St. Lydia assisted St. Paul in building up the first century Church; today, local faithful see devotion as a model for supporting priests

DETROIT — Parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit have the option to celebrate the Feast of St. Lydia on May 20 instead of the primary feast day, the optional memorial of St. Bernardine of Siena.

But who is St. Lydia? What is the local connection to this saint? And why is the Archdiocese of Detroit making resources available to celebrate her on the Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter?

“St. Lydia was Paul’s first European convert and played a key role in supporting Paul’s ministry,” Kathleen McCann, a parishioner at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Plymouth, told Detroit Catholic. “Many people haven’t really paid attention to her; indeed, she’s only mentioned in three verses of Scripture, all in Acts of the Apostles. But she’s commonly understood to have been super pivotal in the support of St. Paul and unleashing the Gospel throughout Europe.”

St. Lydia was a businesswoman who sold purple dye, an expensive commodity at the time. When she encountered St. Paul after fleeing Philippi, she converted and used her financial means to support the early Church. 

Several years ago, McCann and a few other pilgrims from southeast Michigan went on a pilgrimage through Greece and Turkey, following in the footsteps of St. Paul with then-Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron.

Archbishop Vigneron celebrated Mass at the Zygaktis River, where St. Lydia was baptized (in modern-day Greece), McCann recalled.

“We took this beautiful icon of Lydia to the place where she was baptized, and it was an incredibly beautiful experience and very moving,” McCann said. “There were many of us on that pilgrimage, and we all had this deep affinity for Lydia. The archbishop encouraged us in that devotion, suggesting that if we were interested in celebrating her, he’d be happy to help.”

McCann and her fellow pilgrims set out circulating a petition in the Archdiocese of Detroit, asking Rome to make St. Lydia the primary saint celebrated on the liturgical calendar for May 20.

St. Lydia used her talents and treasures to support the early Church, just as countless others have used their time, talent and treasure to support the priests of the Archdiocese of Detroit, McCann said.

“We have a lot of faithful in the Archdiocese of Detroit who love our Church and love our priests and want to do whatever they can to support them, particularly in these challenging years that we’ve been going through,” McCann said. 

As the Archdiocese of Detroit turned its focus to evangelization following Synod 16, McCann and others saw in St. Lydia a perfect model for today's faithful.

Although the group collected more than 1,000 signatures to elevate St. Lydia's feast on May 20 on the local liturgical calendar, it wasn't enough to convince Rome the necessary cult of devotion to the saint existed. 

However, Rome did encourage the group to promote the saint, allowing for the option to celebrate her feast day as the primary saint in the liturgy, since she is listed in the Roman Martyrology. It also allowed a similar option for the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, on June 27.

“The (Dicastery for Divine Worship) subsequently has approved a particular liturgical calendar for the archdiocese. It includes the Solemnity of SS. Joachim and Anne (July 26), with St. Anne as the patroness of our archdiocese, the memorial of Blessed Solanus Casey (July 30), and the Dedication of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament (Nov. 27), along with St. Lydia and Our Lady of Perpetual Help, as optional feast memorials,” McCann said.

The Archdiocese of Detroit has prepared materials for parishes to celebrate the memorial of St. Lydia, including the readings for the day and prayer cards.

McCann hopes that as more parishes elect to celebrate the optional memorial, they will learn more about St. Lydia and follow her example.

“Even though she walked the earth two millennia ago, you can imagine the similarities in her life to some of us,” McCann said. “When you read through Scripture, how her heart was opened, she paid attention to what her shepherds taught, and she heard the call to support the priests and provide hospitality and encouragement. She aided them with her time, business acumen and treasure.

“There are lots of examples of how we can be good stewards of our gifts and very supportive of our priests and our ministry through Lydia,” McCann added. “And looking at her, the likelihood of her being an evangelist as well — some posit she had had the first domestic church in Europe — there are so many lessons we can take from her as we build up the Church in Detroit.”

At Mass this weekend, May 17, 2026, Ascension Sunday, we hear that the disciples still wrestled with doubt. And yet, Jesus entrusted them with His mission and a promise: “I am with you always.” In this homily reflection, Archbishop Weisenburger shares his prayer that we, like Jesus’ first followers, may also grow in faith, disciple others, and trust in Jesus' enduring presence among us.

Readings for May 17, 2026 (The Ascension of the Lord) 

• Acts 1:1-11
• Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
• Ephesians 1:17-23
• Matthew 28:16-20

WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- A mass deportation effort carried out by President Donald Trump's administration could have a significant chilling effect on the economy and the labor market, including for U.S.-born workers, according to a new estimate.

The findings were in the working paper "Labor Market Impacts of ICE Activity in Trump 2.0," released in early May by co-authors Chloe East, an associate professor of economics at the University of Colorado Boulder, and Elizabeth Cox, a research assistant with CU's Institute for Behavioral Science. East and Cox compared U.S. regions that experienced "a large and sudden increase" in monthly ICE arrests between January 2025 and October 2025 with regions that did not, and found a "meaningful chilling effect" on the labor markets in the areas that had the surges.

