Catholic Nutshell News: Wednesday 6/3/26
What Catholics should know: Tomb of the prophet Samuel; Convert spike in America’s heartland; June is celebrated as ‘Fidelity Month'; & ‘Modest fashion’ among Muslim women
“Here was an almond tree in bloom before me”
Your 5-minute Catholic briefing for busy faithful. Today's sources are the Zeale News, National Catholic Register, Vatican News, The Pillar, Aleteia, and OSV News. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
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Zenit News
Israel expropriates the tomb of the prophet Samuel
By ZENIT Staff, June 3, 2026
The order by Israeli authorities to seize the famous tomb of the prophet Samuel (Nabi Samuel), north of Jerusalem, and the surrounding land has opened a new chapter in the Jewish state’s campaign to expropriate Palestinian property and antiquities. A silent war on Palestinian archaeological and cultural heritage has been launched by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which is also promoting a controversial bill to secure control over it. The prophet Samuel is a figure revered by Jews and Christians, as well as in the Muslim tradition. In recent days, the Israeli Civil Administration issued an expropriation order (H/02/26) “for public utility purposes” for the tomb and the 28 acres surrounding the building, a major tourist and religious center in the West Bank, in the area between Jerusalem and Ramallah, hitherto managed by the Islamic Waqf. A decision that has sparked outrage and protests, with repeated voices of condemnation for what has been described as the latest act of ‘Judaization’ of Palestinian sites.
OSV News
‘Obsession’ film popular, but rated as morally offensive
By John Mulderign, May 15, 2026
“More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones,” the 16th-century mystic St. Teresa of Avila is famously said to have observed. To judge by the horror film “Obsession” (Focus), something similar — but far more drastic — might be said about fulfilled wishes. In between the unintentional laughs provoked by some of Nikki’s other, less distasteful antics, writer-director Curry Barker’s chiller lapses into long periods of dullness. Since new Nikki eventually goes from daft to deadly, moreover, the plot includes a gruesome climactic murder. The film contains excessive gory violence, grisly images, graphic premarital sexual activity with rear nudity, full nudity in a nonsexual context, cohabitation, occult and suicide themes, a repulsive scatological incident, a few uses of profanity, frequent milder swearing, references to incest, pervasive rough and considerable crude language, and a couple of crass expressions. The OSV News classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association rating is R — restricted.
National Catholic Register
Surprising Catholic convert spike in America’s heartland
By Luke Larson, June 2, 2026
America’s apparent Catholic revival appears strongest among the college-educated but may be leaving working-class people behind. Does this also mean that the number of Catholic converts is highest in major metropolitan areas where the white-collar demographic tends to congregate, while more blue-collar rural dioceses are stagnating? The answer, paradoxically, is No. While some dioceses that include major metros made the top 10 for percentage increase in conversions — St. Petersburg (84%) and Kansas City-St. Joseph (70%) — the list is dominated by more sparsely populated rural dioceses. None of the top three dioceses — Norwich, Connecticut (112%), Pueblo, Colorado (105%), or Rapid City, South Dakota (96%) — has a metro area with more than 300,000 people. And in total, six of the top 10 don’t include a metro area of 1 million people. The data make clear that many rural dioceses are experiencing new life — and should be as much a part of the “Catholic revival” conversation as their big-city counterparts.
Zeale News
Same-sex attraction apostolate again corrects synod report
By McKenna Snow, June 2, 2026
Father Brian Gannon, the executive director of Courage International, a Catholic apostolate that ministers to persons experiencing same-sex attraction, on June 1 cited the analogy about the Tower of Babel in Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical to once again strongly push back against a synodal document released May 5 about same-sex attraction — a document that Father Gannon says is “intellectually dishonest.” Father Gannon wrote that the Synod study group document “is methodologically deficient and thus intellectually dishonest; it uses only two men who extol sinful relationships as representative of all who experience same sex attraction.” Courage International rejects “the model of Babel,” He said, “That Christ and His Bride, Holy Mother Church, is the foundation for our community of spiritual friendship, chastity, and authentic Christian love. This is why Courage has been able to accomplish so much good, while also getting scorn from a world bent on building new Towers of Babel.”
EWTN News
June, celebrated as ‘Fidelity Month,’ is gaining traction
By Kate Quiñones June 2, 2026
A grassroots movement to celebrate faithfulness to God is being recognized by state leaders in June. Several elected officials are recognizing “Fidelity Month,” including the governors of Arkansas and Utah. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas recently announced her recognition of the month, along with Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah, the Kentucky Senate, and Mayor Jerry Weiers of Glendale, Arizona. Fidelity Month was founded in 2023 by Professor Robert P. George, an American legal scholar and professor of jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. “We believe that faith in God, our spouses and families, and our country and communities are the sources of America’s unity and strength,” said Christopher Parr, a spokesman for the movement. “Professor George thought that it would be fitting for Americans to take one month of the year to rededicate themselves to these basic values.”
