Beloved archbishop played a key role in Detroit's Synod 16, led Guam through turbulent period with grace and dignity

DETROIT — Archbishop Michael J. Byrnes, a home-grown disciple whose love for Jesus Christ spread the Gospel both in the Archdiocese of Detroit and across the world in Agaña, Guam, died May 30 at the age of 66.

A former Detroit auxiliary bishop, Archbishop Byrnes led the Catholic Church in the U.S. overseas territory of Guam for six years, starting in 2016. In 2022, he returned to the Detroit area to be nearer to friends and family as his health worsened amidst a battle with Alzheimer's disease. Pope Francis accepted his resignation in March 2023.

Archbishop Byrnes died peacefully, surrounded by friends and medical staff while receiving hospice care.

Archbishop Byrnes will lie in state Sunday, June 8, at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit from 1 to 8 p.m., with a Scripture service at 7 p.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 2 p.m. Monday, June 9, at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, preceded by visitation from noon to 1:45 p.m.

“Archbishop Byrnes's history as a priest and bishop in the Archdiocese of Detroit was exemplary in every way," Detroit Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger said. "I was not surprised the Holy See tasked him with the challenging assignment of leading the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Agaña in Guam. He was exceptionally intelligent, very hardworking, and possessed tremendous pastoral sensitivity."

Archbishop Byrnes is fondly remembered for his time as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Detroit, when he was tasked with overseeing the archdiocese’s Northeast Region, and before that as vice rector of Detroit's Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

"He is especially remembered for his work at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, where he contributed to the formation of a host of our priests," Archbishop Weisenburger continued. "I got to know him personally through U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops meetings and felt that his insights into issues were astute and thoughtful. While I mourn his death, I rejoice in the bright promise that I pray even now is his.”

During the buildup to Synod 16, Archbishop Byrnes was commissioned by former Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron to lead the preparations for the synod as the archdiocese prayed and discerned what it needed to do to become a more outward-looking, evangelistic Church.

Just weeks before the synod began, Pope Francis tapped then-Bishop Byrnes to become coadjutor archbishop of Agaña, Guam, on Oct. 31, 2016. He was installed just 10 days after the synod’s conclusion.

At the time, Archbishop Vigneron described Archbishop Byrnes as a man who "possesses not only the talents, but above all the deep faith in Jesus Christ that make him suitable for this apostolic work. He goes with our love and prayers."

For his part, Archbishop Byrnes said his work on the synod — and his time in Detroit more broadly — was a gift from God he prayed would bear fruit in the life of the Church.

"That’s why the Church exists," Archbishop Byrnes said in a 2015 interview with The Michigan Catholic about the synod, which was focused on evangelization. "The Church exists purely to extend the message of Jesus both by her witness and by her words to bring the Gospel 'to every creature.' Everyone is expected to hear the Gospel, and we’re the only way they’re going to hear it."

Despite the call to leave his hometown of Detroit for a mission halfway around the world, Archbishop Byrnes accepted his new mission with joy and humility, despite challenges in his new assignment.

Succeeding former Guam Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron, who was relieved of his pastoral and administrative authority in 2016 following allegations of sexual abuse of minors, Archbishop Byrnes set about the task of restoring the reputation and dignity of the Church in the predominantly Catholic country.

Following Archbishop Apuron's sentencing by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2019, Archbishop Byrnes offered a public apology for the "betrayal and severe anguish" experienced by victims, calling the crimes "a deep and sorrowful shame" and vowing that Guam's archdiocese would "ensure that the horrible harm inflicted to the innocent is never repeated.”

In January 2019, the Agaña archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in the wake of numerous sexual abuse allegations. In April that year, Archbishop Byrnes formally succeeded Archbishop Apuron — who until then had remained canonically as Guam's archbishop.

"My predecessor as the shepherd of the Catholic faithful in Guam will always be remembered for the tremendous faith, dedication, and perseverance he showed as he led the archdiocese during some of the most difficult years in the history of our Church on Guam," said Archbishop Ryan P. Jimenez, the island's current archbishop, shortly after learning of Archbishop Byrnes' passing. "He demonstrated great courage, faith and obedience on Oct. 31, 2016, when he answered the call from Pope Francis to travel many miles away to shepherd our people in a place he knew little about."