"We show that heightened ICE activity is harming the labor market overall, and we find no evidence that it is benefiting U.S.-born workers," East said in a statement. "If anything, job opportunities for U.S.-born workers are going down as a result."

No U.S. national survey asks for immigration status, so the economists used a proxy model to estimate populations of unauthorized immigrants, they said. Using that model, East and Cox found that, on average, in a region that had experienced an ICE surge, 4% fewer "likely undocumented" immigrants remaining in the community reported working in the previous week.

J. Kevin Appleby, senior fellow for policy at the Center for Migration Studies of New York and the former director of migration policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told OSV News the CU Boulder research shows that "while it may seem counterintuitive to some, undocumented immigrants working in certain industries stimulate growth in the economy, thus generating jobs in related occupations."

"And studies have shown that most U.S. citizens shy away from jobs immigrants perform," he said. "As a result, mass deportations can depress the economy and increase prices by shrinking the labor force."

The researchers also found no evidence that employers increased wages to attract U.S.-born workers for roles previously filled by undocumented immigrants, or that U.S.-citizen workers had more job opportunities after the ICE enforcement surges.

On average, it found, in regions that had an ICE surge, 1.3% fewer U.S.-born males with a high school degree or less had jobs.

"There is a common narrative out there that mass deportations will free up job opportunities for U.S.-born workers, but numerous studies, including ours, have shown that is false," East said. "If a construction company can't find laborers, they're going to take on less work and hire fewer people overall."

The study found this impact was particularly significant in the agriculture, manufacturing and construction sectors.

Clayton Sinyai, a labor adviser for the Catholic Labor Network, told OSV News, "Mass deportation of immigrants living in our midst isn't just cruel -- it actually reduces job opportunities for native born workers."

"That's why the Church and the AFL-CIO agree that any solution to the challenges of immigration must include a path to citizenship for undocumented workers who have otherwise obeyed the law and contributed to our community," he said.

Aimee Shelide Mayer, that group's executive director, added that "Catholic social teaching insists that every worker is a human person with dignity, not simply a cog in the wheel to be discarded when politically convenient."

"The evidence increasingly shows that mass deportation policies do not strengthen working families; they disrupt local economies, shrink the labor force, and can harm both immigrant and U.S.-born workers alike, especially in industries already facing labor shortages," Shelide Mayer told OSV News. "A just immigration approach must uphold the rule of law while also recognizing the deep contributions immigrant workers make to our communities and creating realistic pathways for long-term, law-abiding workers to remain with their families and participate fully in the common good."

Catholic social teaching on immigration balances three interrelated principles -- the right of persons to migrate in order to sustain their lives and those of their families; the right of a country to regulate its borders and control immigration; and a nation's duty to regulate its borders with justice and mercy.

"The moral issue here is that while immigrants help us economically, we are happy to scapegoat them, divide their families, and accept their sweat equity at very low wages," Appleby added. "As a nation, we need to acknowledge this contradiction and provide them with legal protection."

This week, Archbishop Weisenburger gathered with more than a dozen bishops from Michigan and Ohio for several days of prayer, fraternity, and reflection during the annual Region IV Bishops Retreat at the Capuchin Retreat Center in Washington Township. "Time spent together in prayer and conversation is a real gift," Archbishop Weisenburger said. "What always strikes me at gatherings like these is the shared love the bishops have for the people entrusted to our care. "

MIAMI (OSV News) ─ In early 2024, Florida residents watching local TV news learned that a bishop in Haiti had been airlifted to a local hospital, where he would be treated for serious burns following a fiery explosion near the Haitian capital.

Bishop Pierre-André Dumas, who oversaw the Diocese of Anse-à-Veau-Miragoâne, Haiti, and who was vice president of the Haitian bishops' conference, had been an outspoken critic of the political and social chaos enveloping his nation. It remains unclear what exactly precipitated the Feb. 18, 2024, explosion, which left him with serious burns on his face, arms and legs.

The bishop arrived at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital for burn-related treatment and has remained in the Miami region for the past two years, with the support and friendship of the local Haitian-American community and the Archdiocese of Miami.

"As a pastor, as a witness, as a sentinel, as a victim myself of what appears to be selective or collective violence, my life has passed through fire, explosion and more than 40% of my body has suffered third-degree burns," Bishop Dumas said, noting the multiple surgeries, laser treatments, intensive therapies and bodily and spiritual healing he has undergone in Miami.

Before the incident, Bishop Dumas had been active in working with civil and government authorities in Haiti to address the political crisis gripping the nation and a kidnapping epidemic attributed to gangs that have become emboldened amid the chaos following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

A month before the fire, six women religious in his diocese were kidnapped by armed men. On Jan. 19, the day they were taken, he offered himself in exchange for the hostages. The sisters, members of the the Congregation of St. Anne, were released by their captors several days later.

His face still bearing the scars of the fire, Bishop Dumas is often seen concelebrating Mass with Miami Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski at large celebrations such as the annual priestly ordinations.

In addition to regular medical treatments over the past two years, he has taken remote learning courses through The Catholic University of America and has had time to process the events of the past several years.