Vatican News
Microsoft: Magnifica humanitas is valuable for AI development
By Devin Watkins, June 3, 2026
Massive advances in consumer-facing artificial intelligence systems in recent years have led the Church to engage more deeply with companies building the technologies of the future. That movement has led to criticism of the Church’s engagement with tech companies to help direct the development of AI, as well as to criticism within the tech world of those who dialogue with the Church. But by pushing religion and theology into an “optional realm,” developers risk missing out on a deeper understanding of how their customers think, according to Taylor Black. Black serves as the Director of AI and Venture Ecosystems in the Office of the Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft and as the inaugural Director of the Leonum Institute for AI and Emerging Technologies at the Catholic University of America. Generative or agentic AI products are probabilistic, guessing the next word in a sequence, and taking every action based on the data that trained it, and the user’s prompt. The result is that users are co-creating their experiences, and products must be based on a good understanding of the user’s way of thinking.
Aleteia
The stunning Eucharistic miracle of Sokolka
By Aleteia, May 29, 2026
Every day, on the altars of Catholic churches around the world, the greatest miracle possible takes place: the transformation of bread and wine into the true Body and Blood of Christ. The appearances remain and so our faith is challenged, inviting us to believe without seing. What are the implications, then, of the Eucharistic event in Sokolka, Poland? It took place on Sunday, October 12, 2008, two weeks after the beatification of Fr. Michael Sopocko. A priest interrupted the distribution of Communion and picked up a dropped host, and, in accordance with liturgical norms, placed it in a small container of water. The host was expected to dissolve in the water, which would later be disposed of properly. A week later, in the middle of the host—which was still largely intact—a curved, bright red stain, like a blood stain: a living particle of a body. The water was untainted by the color. By mid-January of 2009, the altered fragment of the host had dried out naturally and remained like a blood stain or clot; since then, its appearance has not changed.
Pime Asia News
The rise of ‘modest fashion’ among Muslim women
By Giuseppe Caffulli, June 3, 2026
They call it ‘modest fashion’. A term which, particularly in Europe, is often associated with women’s clothing inspired by Islamic principles, but which today describes a much broader phenomenon: a creative universe that combines elegance, modesty, cultural identity, and new forms of consumption. Among the most talked-about looks was one presented by the French brand Soutoura: a denim dress paired with a crocheted balaclava adorned with crystals, a stylized evocation of the niqab, the full-face veil banned in France since 2010. The organizers of Think Fashion, the company that has been running the international Modest Fashion Week circuit for over a decade, speak openly of a sign of the sector’s maturity: modest fashion is no longer a peripheral niche, but an increasingly visible component of the global industry. Muslim consumer spending on clothing is expected to reach 3 billion by 2028.
Keep informed - 6/3/26 news for Catholics
Snippets from Loop, Aleteia, & Pillar
CatholicVote: Zeale’s 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.”
CV THANKS WASHINGTON NATIONALS FOR SWIFT RESPONSE - CatholicVote President Kelsey Reinhardt thanked the Washington Nationals for its public apology over an anti-Catholic scandal, calling it "the right response" in a letter to President of Baseball Operations Jason Sinnarajah. "Anti-Catholicism should be taken seriously wherever it appears, especially in an institution with the public visibility and civic importance of a Major League Baseball franchise in the nation's capital," Reinhardt wrote. READ
LAWYER DECRIES TRUMP DOJ 'BETRAYAL' OF RELIGIOUS WORKERS - After the Justice Department filed a brief with the Supreme Court urging it not to review a case brought by New York healthcare workers who were fired for refusing to submit to COVID shots because of their religious beliefs, a lawyer familiar with the case accused the Trump administration of “betrayal.” READ
FIRE AT MEMPHIS CATHEDRAL UNDER INVESTIGATION - A fire broke out inside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Memphis, Tennessee, on May 31, damaging the sanctuary, according to the Catholic Diocese of Memphis. The diocese added that the cause of the fire remains under investigation and thanked local firefighters and emergency responders for their quick response in extinguishing the blaze. READ
Aleteia News
Aleteia’s headlines — June 3, 2026
Aleteia (aleteia.org) is an online publication distributed in six languages (English, French, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, and Slovenian). Aleteia reaches more than 10 million readers per month.
Relics of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque arrive in the US today - JoanneMcPortland - 06/02/26 - When 250 Catholic bishops gather in Orlando, Florida, on June 11, they will be in the presence not only of the Shroud of Turin exhibit but also of the relics of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.
US Bishops urge refugee protections beyond one group - Daniel Esparza - 05/29/26 - As the U.S. opens refugee admissions to 10,000 South African Afrikaners, the bishop calls for equal refuge for all persecuted people, especially those targeted for their faith.
5 June saints you’ve never heard of and why you’ll love them - Theresa Civantos Barber - 06/03/26 - This month, I was shocked to see several saints whose names I’ve never heard, even though I’ve always loved learning about the lives of the saints. Like St. Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad, the extraordinary religious sister risked her life during World War II.