"Michael Jude Byrnes has a cherished place in the history of our Church on Guam as well in the hearts of our people," Archbishop Jimenez continued. "We grieve his death but also give thanks to our merciful God for the gift of this devout servant, leader, and friend whom he bestowed to us."

Michael Jude Byrnes was born in Detroit on Aug. 23, 1958, one of two sons of Patrick and Marie (McAndrew) Byrnes.

Archbishop Byrnes attended public and parochial school, graduating from Detroit Catholic Central High School in 1976 before enrolling at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to study microbiology, with the intention of studying medicine.

After graduation, Archbishop Byrnes worked as a biochemistry lab technician while getting involved with a charismatic community on campus.

He then began working full time in campus ministry for University Christian Outreach at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti while becoming a member of a lay religious brotherhood, the Servants of the Word.

Discerning a call to the priesthood and inspired by Fr. Remy McCoy, his first cousin, twice removed, a missionary priest who served in Ghana, Archbishop Byrnes entered Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, where he studied under then-Fr. Allen Vigneron, the seminary's rector.

"I first met Archbishop Byrnes about 40 years ago, when, to enhance his service to the mission of evangelization, he became a student at Sacred Heart Major Seminary," Archbishop Vigneron recalled. "Over the years that commitment to share the Good News of Jesus led Archbishop Byrnes to become a priest, to serve as a parish pastor and professor, and then to accept the ministry of bishop. Through all these years I have admired his unfailing trust in the light of the Holy Spirit guiding his steps and making his service fruitful, no matter the challenge."

Archbishop Byrnes was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit by Cardinal Adam J. Maida on May 25, 1996, at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

His first assignment was to be the associate pastor of St. Joan of Arc Parish in St. Clair Shores, where he served until 1999.

"In the early years of his priesthood, we at St. Joan of Arc were blessed to have him among us," the parish posted on Facebook. "His time here as a young priest was marked by his pastoral care, gentle leadership, and deep love for the Eucharist and the people he served. Many of our longtime parishioners remember him with great affection and gratitude for his presence in our parish family."

An avid runner and an athlete since his high school days, Archbishop Byrnes' fitness regimen inspired those around him. The archbishop qualified and competed in more than a dozen marathons and triathlons, including Boston, Chicago, Berlin, Rome, and Venice, Italy, as well as Detroit's own.

Since the 1990s, students at St. Joan of Arc have run an annual “Fr. Mike Mission Marathon,” inspired by his athleticism and generous service, the parish said.

After earning his Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Archbishop Byrnes was named vice rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary in 2003, serving under Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton, who was rector at the time. Archbishop Byrnes concurrently served as pastor of Presentation/Our Lady of Victory Parish in Detroit.

On March 22, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Byrnes as an auxiliary bishop of Detroit and titular Bishop of Eguga. He was ordained a bishop by Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron on May 5, 2011, along with current Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Arturo Cepeda and retired Auxiliary Bishop Donald F. Hanchon.

Archbishop Byrnes is predeceased by his parents, Patrick and Marie; and his step-mother, Roberta (Wise) Byrnes. He is survived by his brother, Patrick Byrnes.

Archbishop Byrnes' courage and faith in facing whatever mission the Holy Spirit entrusted to him was part of his charism even until his final days, Archbishop Vigneron said.

"With that same unshakable faith the Archbishop has lived through his final illness and, at the end, commended his spirit to the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life," Archbishop Vigneron said. "Entrusting Archbishop Byrnes into the hands of our Heavenly Father, I make my own this prayer from the funeral of a bishop: 'May he know the eternal company of Christ, in whom he hoped and whom he preached.'”

Sr. Mary Honoria (Mary) Bartoszek, CSSF, of Manistee, Michigan, age 96, religious life for 77 years, entered eternal life May 25,2025, in Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Convent, Livonia, Michigan.