His new life in the United States, and South Florida in particular, has afforded him moments of peace and prayerfulness, both through visits to the ocean and in nature, and during time spent at Miami's St. Mary's Cathedral, Gesu Catholic Church downtown, and the Notre Dame d'Haïti Mission in Miami.

"I have been blessed with many friendships: my clergy brothers, lay leaders and faithful members of the Haitian diaspora," Bishop Dumas told the Florida Catholic, Miami's archdiocesan news outlet. "Some have become true companions on this journey. Friendship, in times of suffering, is not a luxury -- it is a form of grace."

"After so much suffering, these have been for me signs of God's tenderness," he added.

Haiti, like much of the rest of the world, Bishop Dumas said, is living through not only a time of change but "a change of era, a turning point in history that is shaking the foundations of humanity," with forces that spread violence, fear, chaos, and despair, while also revealing a people who refuse to disappear in the face of violence.

Since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, Haiti has descended into a deepening spiral of violence and institutional collapse, as armed gangs have exploited the resulting power vacuum to expand their control.

Today, gangs dominate roughly 80% of Port-au-Prince, the capital, fueling a humanitarian crisis marked by killings, kidnappings, and mass displacement.

In 2024 alone, more than 5,600 people were killed in gang-related violence, while kidnappings, sexual violence, and coordinated attacks on entire communities have become widespread, according to United Nations data.

More than 1.4 million Haitians have been forced from their homes, and over 5 million ─ nearly half the population ─ now require humanitarian assistance.

Haitian disorder is due to a spiritual crisis, but also to inequalities and extreme poverty, the proliferation of arms and organized gangs, and a collapse of trust in leadership, justice, and the future, Bishop Dumas said.

"At the root of the crisis lies a state that has become fragile ─ and at times, captured. Institutions that should protect the common good have too often been weakened, politicized, or paralyzed," he said. "The absence of a strong, credible, and trusted public authority has created a vacuum ─ and violence always rushes to fill it."

Entire generations have grown up without access to quality education, dignified work, and basic services, he noted. Where hope disappears, violence fills the void.

For Bishop Dumas, confronting that reality requires moral clarity: "If we truly want to confront the violence in Haiti, we must begin with courage ─ the courage to name its roots."

Turning to his time spent in the U.S., Bishop Dumas noted his studies with the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America in the nation's capital. Specifically, he enrolled in a church management program there.

"I have learned to integrate mission with management, faith with sustainability, and vision with structure. The formation strengthens my desire to build a church that is both prophetic and well-governed," Bishop Dumas explained.

Until he makes a decision about when he can return to his home diocese, Bishop Dumas has found a welcoming atmosphere in Florida, where he credited Archbishop Wenski for receiving him as "a friend and brother in Christ."

"This man showed me his compassion, his kindness, his fraternal love, and his commitment to all vulnerable strangers, above all to crucified Haitian nationals who live here with Temporary Protected Status (TPS). I received a very powerful and authentic testimony of fraternal integration in the community of Miami," Bishop Dumas said.

In addition, the entire body of clergy, religious and faithful in South Florida has surrounded him with prayer and kindness, he said.

It's also been a time for the bishop to witness a generation of young Haitian expatriates who, he said, are rising ─ not from comfort, but from struggle ─ to show the world the true face of Haiti as resilient, intelligent and full of hope.

"They are motivated and committed to the future of their country; I have met Haitian communities in Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Boston," the bishop said. "What I see is remarkable resilience and creativity."

As the U.S. legal system continues to grapple with the legal issues surrounding immigrants from Haiti and the TPS program, Bishop Dumas hopes young Haitians being formed here will one day be in a position to return to their country as agents of transformation.

"The issue of Haitian migration, especially TPS, is deeply human and moral. We are speaking about hundreds of thousands of lives, families, and futures," Bishop Dumas added. "To abruptly remove protection from people fleeing chaos would not only be a political decision ─ it would be a moral failure."

As he reflects on his ability to summon resilience in extreme difficulty, Bishop Dumas turns to the role of his parents: "My parents gave me something that no violence can destroy: faith, education, honor and respect, eternal and traditional values, profound virtues, ecclesial principles, as well as order, discipline, integrity, love of truth and resilience."

"In my suffering, I returned to that foundation," he added. "Their love became a memory that sustained me ─ a quiet strength that whispered, 'Stand. Do not give up.'"

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Tom Tracy writes for the Florida Catholic, news outlet of the Archdiocese of Miami. This story was originally published by the Florida Catholic and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) ─ The U.S. Supreme Court on May 14 blocked an appeals court ruling that sought to pause a federal policy permitting mifepristone, sometimes called the abortion pill, to be dispensed through the mail.

The ruling in effect leaves in place a Food and Drug Administration policy issued by the Biden administration, which permitted mifepristone to be distributed by mail. The Trump administration has thus far left that regulation in place, prompting frustration from pro-life groups, and has sought to block state challenges to mifepristone, such as Louisiana's.

A lower court previously granted the Trump administration's request to pause Louisiana's lawsuit challenging the FDA's approval of mifepristone pending the FDA's promised safety review of that drug, indicating the state could continue its challenge after that review. However, the status and timeline of the FDA's review are still unclear.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later granted a request from Louisiana to temporarily pause the policy during its challenge.