The Pillar
Pillar Stories from the May calendar, 6/3/26
The Pillar offers a news summary and a capsule take on Catholic News. Here are news stories from the past few weeks in the Pillar Post:
A total of 114 alleged abusers were named by the Independent Commission’s report in Portugal - Filipe d’Avillez - Jun 02, 2026 - The announcement is the latest development in a process that has divided observers over whether the Church has done enough to respond to abuse allegations in the country.
‘There is plenty of life’: Bishop Lopes on the Australian ordinariate’s future - Luke Coppen - May 12, 2026 - Pope Leo XIV named Monday a new apostolic administrator to oversee Australia’s ordinariate for groups of former Anglicans, amid questions about its long-term future.
Why were the UK Marian Franciscans dissolved? - The Pillar - Jun 02, 2026 - The Marian Franciscans announced May 28 that they had taken the unusual step of dissolving their community because they were unable to secure “practical and canonical support” for future priestly ordinations, despite a growth in numbers.
June 3, 2026 - USCCB Daily Mass Readings
You can listen HERE or read HERE:
Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs
Today’s Catholic commentary:
Crisis Magazine
Not just another martyr
By Garrett D. Johnson, June 3, 2026
The Feast of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions comes every year on June 3rd; while many sermons will be heard about their martyrdom on that day, few priests will mention the reason they were killed. There are two types of martyrs in our holy Catholic Church: white martyrs, who achieve a “bloodless” martyrdom through a heroic life of self-denial, ascetical practices, and daily sacrifice for Christ; and red martyrs, those who are killed for their faith in Christ. St. Charles Lwanga and his companions, whose feast day is June 3rd, are red martyrs. They are patron saints of those served by the Courage apostolate, who are called to white martyrdom by striving to live according to the Church’s teachings regarding same-sex attraction. Unlike others, their martyrdom was not merely for general chastity but for resisting a particular demand placed upon them. This distinction is especially relevant in June, observed as the month for celebrating the very behavior they opposed.
National Catholic Register
John Paul II and America
By George Weigel, June 2, 2026
The Cracovian cardinal, Karol Wojtyła, and now St. John Paul II, made two visits to the United States, one during the national bicentennial in 1976, but the majority of his time during these trips was spent with Polish American communities. It’s fair to say that John Paul II began his papacy with an impression of American Catholicism not dissimilar from that of other European intellectuals: The U.S. Church had an enviable network of institutions — ranging from parishes to healthcare and social service facilities to schools, colleges, and universities — but the Church was more wealthy than cultured and lived too comfortably within the American status quo. While the new Pope wasn’t hostile to the Church in the U.S., he didn't, in 1978, see it as a possible template for the Catholic future. That would change dramatically over the next quarter-century, in part because of the renewal that John Paul II helped ignite in American Catholicism and because of his growing understanding that the U.A., while deeply rooted in Europe, was not simply Europe transplanted.
The Obscure, Forgotten, and Undiscovered
First to pay respects to the Unknowns
By James K. Hanna, May 28, 2026
On this date May 28, in 1958, Walter Davis, of Corry, Pennsylvania was first in line to pay respects to the Unknown Soldiers of World War II and Korea. An estimated 28,000 people followed Walter at the Capitol over three days. Another 100,000 lined the streets as the two Unknowns moved from the Capitol to Arlington National Cemetery and The Tomb on Memorial Day, May 30, 1958. The caption of the news photo reads: “Walter Davis, a Pennsylvania farmer who lost an arm fighting in the European theater in the last World War, stands at attention before the flag-draped caskets containing the bodies of Unknowns of World War II and Korea in the Capitol rotunda today. Davis, of Corry, Pa., was the first man in line to pay tribute to the Unknowns. ‘It’s beautiful—it’s beautiful,’ he said.”
Catholic 365
Through the eyes of Autism
By Allison Brown, June 3, 2025
I held my breath, watching my youngest play as a toddler. “Dear Lord, not again,” I silently begged Him. My heart ached at the thought, and I questioned where I had gone wrong. But I knew deep down that another one of my children was showing the classic characteristics of Autism. It was evident throughout my pregnancy that the Lord had His hand on this child of mine from the beginning. His due date fell on the feast day of the same saint who answered my prayers. His father and I chose his name weeks before he was born. I was unexpectedly urgently induced, and he was born on the Feast of our Lady of the Rosary. Our Lady had given the Rosary to the saint whose name we had chosen for our son. Six and a half years later, my beautiful son, diagnosed with Autism and global developmental delays, reaches up and touches my face. “Are you okay, mum? You need a hug.” I was experiencing many trials and couldn’t hold back the tears. By modeling the behaviors for him and showing him love and compassion, my son showed me the same love and compassion despite his diagnosis.
Image of Almonds by Monfocus from Pixabay
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