Born in the beautiful countryside of Manistee, Michigan, to John and Bernice (Szplit), Mary, a twin, was the 4^th of 5 children: Beatrice, Donald, Joseph, and twins, Mary (SM Honoria) and Betty. Baptized and confirmed at St. Joseph Church, Manistee, Mary attended Oak and St. Joseph elementary schools. After one year in Manistee High, Sister transferred to the newly erected St. Joseph High School in Manistee and was in the first graduating class of 1947.

From her early years, Mary often assisted others and helped in many ways. Whether it was mopping and dusting the home of a relative, cutting the grass or cleaning a yard, Mary was there with a smile. During this time, Mary felt the gentle call of the Lord to religious life. Following graduation, she was accepted into the Felician Congregation and invested with the Felician habit on August 15, 1948, receiving the name Sister Mary Honoria. Her first vows were professed in 1949 and final profession on August 12, 1955.

In preparation for a ministry of teaching that spanned 49 years, (1950-1999) Sister Mary Honoria earned a bachelor’s degree from Madonna University, Livonia, MI., and was granted teaching certification in both Michigan and Ohio in the following schools: St. Louis the King, Help of Christians, and Sacred Heart - all in Detroit; St. Anthony, Toledo, Ohio; St Stanislaus, Jackson; St. Valentine, Kawkawlin (Beaver); St. Stanislaus, Toledo, Ohio; St. Stanislaus, Dorr (Hilliards); St. Stanislaus, Ludington; St. John Vianney, Wyoming; St. Jude, Grand Rapids; Holy Rosary, Cedar; St. Joseph, Manistee; St. Joseph, Jackson; and St. Michael, Southfield. This kind and gentle sister enriched many lives as an effective educator.

In 1993, Sister Mary Honoria was one of the sisters chosen by lottery to travel to Rome to attend the Beatification of Blessed Mary Angela, Foundress of the Felician Sisters.

Although her teaching days ended, retirement was not around the corner. Sister Honoria held the following appointments from 1999 – 2008 as Assistant Administrator for the Kindergarten at St. Joseph Home, Jackson, and Local Minister, sacristan, and Center Aide at Maryville Center, Holly, MI.

In 2011, Sister was transferred to Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Convent, Livonia, and assigned to house duties which included sewing and mending. Known for her culinary arts, deserts were a welcome treat. On special occasions Sister Honoria’s home-made “Crème Puffs,” with a light, cream filling and a flaky crust, were enjoyed by all.

One of sister’s favorite sites was the Fatima Grotto on the grounds of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Convent, Livonia. There, with her long-time friend, SM Presentine Ugorowski, they recited the rosary daily and filled the surrounding space with songs to the Blessed Mother.

Sister’s health status slowly declined over the years. On May 25, 2025, at 11:44 p.m. Sister Mary Honoria slipped peacefully into God’s eternal embrace to meet the Lord whom she served so faithfully on earth.

Morning Prayer began at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 29, followed by the Mass of Resurrection at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Richard Bartoszek as celebrant. The service was held in the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel of the Felician Sisters, Livonia, Michigan. Burial was in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield, Michigan.

Obituaries for clergy and religious who have lived or served in the Archdiocese of Detroit may be emailed to dcobits@aod.org. Obituaries are printed as they are submitted, but may be edited for grammar and style. Detroit Catholic reserves the right to refuse or edit any submissions.

PORTLAND, Ore. (OSV News) -- Archbishop John George Vlazny, the retired archbishop of Portland, who was known for his pastoral care for immigrants and the Hispanic community, died at his Beaverton, Oregon, residence May 23. He was 88 years old.

"This great spiritual father led this local Church in the Archdiocese of Portland through some of its most challenging days," Portland Archbishop Alexander K. Sample said in a statement May 25, expressing "the greatest sorrow" at the loss of his predecessor.

"He was a man who always fully exhibited the joy of the Gospel. He was truly one of the kindest and most thoughtful men that I have ever known. His love for the priesthood and his own episcopal ministry was evident at all times," Archbishop Sample said.

The archbishop said Archbishop Vlazny left "a lasting and remarkable legacy" in western Oregon, and he would personally be "forever grateful for his kindness to me."

