Catholic Register

Father Vijay Kiran, a chaplain at Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence, R.I., seen in an undated photo, displays some of the memorabilia he has collected over the years about St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Kolkata. Upon his retirement from active ministry in July 2026, the Indian priest plans to return to Bangalore in his home country to open a long-planned museum and library honouring Mary and the two saints.

With World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly approaching on July 26, few groups can claim as much credit for its existence as the international, volunteer-run Catholic Grandparents Association. Founded 25 years ago by Catherine Wiley, the CGA has spent years persistently petitioning the Vatican for a simple cause, and has since turned a simple inspiration from one Catholic grandparent into a universal Church observance that continues to honour elders as vital missionaries of faith.

Opponents of "assisted dying" gather during a vote by members of parliament on a bill establishing the right to medical aid in dying at the National Assembly in Paris July 15, 2026. The placards read "Caring = fraternity – Euthanasia = abandonment.

Workers prepare graves on the day of a mass burial for earthquake victims at La Esperanza Cemetery in La Guaira, Venezuela, July 6, 2026. Two catastrophic earthquakes hit Venezuela in quick succession June 24, leaving at least 5,000 dead with thousands still missing.

Earlier this month, and on each Canada Day, we celebrate the remarkable fact that a country stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific has endured for nearly 160 years. We speak of Confederation, the Constitution, Parliament and our institutions as the foundations of our political life. Yet these alone cannot explain why a nation holds together. Laws may govern a people, but they cannot, by themselves, sustain a common future.

A man prays with a child in front of an image of Our Lady at Mount Cristo Rey in Sunland Park, N.M., during a pilgrimage Nov. 23, 2024, for the feast of Christ the King. The Diocese of Las Cruces is demanding a jury trial in response to the Trump administration's move under an eminent domain claim to seize a pilgrimage site for the construction of a border wall.

When Pope Leo XIV sat down to lunch with people experiencing homelessness and poverty at Castel Gandolfo this month, he offered a model that one Catholic organization says any parish can follow. Fratello, a French Catholic nonprofit active in roughly 40 countries, has made it its mission to aid dioceses, parishes and associations in organizing "Banquets of Friendship" and prayer vigils that bring the poor together with their local Christian communities.

On July 26, the World Day of Grandparents, hundreds of Catholics will quietly make their way to a hidden gem in the rural hills of Cormac, Ont., for the 86th annual St. Ann's Pilgrimage, honouring the feast day of St. Ann, the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus. The pilgrimage, touted by some as the “best-kept secret” of the Diocese of Pembroke, was established by Bishop Charles Nelligan, the third bishop to serve the diocese, from 1937 to 1945.

Nairobi, Kenya As African bishops continue to back Pope Leo XIV over the excommunication of the Society of St. Pius X, known as SSPX, the traditionalist group in Kenya rejected the schismatic tag as it moved to assure followers of its Roman Catholic identity.

ShareLife’s 50th anniversary is elevating the annual parish campaign to new heights. The Archdiocese of Toronto’s charitable fundraising arm, serving more than 40 social service agencies, has thus far amassed $9.6 million, a midway sum outpacing the $8.83 million raised during the first six months of 2025 by nearly $800,000. Last year’s drive culminated in a record-breaking $15,671,786 performance. This year, the goal is to accrue at least $15.2 million.