National Catholic Register

COMMENTARY: As recent events have shown, the Holy Father, while not a trained mental health professional, exhibits what is called therapeutic listening. Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at the Gran Canaria Stadium in Spain on June 11, 2026. (Photo: Daniel Ibanez) CommentariesOctober 10, 2026 With the month of October focused globally on mental health awareness, and with key initiatives like Mental Health Illness Week (Oct 4 - 10) and World Mental Health Day (Oct.

Leading theologians and cardinals examine Marian doctrine, devotion and history nearly a year after the Vatican controversially called the title inopportune in official usage. Adoration, with Rosary and Benediction, underway during the conference.

The Chicago Bears icon, who died on Friday, gave to charities, lectored at Mass, and belonged to the Knights of Columbus. Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka is carried off the field on the shoulders of Steve McMichael (76) after the Bears’ 46-10 victory in Super Bowl XX in New Orleans on Jan. 26, 1986.

COMMENTARY: As the Church’s universal calendar illustrates, it’s not possible to have too many saints. L to R: Sts. John XXIII (Oct. 11), John Paul II (Oct. 22), Thérèse of Lisieux (Oct. 1), Faustina Kowalska (Oct. 5) and John Henry Newman (Oct. 9). (Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Shutterstock) CommentariesOctober 9, 2026 I had hoped for a new feast day to be announced on Monday. To be more precise, I had hoped that another feast day would be added to the universal calendar.

The decision to livestream the execution of Fort Hood mass shooter Nidal Hasan faced strong criticism from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. In this photo released by the Bell County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist convicted of murder in the Fort Hood shootings, is seen in a booking photo after being moved to the Bell County Jail on April 9, 2010, in Belton, Texas.

At a gathering marking the 10th anniversary of ‘Amoris Laetitia,’ Church leaders point to changing attitudes toward sexuality, widespread divorce, and economic insecurity among obstacles to marriage. Catholic wedding (Photo: Unsplash) VaticanOctober 9, 2026 VATICAN CITY — Why are fewer young people choosing to marry in the Catholic Church, and how does contemporary society understand the relationship between sexuality, procreation, and the sacrament of marriage?

An Irish priest pleads guilty to minor sex abuse, Glasgow shutters 24 churches and half its parishes, the UAE gets a new Vatican ambassador, and more in this week’s Catholic world news roundup. St. Eugene’s Cathedral in Derry, Ireland. (Photo: Attila Jandi/Shutterstock) NewsOctober 9, 2026 A priest from the Diocese of Derry in Ireland has admitted to 109 child sex offense charges from June 22, 2023, to April 18, 2025.

COMMENTARY: If we allow the Catholic university to be a place where faculty, staff and students encounter Christ the living God, the transforming truth and love of Jesus will give rise to a culture that invites further encounters with Christ. Catholic colleges and universities help students look to the saints and the truths of faith as they learn academic disciplines.

Jesus urges us to be sober and serious about our spiritual destiny and that of those whom we love. Statues of 140 saints line the balustrade of St. Peter’s Colonnade, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. (Photo: Unsplash) Sunday GuideOctober 9, 2026 Sunday, Oct. 11, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Mass readings: Isaiah 25:6-10a; Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6; Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20; Matthew 22:1-14 or 22:1-10. How ready are we to enter the kingdom of God?

FILM REVIEW: One-man stage play becomes an inspiring movie about America’s first black priest. Jim Coleman plays the titular role in ‘Tolton: From Slave to Priest,’ adapted from the play of the same title.