But on May 4, the high court temporarily blocked the appeals court ruling, directing Louisiana to respond to an appeal from Danco Laboratories, one of the pharmaceutical companies that manufactures the drug.

The state of Louisiana then, on May 7, asked the Supreme Court to uphold a temporary injunction issued by the 5th Circuit that would pause a federal policy permitting the distribution of mifepristone by mail.

In its filing, Louisiana argued the distribution of the drug ─ which is commonly, but not exclusively, used for abortion up to 10 weeks' gestation ─ by mail violates its own state laws restricting abortion, resulting in what it called "approximately 1,000 illegal abortions in Louisiana each month."

Justice Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the stay on the 5th Circuit's ruling.

In his dissent, Alito seemed to concur with Louisiana, arguing, "The Court's unreasoned order granting stays in this case is remarkable."

"What is at stake is the perpetration of a scheme to undermine our decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization," he argued, "which restored the right of each State to decide how to regulate abortions within its borders. Some States responded to Dobbs by making it even easier to obtain an abortion than it was before, and that is their prerogative. Other States, including Louisiana, made abortion illegal except in narrow circumstances."

"But Louisiana's efforts have been thwarted by certain medical providers, private organizations, and States that abhor laws like Louisiana's and seek to undermine their enforcement," he wrote.

Proponents of mifepristone ─ the first of two drugs used in a chemical or medication-based abortion ─ argue it is statistically safe for a woman to take at the early stages of pregnancy, and attempts to restrict it are an attempt to ban abortion outright. Opponents of the drug's use for abortion argue there are significant risks to those who take it, particularly outside of medical settings, in addition to ending the life of an unborn child early in its development.

In court filings, the drug's manufacturers have also argued the product is safe. The entire Senate Democratic caucus on May 14 also reintroduced a resolution defending the drug before the high court's deadline.

The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death, and as such, opposes direct abortion.

However, the same drug combination has sometimes been used in recent years for miscarriage care, where an unborn child has already passed, a situation that Catholic teaching would hold as morally licit use.

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Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.

(OSV News) ─ The diocesan phase of Msgr. Luigi Giussani, founder of the Communion and Liberation movement, has officially concluded, with his case now advancing to the Vatican for further study.

The Archdiocese of Milan marked the formal end of the diocesan phase with the celebration of vespers on the feast of the Ascension May 14 at the Basilica of St. Ambrose, presided over by Archbishop Mario Delpini.

According to the archdiocese, government authorities, local clergy and an estimated 3,000 members of the movement were present. Linda Ghisoni, undersecretary of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, also attended.

The date and location of the celebration, the archdiocese said in a statement published May 15, "were not chosen randomly."

"The solemnity of the Ascension was always dear to (Msgr.) Giussani, while the basilica is adjacent to the Catholic University, where the Servant of God taught theology from 1964 to 1990 and where generations of young people have drawn closer to his charism," the statement said.

Msgr. Giussani was born in Desio, a small town north of Milan. Known for his love of literature, he was told by his superiors after his ordination in 1945 to continue his studies. After earning his doctorate in 1954, he taught religion at a high school and later theology at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan.

It was his concern for the disconnection between faith and daily life, as well as the number of young people leaving a youth movement he founded to join the rising Marxist movement, that prompted him to found Communion and Liberation in 1969, which was open to both high school and university students.

The movement centered on the conviction that faith is an encounter with Christ that transforms daily life, reflected in authentic Christian witness in culture, work and society.

Msgr. Giussani died in 2005. His funeral was presided over by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, who was also a friend of the late priest.

At the celebration, Archbishop Delpini remembered the Communion and Liberation founder as "a man of God" who "with his life and his words led people to an encounter with Christ."

"This is the greatest gift given to (Msgr.) Giussani and, through him, to all who have walked this path," the archbishop said.

The diocesan phase of his sainthood cause, which began in 2024, involved the collection of public and private works written by Msgr. Giussani, as well as interviews with people who knew him.

According to the archdiocese, the diocesan phase produced tens of thousands of pages of reports and attachments containing archived information from Italy and abroad. Those files will be sent to the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints for study.

Should the dicastery determine Msgr. Giussani's sainthood cause advances, the next step would be the recognition of his heroic virtues by the pope and the verification of a miracle before beatification.

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Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News. Follow him on X @jae_journalist.

(OSV News) ─ The Diocese of Salford in northern England announced it has opened the sainthood cause of Pedro Ballester, a Manchester-born student known for his joy and selflessness until his death from cancer at age 21.

In a statement published May 13, the diocese said that since the young man's death in 2018, "his reputation for holiness has grown significantly," paving the way for an initial diocesan inquiry.

"The opening of this cause marks an important step in recognizing the life and witness of a young man whose example of faith, especially in the face of suffering, continues to resonate with many people today," the diocese said.

With the diocesan phase of Ballester's sainthood cause now open, Bishop John Arnold of Salford invited those who knew the young man "to assist the process by submitting any information that may help to build a full picture of Pedro's life, virtues and reputation for holiness."

