policies that are no longer in effect,” calling it part of Alphabet’s “commitment to free expression.”
Crux
Mayor of Bethlehem said Gaza city is safe for visitors
By Elise Ann Allen, September 25, 2025
Pope Leo XIV had a brief greeting with Bethlehem mayor Maher Nicola Canawati on Wednesday. He invited Pope Leo to visit Gaza. The pontiff assured Palestinians of his closeness amid the ongoing war. Canwati accused Israel of perpetuating the war out of expansionist ambitions, saying they have continued to form new settlements on Palestinian territory throughout the two-year war, with settlers often becoming violent with Palestinian locals. Despite the war, Canawati said Bethlehem is safe, and encouraged tourists to come. While restrictions are in place for Palestinians, tourists are free to move about as they wish. He urged people to support the local economy, which has suffered significantly since the outbreak of the war in October 2023. Unemployment rates in Bethlehem have jumped from 14% to 65% in two years. There is no money to pay salaries of those who do have jobs; in some cases, the government owes employees up to 15 months of pay.
National Catholic Register
Prayers credited for Annunciation shooting survivor Sophia Forchas
By Alyssa Murphy, September 23, 2025
A wave of joy is rippling across the country today, with the news overnight from the family of Sophia Forchas, the 12-year-old who was shot and left in critical condition following the horrific Annunciation shooting that claimed the lives of two students while the pupils were attending the first school Mass of the new school year. In a statement shared on the family’s GoFundMe page, the parents wrote: “Sophia is winning. Your prayers are working.” Doctors who worked on Sophia had said she was “on the brink of death,” as the gunshot struck her head, leaving a bullet lodged in her brain. Sophia’s mother, who works as a pediatric nurse in the critical care unit at the hospital where the victims were taken, had no idea that it was her child’s school that had been attacked that fateful day. She initially had no idea that one of the three patients was her own daughter. “God has heard our prayers and wrapped Sophia in His healing embrace.”
The Pillar
Avowed Catholic falls short in Irish presidential bid
By Luke Coppen, September 24, 2025
Maria Steen, a barrister who publicly upheld Church teaching during referendum debates on abortion, same-sex marriage, and the definition of the family, fell just short of winning the support of 20 members of the Oireachtas, Ireland’s bicameral legislature, which would have enabled her to stand in the Oct. 24 ballot. Steen, a mother of five who sought to run as an independent candidate, gained the backing of 18 Oireachtas members. But she was unable to obtain two more signatures ahead of the Sept. 24 qualification deadline. Historically, it is difficult for a candidate who is not aligned with Ireland’s main political parties, such as Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, to qualify for the presidential election. In a Sept. 24 speech acknowledging the end of her campaign, Steen said: “While I’m honored to have received 90% of the signatures required from members of the Oireachtas, I regret to say it’s not enough and time has now run out.”
UCA News
Indigenous people clash with pulp company staff in Indonesia
By UCA News report, September 25, 2025
At least 10 people were hospitalized on Sept. 22 when indigenous people clashed with employees of Indonesia’s largest wood pulp producer in North Sumatra Province, reviving demands that the government stop corporate firms from taking over tribal lands. Father Walden Sitanggang from the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Commission of the Capuchin Order in Medan, who arranged an ambulance to evacuate the injured, said the guards tried to prevent this. “So I went there and told them the victims had to be taken to the hospital immediately; only then was the ambulance allowed in.” Some 33 members of the Tano Batak indigenous community were beaten by security guards of PT Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL) in Sihaporas, Simalungun Regency, according to the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN). Reportedly, 150 people, including company staff, security officers, and suspected thugs in black uniforms and helmets, wielded batons and shields. Besides attacking the protesters, they also damaged houses and vehicles.
CatholicVote, CNA & ChurchPOP for 9/25/25
CatholicVote - The Loop
Read daily news and political impact stories at the “LOOP”
Elections and politics matter. The LOOP gives you daily gems on the news that seek “to renew our country and culture.” CatholicVote’s advertised mission is “To inspire every Catholic in America to live out the truths of our faith in public life.”
POPE INVITES FAITHFUL TO DAILY ROSARY THIS OCTOBER - Pope Leo XIV yesterday made a special invitation for Catholics to pray the rosary every day throughout October for peace, which the Church traditionally observes as the month of the Rosary. Here are the beautiful roots of the tradition of dedicating October to the Rosary, reaching back to the 16th-century Battle of Lepanto.
PARENTS CHALLENGE DIOCESE’S ROLE IN SCHOOL LAWSUIT - As the North Carolina Supreme Court prepares to hear a closely watched parental rights case Oct. 29, new court filings reveal that the parents at the center of the lawsuit are challenging the involvement of the Diocese of Charlotte, arguing that their constitutional claims are irrelevant and misleading.
SAINT OF THE DAY - Today, the Church celebrates Saint Hermann Contractus, born in 1013 in Swabia. He overcame a physical disability with extraordinary perseverance, becoming a Benedictine monk, poet, mathematician, astronomer, and composer of the Salve Regina and Alma Redemptoris Mater.
