Volunteers are "the backbone of the work of the Catholic Charities network across the country," said CCUSA Vice President for Communications Kevin Brennan.

On April 22, millions of pilgrims will be in Pangasinan, Philippines, marking the centenary of the canonical coronation of the image of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag.

The pontiff, in Equatorial Guinea, said Christian charity means welcoming the vulnerable with dignity.

Recent marches in Poland have intentionally marked major national milestones, including the 1,000th anniversary of Poland’s first royal coronation in 2025.

At the inauguration of a new campus named in his honor in Equatorial Guinea, the pope urged the education of young people in truth, responsibility, and service to the common good.

Two soldiers involved will receive 30 days of military detention, Israeli authorities said.

Archbishop Luis Argüello pointed to the harmful effects of oversimplifying issues and taking positions based on emotional reactions, which can lead to polarization and prevent constructive dialogue.

Pontiff said the Church’s social doctrine offers guidance for confronting inequality, resource exploitation, war, and technological upheaval.

In a new book, Mayra Rodríguez, who worked for Planned Parenthood for 15 years, tells the story of her conversion from abortion clinic director to pro-life advocate.

WASHINGTON – “Vocations are a sign of God’s free gift of merciful love to a world in need of salvation,” said Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, in anticipation of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations on April 26. “We join in prayer for all disciples of Christ, especially young people, to experience the loving God, the Good Shepherd, who has a unique call for each person’s life,” he continued. 

In conjunction with the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, the USCCB’s Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations released the Ordination Class of 2026 Study conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. According to this survey, four in five ordinands reported regular participation in Eucharistic adoration before entering the seminary. The full CARA report and profiles of the Ordination Class of 2026 may be found here.   

In his message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Leo XIV extends an invitation to all, not just clergy and those in religious life, to commit to creating conditions that allow the gift of vocations to be embraced, nourished, protected and accompanied, so that it may bear abundant fruit. “Only when our surroundings are illumined by living faith, sustained by constant prayer and enriched by fraternal accompaniment can God’s call blossom and mature, becoming a path of happiness and salvation for individuals and for the world,” he says. 

This year’s CARA report was sent out to the 428 men scheduled to be ordained this year. 334 completed the survey for an overall response rate of 78%. These ordinands represent 110 U.S. dioceses and eparchies and 34 distinct religious institutes.

A few of the major findings of the report are:

• In regard to prayer practices before entering the seminary, ordinands participated in Eucharistic Adoration (81%) on a regular basis, praying the Rosary (79%), participated in a prayer/Bible group (52%), and prayed Lectio Divina (48%).
• Most of the ordinands received formation at a seminary in the Midwest (35%), in the Northeast (28%), South (19%), West (14%), and abroad (5%).
• Nine in ten responding ordinands (92%) reported being encouraged to consider the priesthood by someone in their life, most frequently by a parish priest (70%), friend (49%), or parishioner (44%).
• Hispanics/Latinos constituted 17% of the responding ordinands. They represented 14% of ordinands in religious institutes and 18% of ordinands to the diocesan priesthood.
• Most respondents (93%) were baptized Catholic as an infant and raised primarily by their biological parents (97%) and a married couple living together (88%).

###