"This includes personal testimonies, memories and any writings attributed to him, such as letters or diaries," the diocese said.

Born in Manchester in 1996 to Spanish parents who are both members of Opus Dei, Ballester was an academically gifted student who, at 18, also joined the personal prelature as a numerary.

In September 2014, he began studying chemical engineering at Imperial College London. But just months later, he developed severe back pain and was diagnosed with advanced pelvic cancer.

According to the edict declaring the opening of his cause, Ballester accepted his advanced pelvic cancer diagnosis "as a way of sharing in Christ's cross."

"He offered his sufferings for the pope, the Church and all souls, showing remarkable serenity and faith," the edict stated.

He returned to Manchester for treatment, hoping eventually to resume his studies. He endured continuous medical care over the next three years, alternating between the hospital and Greygarth Hall, an Opus Dei center in Manchester, where he lived with other numeraries.

In an interview with OSV News Feb. 11, Ballester's father, also named Pedro, recalled that despite intense pain and fatigue, his son remained focused on others.

"He was focusing on the other person," Ballester said. "He never showed (his suffering) to other people or tried to hide it."

Visitors often left uplifted, unaware of the extent of his pain. His father recalled that Pedro would sometimes delay taking morphine so he could remain alert while speaking with visitors.

After three years of treatment and suffering, Pedro died Jan. 13, 2018.

Among those who knew Ballester before his death was British Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Speaking with OSV News from his Vatican office March 17, Cardinal Roche, who first met Ballester and his family while serving as bishop of Leeds, said what defined Ballester most was not who he was before his illness, but how he lived after receiving his cancer diagnosis.

"Nothing changed with him; he didn't become depressed. The impishness that was part of his character remained there," the cardinal told OSV News. He had a "constant smile. You could be talking to him, and he suddenly smiled about something or other. You were left wondering what he was smiling about."

Cardinal Roche said Ballester's selflessness, as he suffered with cancer, will be "one of the most important testimonies that will be received when the documentation is finally complete."

He also said he believed the young man's life and example are a message that continues to draw young people today who are "disillusioned by the world in which we're living."

More young people who see "the inconsistency of leadership ─ political leadership, national leadership ─ the corruption that they see in public life and not engaging with it" are instead choosing "to go to Church and to discover God again."

"I think, to my mind, that it's the work of the Holy Spirit within those young people," Cardinal Roche said.

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Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News. Follow him on X @jae_journalist.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) ─ A bill reintroduced in the Senate May 14 would increase penalties for the unlawful disclosure of data identifying donors who contribute to nonprofit organizations, its authors said.

The legislation's reintroduction comes shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed First Choice Women's Resource Centers, a group of faith-based pregnancy centers in New Jersey, to challenge in federal court a probe by the state's attorney general seeking information about their donors.

The Protecting Charitable Giving Act, introduced by Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and James Lankford, R-Okla., would increase the penalty for "willful disclosure" of the identities of donors to tax-exempt organizations from its current cap of $5,000 to between $10,000 and $250,000.

It would also expand the jurisdiction of prosecution for such disclosures to include the judicial district where the alleged victim resides. Young's office argued this would help ensure all cases are subject to a fair trial.

It was not immediately clear if the bill would be taken up by the Senate; a previous version was introduced in 2024.

"Anonymous giving has long been a way for Americans to support philanthropic organizations that rely on generous charitable contributions. In recent years, donor privacy has been threatened on too many occasions," Young said in a May 14 statement. "This legislation will address the disclosure of donor data to better protect both charitable organizations and their donors."

In a press statement announcing the reintroduction of the bill, Lankford's office noted that in an effort to verify the legitimacy of tax-exempt organizations, the Internal Revenue Service requires nonprofit charitable organizations to collect the names and addresses of all major donors. However, this donor information is considered sensitive and is not subject to disclosure.

They argued that states like California and New York have sought to foreclose the disclosure of such information, citing a 2021 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court striking down a California law to that effect. The high court found it violated the First Amendment.

"Nonprofits and their donors are an essential safety net for our communities ─ providing food, housing, and care to those who need it most. Oklahomans shouldn't worry about their identities being made public after they provide a donation to a charitable organization. Millions of donors want to do something good without being recognized. We should honor their privacy as they care for others," Lankford added in his own statement May 14.

Young and Lankford said groups including Philanthropy Roundtable and the conservative Americans for Prosperity support the bill.

In its own statement, Philanthropy Roundtable cited the First Choice case as an example of threats to donor privacy.

"The right to give how, when and where donors choose, free from the fear of persecution and retaliation, is essential to safeguarding the free association that strengthens our society," Christie Herrera, that organization's president and CEO, said in a statement.

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Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) ─ The U.S. bishops and other Catholic groups have issued public comments expressing concern about still-pending proposed federal regulations that would further restrict asylum-seekers and other migrants and their families from work authorization and housing assistance.

Erin Corcoran, an associate teaching professor and executive director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, told OSV News that taken together, the two regulations, which have yet to be finalized, are among the "procedural barriers for asylum applicants" that the second Trump administration has pursued.