"He will be missed very deeply by all of us," he said. "We now commend him to the mercy of the Lord, whom he served so well. We ask the Lord to grant him now the blessed reward of a good and faithful servant. Rest in peace, my dear brother."

Parishes around the state of Oregon shared the sad news with the community of Catholics that Archbishop Vlazny guided with love, compassion and spiritual wisdom during his 16 years as the Portland Archdiocese's shepherd -- a time when he was the pillar of faith for many Catholics, including Hispanic Catholics.

Many in the Hispanic community regarded his presence as a symbol of compassion, love and understanding. He was remembered as always ready to reach out to the poor, the immigrant families and people who came to the United States desperately seeking a future.

St. Matthew Church, one of the parishes where Portland's Hispanic Catholics gather, was among the first to share the sad news through Facebook.

"To say that he will be missed is a great understatement. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord," the parish said in a post.

John Limb, former publisher of Oregon Catholic Press and a close friend of Archbishop Vlazny, had the chance to celebrate the late archbishop's 88th birthday.

"So thankful for the gift that he was to all of us! He will be missed," he said.

Archbishop Vlazny headed the Portland Archdiocese from 1997 to 2013, when he retired and was succeeded by Archbishop Sample. He had been a bishop since 1983, when he was named a Chicago auxiliary.

John George Vlazny was born in Chicago Feb. 22, 1937. Called to the priesthood as a young boy, he graduated from Quigley Preparatory Seminary in the city and then St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, before going on to the North American College. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1961 at St. Peter's Basilica.

Four years after serving as an auxiliary bishop of Chicago, he was made bishop of the Diocese of Winona, Minnesota, in 1987. Ten years later, he was appointed to the Portland Archdiocese.

He had served as chair of a number of U.S. bishops' committees, including the vocations, evangelization and the national collections. He had been a member of many others, including those engaged with administration of the bishops' conference and Migration and Refugee Services.

He obtained a licentiate in sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, a master of arts in the classics from the University of Michigan and a master of education in educational administration from Loyola University Chicago.

Archbishop Vlazny is remembered among Oregonians of all faiths for his ecumenical and interfaith efforts to promote peace and understanding.

He traveled during his time as archbishop to each parish in the state of Oregon, where Hispanics were a growing population. They arrived to see him and listen to his message of love and faith in Spanish. Under his leadership, the parishes opened Hispanic ministries to serve the community.

He presided over the Encuentro 2000 at the Portland Coliseum, which gathered Catholics from around the state of Oregon, as a multicultural celebration of faith.

Archbishop Vlazny will be remembered for having steered the community through tumultuous times as the Portland Archdiocese became the first diocese in the U.S. to declare bankruptcy over sex abuse claims in 2004.

Archbishop Vlazny was a writer and speaker, publishing regular, award-winning columns in The Catholic Sentinel and El Centinela, where he frequently raised the plight of immigrants, refugees and the need to open the church's doors with compassion. Both news outlets, which served the Portland Archdiocese, closed in 2022.

"The Easter candle is the light of Christ, bringing new life, new hope, new joy," he once wrote. "We were children of darkness but we became children of the light. As that light of Christ grows brighter in each and every one of us, we will become much more effective witnesses to a world that desperately needs to be reminded once again that He is alive!"

In 2009, the University of Portland presented its Christus Magister Medal, the school's highest honor, to Archbishop Vlazny. He was the 15th recipient of the medal, awarded annually to men and women of international distinction in the fields of art, science and government.

Funeral arrangements for Archbishop Vlazny include visitation June 5 from 1-6:15 p.m. at St. Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, followed by a 6:30 p.m. vigil service immediately afterward.

The archbishop's funeral Mass takes place June 6 at 11 a.m. at the cathedral, which will be carried over livestream, with the rite of committal at Mount Calvary Cemetery at 2:30 p.m.

(OSV News) -- Catholics nationwide are invited to encounter St. Thérèse of Lisieux in a special way during an upcoming visit of her relics to the United States this fall.

