Advertisement Daughters of CharityICN Would you like to advertise on ICN? Click to learn more.

US & Canada

News from United States & Canada covering parishes, dioceses, religious orders, community groups, homelessness, moral & political issues and pilgrims.


Canada: Centennial Anniversary of the Martyrs Shrine

Martyrs Shrine, Wiki Image

This year, 2026, marks the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Martyrs Shrine in Midland, Ontario, Canada. It also marks the 400th anniversary since Jesuit Father Jean de Brebeuf landed in Huronia, the Land of the Hurons (now the Wendat First Nation) in 1626, to establish a mission. Over the next 23 years they learnt the local languages, studied the local history and culture and made many con... Read More


US Catholics seek abolition of death penalty

As the United States saw a sharp rise in executions of people on death row in 2025, the Executive Director of Catholic Mobilizing Network calls for US Catholics to uphold the Church's teaching on human dignity, from conception to natural death. In 2025, US states executed 47 men and women on death row, more than double the average number of executions over the past 10 years. "This is a marked, tra... Read More


Bishops plan special gathering for 250th Anniversary of USA

US Catholic bishops from the dioceses of Tucson, Phoenix, Santa Fe, El Paso, among others, will be holding Border Mass 250, a binational gathering of faith, solidarity, and recognition of the contributions of immigrants in the context of the 250th anniversary of the United States at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 272 N Rodriguez St, Nogalez, Arizona, on Friday, 26 June. Border Mass 250 will foc... Read More


USA: Bishops to consecrate America to Sacred Heart of Jesus for 250th anniversary + Novena

Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, Altar of the Sacred Heart, mosaic. The painting for the mosaic was by Carlo Muccioli in 1919-20.Wiki Image

On June 11, 2026, as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the US bishops (USCCB) will consecrate the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Catholics around the country are encouraged to join the bishops in celebrating the consecration of their nation to the Sacred Heart. The act of consecration initiative will be celeb... Read More


Hunger, labour strikes at US immigration detention centres

Pax Christi USA report that across the country, people in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention have launched hunger and labour strikes, bravely putting their lives on the line to demand their freedom and protest the horrendous and inhumane conditions they are subjected to in detention. At Delaney Hall in New Jersey, the labour and hunger strike began in response to people being deni... Read More


Investors escalate pressure on Palantir over human rights risks ahead of AGM

Photo by Salvador Rios on Unsplash

A growing coalition of faith-based and institutional investors and leaders is calling on shareholders of Palantir Technologies Inc. (Palantir) to vote FOR Proposal 5 at the Company's June 3, 2026, Annual General Meeting. The proposal, filed by Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace (CSJP), supported by Investor Advocates for Social Justice (IASJ), other shareholders, and a broad coaliti... Read More


USA: Doctors and priests urge Congress to act on Gaza

Doctors Against Genocide (DAG) and Priests Against Genocide (PAG) have jointly sent a letter to the 150 Catholic members of the United States Congress, urging them to take immediate action to protect the Palestinian people of Gaza and the West Bank. The letter, signed by leading physicians and Catholic clergy, calls on lawmakers to end the blockade on Gaza, suspend weapons transfers to Israel, and... Read More


Shrine planned for Venerable 'Fr Gus' - America's first Black priest

Fr Augustine Tolton  Image: Diocese of Springfield, Illinois

The Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, in the United States, has announced plans to build a shrine to Venerable Father Augustine Tolton, whose story of overcoming racial discrimination and divisions in his time continues to be a source of inspiration to promote peace and unity. Venerable Father Augustine Tolton - the first publicly recognized Black priest in the United States - was a much-loved pas... Read More


US Cardinal Cupich receives peace award

Cardinal Blaise Cupich

Cardinal Blase J Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, has been awarded the Catholic Theological Union's 'Blessed are the Peacemakers' award. In a speech at the prize ceremony on Wednesday evening, the Cardinal quoted Pope Leo XIV's homily for Palm Sunday this year, in which he said that Jesus "does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them." It is unfortunate, the Cardinal noted,... Read More


King Charles tells US Congress faith is his 'anchor and daily inspiration'

King Charles receives one of many standing ovations during his address to Congress

King Charles told a joint session of the US Congress on Tuesday that his Christian faith was his "firm anchor and daily inspiration"; how he was committed to interfaith understanding and prayed for peace to prevail over war through a generosity of spirit. Marking the 250th anniversary of American independence with a four-day state visit, he also underlined his faith in a rules-based international ... Read More


SJP Sisters concerned at Palantir board objection to shareholder resolution on human rights

Englewood Cliffs NJ: The Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace (CSJP) is expressing profound disappointment following the Palantir Board of Directors' decision to actively oppose a critical shareholder resolution on human rights. While the sisters welcome the inclusion of the proposal, in the 2026 proxy statement (Proposal 5), they are deeply troubled that the company's leadership has ... Read More


How will the US Church respond to Pope Leo's call to peacemaking?

Photo by Matteo Miliddi on Unsplash

President Trump's recent attacks on Pope Leo have produced widespread popular support for the first American pope. But they have also given right-wing Catholics a serious case of ambivalence. And with good reason. For the last several decades, the US bishops have instructed the laity to focus on abortion as the 'pre-eminent priority' of Catholic morality, often to the neglect of other pressing soc... Read More


USA: Statement from Supreme Knight of Columbus Patrick Kelly re Mr Trump and the Pope

The Supreme Knight of Columbus Patrick Kelly has published the following statement: In recent days, many Catholics and other people of goodwill have been deeply disappointed by the disparaging comments directed at Pope Leo XIV by the President of the United States. The Successor of Saint Peter is not a politician - he is the Vicar of Christ, entrusted with proclaiming the Gospel and shepherding so... Read More


Priests Against Genocide USA responds to Pope Leo's call for peace

Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. Peace demands courage. Faith demands action. Priests Against Genocide USA (PAGUSA) has welcomed and affirmed the recent moral appeal issued by Pope Leo, who, in remarks to reporters at the Vatican, called on "all people of goodwill to search always for peace and not violence, to reject war," and urged citizens worldwide to contact their political lea... Read More

Mobile Menu Toggle Icon