Procedural barriers to apply for work, she said, "creates more economic consequences for these individuals," which can be "very dehumanizing." Barriers to work also create a need for housing benefits, she said.

A proposed regulation from the Department of Housing and Urban Development would prohibit persons other than U.S. citizens or certain categories of eligible noncitizens from the department's assisted housing programs.

In a February press release regarding its proposal, HUD argued the regulation would close what it called the "roommate loophole," arguing it would mean those without legal status would "no longer be able to take advantage of taxpayer-funded benefits intended for American citizens or people with eligible status."

But critics argued the proposal, which has sometimes been referred to as the mixed-status rule, would force otherwise eligible families with both citizen and ineligible noncitizen members from participation in housing assistance outright rather than the current practice of offering prorated rates for eligible members.

A few days later, the Department of Homeland Security issued a proposed regulation that would change filing and eligibility requirements for asylum applicants requesting employment authorization, introducing a longer waiting period. DHS argued the regulation would reduce frivolous or fraudulent claims, but critics argued it would introduce new inefficiencies because of the new delays in the application process.

Both proposed regulations were issued in February. A public comment window for each closed in April.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., also known as CLINIC, wrote in an April 24 public comment letter to DHS that the proposed changes "would undermine the rights of displaced people seeking asylum in the United States by excluding them from work in the mainstream economy, limiting not only their ability to access counsel and pay the fees now required to pursue asylum, but their ability to support themselves and their families in safety and dignity."

Corcoran stressed that work authorization is not "guaranteeing someone a job, you're just guaranteeing them the ability to apply for a job."

The DHS regulation was proposed before Kristi Noem was removed as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Markwayne Mullin has since been confirmed to that role.

Karen Sullivan, director of advocacy for CLINIC, told OSV News, "We can only hope that new leadership would read this proposed regulation with fresh eyes and realize the harm it will do to those who have already suffered so much."

"All of us want to ensure the integrity of the asylum system, so that it is not abused and its benefits are available to those who most need them. But integrity measures that harm the credible filers along with the frivolous filers are degrading the integrity of the asylum system by harming those it is intended to protect," Sullivan added.

Cecilia Esterline, senior immigration policy analyst for the nonpartisan Niskanen Center, who also submitted a public comment critical of the proposal, told OSV News in a May 11 interview that the proposed DHS regulation would introduce new inefficiencies in the application process, such as requiring the submission of biometrics every 18 months, meaning applicants must be fingerprinted every 18 months.

Introducing new delays in that process, Esterline argued, is "operationally a disaster, because USCIS is a fee-funded agency, and USCIS therefore does not necessarily receive a lot of funding from Congress."

Therefore the agency ─ U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ─ relies on fees to "keep their doors open," she said, so adding a waiting period would not likely improve efficiency or speed since it would result in a reduction in available funds.

The Center for Immigration Studies, which supports low immigration levels, submitted a public comment in favor of aspects of the proposal, such as the submission of biometrics by applicants, arguing it would "reduce security gaps in the asylum system."

Esterline said, "The premise that people who do not have a valid asylum claim are utilizing the system that we have currently and its inefficiencies in order to get access to work authorization -- that is an accurate diagnosis of the problem."

"But that problem is driven by inefficiencies in our system, and (DHS's) proposals actually increase inefficiency,." she said. "So the idea that someone needs to go give their fingerprints in person every 18 months, for something that they're just getting a simple renewal on, is kind of an absurd requirement."

In an April 21 public comment letter, the USCCB, Catholic Charities USA, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA, CLINIC and the Catholic Health Association of the United States wrote that they wanted to "share our grave concerns" with HUD regarding their proposed regulation.

"Our organizations have grave concerns regarding the proposed rule, which we believe is contrary to law and in tension with the dignity of the person, the sanctity of the family, and the common good that we are called to support," that letter said.

Pointing to that letter, Corcoran said that the proposed HUD regulation would in effect likely lead to families being unable to live with one another, as "most immigrant families live in mixed (households) or mixed-status families for a variety of different reasons."

She said the two regulations relate "directly" for those with pending asylum applications who have not yet received work authorization.

"In addition to not being able to work, you're not eligible to receive any federal benefits, so you can't receive housing assistance, you can't receive food stamps, you can't receive cash assistance, you can't receive Medicaid, Medicare, because you have no status. You just have this pending status," she said. "And so you're really at the mercy of people's generosity."

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Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.

(OSV News) ─ A new study from the Pew Research Center shows more Americans are acquainted with the term "Christian nationalism," but on balance, more of them are likely to hold a negative rather than positive view of it.

Pew announced that finding among others in a May 14 report on "How Americans Feel About Religion's Influence in Government and Public Life," published on the center's website.

Along with its two questions on Christian nationalism, the survey examined views on religion's influence in society, and on the relationship of church and state.

Polling was conducted from April 6-12 with 3,592 respondents, with interviews conducted online and by phone in both English and Spanish. The margin of sampling error for the full sample of respondents is plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.

Pew noted its survey pool was oversampled to better capture the views of monthly churchgoers who are non-Hispanic Asians, white evangelicals, nonevangelical Protestants, Black Protestants and Catholics. That data was then weighted, or statistically adjusted, to reflect the groups' proportions in the U.S. population.