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — September 25, 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.
Catholic University of America panel led by Ross Douthat explores how Christians should think about AI - Sep 25, 2025 - By Tessa Gervasini - The Catholic University of America hosted a panel this week to discuss how Christians should think about the developing technology.
Catholic bishops, politicians call for prayer after shooting at ICE facility in Dallas - Sep 24, 2025 - By Amira Abuzeid - Politicians and bishops are calling for prayer and an end to political violence after two ICE detainees were killed.
Pope Leo XIV sends message to exorcists gathered in Rome - Sep 24, 2025 - By Victoria Cardiel - Pope Leo XIV addressed a message to the approximately 300 exorcist priests who gathered in Rome from Sept. 15–20.
ChurchPOP Trending
ChurchPOP provides fun, informative, and authentically Catholic news and culture - September 25, 2025
We publish inspiring daily stories, fun and shareable faith-centered infographics, prayers, Church history, and more.
Beautiful Musical About Saint Bernadette of Lourdes to Hit Theaters at End of September - Fathom Entertainment will release “Bernadette of Lourdes, The Musical” in theaters from Sept. 28-29 for two days only.
Padre Pio’s Mysterious Visit to a Child With Leukemia: The Little-Known Visions of an Anglican Boy - “That’s the man who comes to see me. That is Padre Pio.”
Madonna Criticizes Pope Leo XIV & Catholic Influencer Claps Back: ‘The World Needs Conversion’ - “Jesus wasn’t crucified because he was nice. He was crucified for calling us all to conversion, for showing us how to truly love.”
Nutshell reflections for 9/25/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection - AUDIO - September 25, 2025
Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
What We Need Now
There is pastoral value in the Church’s doctrines
By What We Need Now, September 23, 2023
Typically, when considering the pastoral care of a parish, one thinks of celebrating Mass, particularly on Sundays, as well as hearing confessions. There are also preparations for baptism and marriage. Likewise, there are various forms of counseling—comforting those who have lost a loved one through death, aiding those who are struggling with all sorts of personal, marital, or family problems. The list of issues that a parish priest is confronted with could be extended almost ad infinitum. However, what role the Church’s traditional, magisterial doctrines play within a pastoral context is rarely, if ever, considered. What do doctrines have to do with one’s ordinary, everyday, run-of-the-mill life? The Church’s doctrines may be better termed the mysteries of faith. These mysteries are doctrines that have either been dogmatically defined or have become part of the authentic teaching of the Church over the course of centuries, often tracing back to biblical and apostolic origins.
Imaginative Conservative
Why did Saint Thomas Aquinas abandon his opus magnum?
By Robert Lazu Kmita, September 23, 2025
A few months before he died in 1273, Saint Thomas Aquinas abandoned his opus magnum, the Summa Theologica. Not only did he give it up, but it seems that the very idea of touching writing instruments became, for him, unacceptable. The unexpected renunciation was due to a mystical experience that occurred on December 6, 1273, during Mass in the chapel of Saint Nicholas at the Dominican convent in Naples. From that moment, Saint Thomas underwent a profound change that made it impossible for him to continue his previous work. Not only did he give up writing, but Saint Thomas became “allergic” to anything that would remind him of the practice of writing. His work is a comprehensive encyclopedia. Why did St. Thomas quit? Saint Bonaventure may have the reason: “In His temptation, the Redeemer defended Himself not with rational arguments but with arguments from authority, even though He certainly must have known the arguments of reason well.”
Crisis Magazine
Witchcraft works, spells alter reality, & magic is brainwashing
By Steven Tucker, September 19, 2025
On Monday, September 8, left-wing feminist website Jezebel published an article: “We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk.” Two days later, Charlie Kirk was killed. Does this mean that magic actually works? It depends on what you mean by the word “magic.” In a way, actual physical reality has thus now been altered by the seductive “spells” of transgenderism, like “Trans Women ARE Women!” being incanted daily from our campuses and media pulpits. Such ritual incantations are akin to spells of physical transformation or metamorphosis, when the enchantress of old could transform herself into an animal or the false doppelganger of another human person—even one of the opposite sex. When we say that someone has “fallen under the spell” of some ideology or other, to certain practitioners of witchcraft, this is not simply a figurative metaphor; they mean it literally, if by “spell” you actually mean a kind of behavior and belief-altering brainwashing.
Wild at Heart
Look at life through the eyes of the heart
By John Eldredge, September 25, 2025
“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18). The first line grabs me by the throat. “Therefore we do not lose heart.” Somebody knows how not to lose heart? I’m all ears. For we are losing heart. All of us. Daily. It is the single most unifying quality shared by the human race on the planet at this time. How do we not lose heart? “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.” (2 Cor. 4:18). This wise old seer is saying that there is a way of looking at life, and that those who discover it can live from the heart no matter what. We do this by seeing with the eyes of the heart.
Image of peanuts by Nicole Köhler, from Pixabay
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