US & Canada

Vancouver's Filipino community is in mourning and shock after a man drove an SUV into the Lapu-Lapu traditional Filipino Festival, killing eleven people, including a five year old child and injuring many more. Archbishop Emeritus J Michael Miller CSB, who is currently administering the diocese, said in a letter to parishes: "I was deeply saddened to hear of the tragic events that took place yester... Read More

The annual street Stations of the Cross for Peace and Justice in Washington DC on Good Friday is to focus on injustices of the Trump administration. Sponsors - who "cast the story of Jesus' final days in a contemporary context and meditate on the social sins of our own times" - include the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Franciscan Action Network, Churches for Middle East Peace and Leadershi... Read More

EL PASO, Texas - Just days into the second term of US President Donald Trump, millions of Americans watched live as his administration went on the attack against the country's Catholic hierarchy over its objections to Trump's plan for mass deportations of immigrants and refugees, legal and illegal alike. While apparently directed at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the individual who... Read More

Father Arul Carasala, parish priest of the church of Saints Peter and Paul in Seneca, a city in the north east of Kansas, was shot dead by a man on Thursday, April 3, while in his rectory. According to initial reconstructions, the shooter was an elderly man unknown to the parishioners and is now in custody. The reasons for the attack, which are being investigated by the police, are still unknown. ... Read More

Two religious Sisters were among those brutally killed when an armed gang ran riot near Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on Monday (31st March). Sisters Evanette Onezaire and Jeanne Voltaire sought refuge in a house as the gang attacked the prison and other public buildings in Mirebalais, 30 miles north-east of Port-au-Prince. Gang members found the Sisters' hiding place and shot them dead. A young ... Read More

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Department of Migration and Refugee Services, in collaboration with the National Association of Evangelicals, World Relief, and the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, has released a report entitled: 'One Part of the Body: The Potential Impact of Deportations on American Christian Families.' This compreh... Read More

El Paso, Texas - The protective figure of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, looms large above the fear-filled west Texas city of El Paso these days. And well she should. The massive mosaic of the Mother of God stands four stories tall, attached to a soon-to-be opened affordable housing bloc named 'Nuestra Senora' (Our Lady), just five minutes from the international border with Me... Read More

Mgr Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York writes: Today is St Patrick's Day - a day to honour the foremost patron saint of Ireland and to celebrate the rich legacy of Irish heritage in the United States. Mercy Sister Christine Hennessy is a Catholic Charities Community Services social worker and proud Irish American. She has two families: first, t... Read More

Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland gave this homily for St Patrick's Day, in St Patrick's Cathedral, New York. Saint Patrick was a pilgrim of hope and in this Jubilee year of Hope I'm honoured to be with you In New York as a pilgrim of hope and bring you greetings from Armagh, the home of Saint Patrick. Thank you, Cardinal Dolan for your kind invitation and... Read More

Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland writes: I am sending my Saint Patrick's Day message for the Jubilee Year 2025 from Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York where I have travelled on a "pilgrimage of hope". Our patron, Saint Patrick, lived his life as a "pilgrim of hope". Despite being trafficked into slavery in Ireland as a young teenager, with all the pain... Read More

On the Memorial of St Oscar Romero, Monday, 24 March at 6pm, in San Jacinto Plaza in downtown El Paso, Texas, the Hope Border Institute, Bishop Mark J Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso and local community leaders and organizations will hold a March & Vigil in Solidarity with Migrants. The March and Vigil will take place against the background of the closure of the US-Mexico border to asylum seek... Read More

On 3 March, Pax Christi USA joined a national coalition of 124 civil society organizations - including refugee, human rights, and humanitarian organizations - in signing a letter to members of Congress urging the US government to restore its funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), in line with the forthcoming UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act ... Read More

More than two dozen Christian and Jewish organisations, representing millions of Americans, have filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration's policy of allowing ICE (Immigration and Custom Enforcement) raids at places of worship. Faithful America state: "This is the biggest legal action yet in an ongoing battle to defend religious liberty from Trump's Christian nationalist power grab. The Ep... Read More

The 'Ecclesia in America Network' recently hosted a theological Congress on Synodality in America, focusing on promoting dialogue on themes of human mobility; ecumenism and interreligious dialogue; and new theological scenarios. The Congress is part of the Network's efforts to respond to Pope Francis' desire for increased collaboration between North and South America. According to the organization... Read More