According to Pew, the data reflected a "growing familiarity" with the term "Christian nationalism."

Currently, 59% of U.S. adults have heard or read at least a little about the term, an increase of 14% from when Pew last polled on the topic about two years ago.

Pew found that 23% of those surveyed had "some" familiarity with the term, with 15% reporting "a little," 12% "quite a bit" and 9% "a great deal."

"On balance, sentiment toward Christian nationalism remains more negative than positive," Pew said, citing 31% of U.S. adults who have an unfavorable view of it, marking a gain of 6% points since 2024.

But a 5-point gain was noted among those who view Christian nationalism favorably, with 10% indicating approval, said Pew.

In particular, Pew said, white evangelical Protestants were most likely "to express a favorable view of Christian nationalism."

That data echoed findings by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute, which noted in its 2025 American Values Atlas ─ a data set counting 22,000 respondents ─ that "white evangelical Protestants are most likely to hold Christian nationalist beliefs," as are Hispanic Protestants.

PRRI observed that Catholics, both white and Hispanic, were largely likely to either be skeptical of Christian nationalism (45% and 47% respectively) or reject it outright (17% and 24% respectively).

Pew said in its report that "support for ideas that are sometimes associated with Christian nationalism is mostly unchanged in recent years.

"For example, there has been no growth in the shares of Americans who want the government to stop enforcing separation of church and state or who believe that God favors the United States over all countries," said Pew.

PRRI observed a "slight decline" among Christian nationalism rejecters, from 32% in June 2023 to 26% by the end of 2025.

At the same time, Pew found that "the majority of Americans (59%) still say they've never heard of Christian nationalism (40%), don't know enough to express an opinion (11%), or have neither a favorable nor an unfavorable view (8%). "

Pew noted "a small uptick in the share of U.S. adults who say the federal government should declare Christianity the nation's official religion," with 17% now endorsing the idea, up from 13% in 2024."

The research center also said that "there are sharp partisan divides" on many of the issues it examined regarding religion and public life in the nation.

As an example, said Pew, "Republicans are considerably more likely than Democrats to say religion has a positive influence on American life and to support religion having a prominent role in government and lawmaking."

The Pew report did not include a definition of "Christian nationalism," but instead simply asked if respondents had either heard or read about the term, and if they had a "favorable or unfavorable" view of it.

However, scholars Andrew L. Whitehead and Samuel L. Perry published an extensive, empirically based exploration of the topic in their 2020 book, "Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States."

In 2022, the authors submitted written testimony to a U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, outlining the role of Christian nationalism in the matter.

Whitehead and Perry, noting the prevalence of Christian symbolism used by a number of participants in the attack, explained that they defined Christian nationalism as "a cultural framework -- a collection of myths, traditions, symbols, narratives, and value systems -- that idealizes and advocates a fusion of American civic life with a very particular kind of 'Christianity.'"

According to the two scholars, those elements combine "moral traditionalism rooted in hierarchical social arrangements," "authoritarian social control that justifies violence and militarism," "strict ethno-racial boundaries surrounding national membership, civic participation, and social belonging" and "a populist impulse that inclines Americans toward feelings of victimization, conspiratorial thinking, and suspicion toward 'elite' leaders and institutions."

In their testimony, Whitehead and Perry clarified that the term does not reference "orthodox theological beliefs or even Christian identity necessarily."

Additionally, they said, the term does not encompass "American civil religion," which political leaders have invoked "to unite Americans and call the nation toward greater stewardship of its vast resources."

They also excluded from the definition "Christian patriotism," which they said "labors to fulfill our creedal commitments to full legal equality, natural rights, and sovereignty of the citizenry ─ something we could all celebrate."

Whitehead and Perry pointed to "the sort of religious fervor that mobilized Black Civil Rights leaders to call our nation to account for principles it claimed to follow" as one example of Christian patriotism.

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Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.

(OSV News) ─ A New Mexico diocese is citing a breach of religious freedom protections, as it pushes back against the Trump administration's efforts to seize land from a pilgrimage site to build a portion of a border wall.

The Diocese of Las Cruces filed a May 8 response to a federal government lawsuit claiming eminent domain -- or government power to seize private property for public use, with "just compensation" as required by the Fifth Amendment -- over some 14 acres that include Mount Cristo Rey in Sunland Park, New Mexico.

The 4,675 foot peak, capped by a 29-foot limestone statue of Jesus Christ, has been a place of prayer for close to a century.

Each year, thousands trek up the rugged path to the image, which depicts a robed Christ with arms stretched out against the cross, overlooking the El Paso, Texas, and southern New Mexico landscapes.

According to court documents, the Department of Justice has sought for months to access the mountain, which sits on land owned by the diocese, to construct a portion of a border wall. The move is part of the Trump administration's sweeping crackdown on unauthorized immigration.

On May 7, the federal government filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico against the diocese and the treasurer of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, to take possession of the land.

In exchange, the legally required just compensation, determined by the fair market value of the property, would be $183,071, according to the government's filing.

A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection told OSV News in a May 12 email the agency "is working across the Southwest border to acquire land necessary for the construction of Smart Wall, to include a steel bollard wall, along with roads, detection technology, cameras, and lighting."

"It is always CBP’s preference to obtain real estate interests voluntarily," said the CBP spokesperson. "However, if CBP is unable to acquire the necessary access voluntarily within a reasonable timeframe, CBP refers the matter to the Department of Justice to acquire any necessary property interest(s) through eminent domain."

But the federal government's attempted seizure "will substantially burden the free exercise of religion by the Diocese, its parishioners, and the other faithful who seek to commune with God on Diocesan property," said the May 8 response filed by the Diocese of Las Cruces. The diocese is represented by the law firm Mann Morrow and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law.

The diocese said it planned to invoke both the First Amendment's free exercise clause and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the latter of which expands protections for religious exercise beyond those covered under the former.

RFRA prohibits the government from placing a substantial burden on a person's exercise of religion without compelling government interest, and even in those circumstances, requires that they do so by the least restrictive means.

In its filing, the diocese said that the RFRA "modifies the reach" of the Declaration of Taking Act, which streamlines the eminent domain process by allowing the government to obtain the property title after filing a declaration and depositing the estimated just compensation with the court.

The diocese is asking the court to deny the federal government's declaration and deposit until the RFRA and free exercise concerns have been argued.

The filing pointed to the diocese's earlier response when CBP first announced plans in June 2025 to erect a 1.3-mile wall section along the southern side of Mount Cristo Rey.

In public comments at that time, the diocese said the construction of the wall "through or along this holy site could irreparably damage its religious and cultural sanctity, obstruct pilgrimage routes, and transfer sacred space into a symbol of division." It would also constitute "significant infringement on religious freedom and the rights of worship" under the First Amendment and RFRA.

In the diocese's May 8 filing, general counsel Kathryn Brack Morrow said that the diocese had "received multiple inquiries and requests" for the "past several months" from the U.S. Department of Justice "seeking access to Mount Cristo Rey," with the diocese consistently expressing its opposition.

Morrow noted that during the diocese's communications with the agency, "the scope of the right of entry requested by DOJ varied significantly."

She also said the project's impact, as proposed during the June 2025 public comment period, "is not clear -- and does not appear to be consistent with the requests previously made to the Diocese."

The site is regarded by the faithful who visit it as "not just as a monument, but also as a place of prayer where faith transcends borders," she added.

Ruben Escandon, public relations officer for the volunteer Mount Cristo Rey Restoration group and a third-generation caretaker of the site, told OSV News the sacred location represents "a family heirloom," with his parents, grandparents and extended family moving rocks and taking dirt to develop the site.

"I'm 60 years old, and I've probably been up there for 50 years of it," said Escandon, whose organization works under the guidance of the Diocese of Las Cruces.

A traditional pilgrimage held on the last Sunday in October typically drew anywhere from 18,000 to 20,000 people, said Escandon.

"We've had people climb up on their knees. You see them climb up barefooted," he said.

Escandon said pilgrims "go up there to pay their 'mandas'" ─ that is, "to pay their due" when favors they have asked for in prayer are granted.

The Mount Cristo Rey website notes that "as many as 40,000 faithful" have attended anniversary celebrations marking the completion of the monument.

In recent years, the October pilgrimage was moved to coincide with the feast of Christ the King, which has led to some reduction in turnout, likely due to the colder weather, Escandon said. But he noted 12,000 to 14,000 were on hand for this year's Good Friday pilgrimage.

In addition, Escandon said, "other people do smaller pilgrimages. Churches will get together and take groups of 50, (or even) 100 people up there."

"Standing there in front of the statue ... it kind of humbles you to sit there and to take in not only the view, but the monument itself and the significance," he said.

The site was initially envisioned in 1933 by Father Lourdes Costa, when the area was still part of the Diocese of El Paso.

Having contemplated the mountain from his residence, Father Costa dreamed of placing a cross atop the elevation and making it an accessible place for prayer. The bishop of El Paso approved the plan, with the diocese purchasing close to 200 acres of the surrounding land.

Volunteers ─ including women and children ─ labored to build the 2 1/2 mile road to the summit, which was marked by first a wooden and then an iron cross before Father Costa tapped renowned sculptor Urbici Soler to design and fashion the current statue. It was completed by 1939.

The monument was encircled with a crown for its 50th anniversary in 1989, seven years after St. John Paul II had established the Diocese of Las Cruces from the western parts of the El Paso Diocese.

Escandon highlighted Mount Cristo Rey's artistic significance, as well as its religious value.

Conservationists have expressed alarm over the federal plans to seize the mountain, with the wall construction likely to endanger several species while straining water resources in its construction.

Migrant advocates have also warned the border wall stands to result in more casualties as individuals seeking to cross into the U.S. may attempt to scale the structure, risking serious injuries.

Asked by OSV News what he would do if the federal government's seizure of Mount Cristo Rey were successful, Escandon ─ who did not speak to any of the legal aspects of the case ─ said, "Let's just hope it doesn't happen."

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Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina. OSV News reporter Kate Scanlon in Washington contributed to this report. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.