The relics or remains of the 19th-century Carmelite nun -- one of the most beloved saints in the world -- will make more than 30 stops in 10 states and Washington, D.C., in 2025, a year that marks the 100th anniversary of her canonization and the Jubilee Year of Hope. The two-month journey begins Oct. 1, the feast day of St. Thérèse, and concludes Dec. 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

More than 1 million people flocked to venerate or honor these relics when they first visited the U.S. in 1999 and 2000. This time, organizers expect the saint, known for her "little way" of childlike trust and confidence in God's merciful love, to draw even larger crowds.

The traveling reliquary holding her remains contains some of the saint's bones, Father Donald Kinney, a Discalced Carmelite priest residing in Oakville, California, and the national coordinator of the upcoming visit, told OSV News.

"On a spiritual side, I believe I've experienced that there really is something inside the reliquary: the merciful love of God, the peace of Christ and a little heaven on earth," said Father Kinney, who also helped coordinate the first visit. "That's what people experience."

St. Thérèse, also known as "The Little Flower," lived in France 1873-1897. At the age of 15, she entered the cloistered Carmelite community at Lisieux where she remained until she died of tuberculosis at 24. She was quickly canonized 27 years later, in 1925.

Before dying, she promised to spend her heaven doing good on earth.

St. Thérèse became well-known through her autobiography, "Story of a Soul," read by millions. Today, she is one of four women named a doctor of the church for her significant contributions, and her words appear multiple times in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Several popes have expressed a devotion to her including, most recently, the late Pope Francis, who canonized her parents and wrote a 2023 apostolic exhortation about her and her "timely witness."

Online, the website for the visit of the relics provides a detailed schedule and lists stops in six general areas: Royal Oak, Michigan (Oct. 1-8), California (Oct. 10-30), Texas and nearby states (Oct. 31-Nov. 14), Hubertus, Wisconsin (Nov. 15-18), the Washington, D.C., area (Nov. 19-30) and the Miami area (Dec. 1-8).

For this visit, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has been entrusted with the relics by the Sanctuary of St. Thérèse in Lisieux. Most of the stops take place at churches and Carmelite monasteries and many will be accompanied with processions, Masses with local bishops, confessions, lectures, concerts and prayer.

The Carmel of Port Tobacco in La Plata, Maryland, the first convent of religious women in the original 13 states and the first American Carmelite monastery, serves as one of the stops and will house the relics Nov. 23-25.

"Our biggest hope for the people who venerate the relics of St. Thérèse is for them to desire to learn more about her, read her writings, and practice her 'Little Way' of spirituality," Mother Marie Bernardina of Divine Mercy, prioress of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of the Carmel of Port Tobacco, told OSV News in emailed comments. "We hope everyone grows in their love and confidence in God's Mercy and constant goodness and graciousness."

In preparation for the visit, they are, among other things, organizing a novena to St. Thérèse that leads up to her feast day.

"We are looking forward to all the many graces and blessings that will descend upon the pilgrims and their families who come to this location to visit her relics," Mother Marie Bernardina said. "We are looking forward to all the many graces and blessings that will descend upon the 11-12 sisters here, and hopefully spark new vocations to consecrated and priestly life."

Like Mother Marie Bernardina, Father Kinney also anticipated the impact of the visit on the church and vocations.

"When we first started working on this, our first goal was to build up the church in the United States and to promote vocations," he said.

"What we want through the relics of St. Thérèse, is to bring people back to church, to lift up the country with something that's totally positive, and then to bring in vocations," he added.

Father Kinney has witnessed this firsthand, after his command of the French language enabled him to take a leadership role in coordinating the 1999-2000 visit.

"It was such a wonderful, powerful experience for me," Father Kinney, who is also the translator of "The Poetry of St. Thérèse of Lisieux" from ICS Publications, said of the visit.

He remembered the impact on the country, highlighting not only the enormous crowds but also the graces, conversions and vocations that came from the event.

He began coordinating this next visit after receiving a phone call from the pastor of the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak in 2023. The pastor asked for Father Kinney's help in bringing St. Thérèse's relics to the U.S. as the shrine approached its own 100th anniversary.

"I thought, in her centenary year of her canonization, somebody else will already have booked or reserved the relics," Father Kinney recalled. "But I emailed Lisieux and they said, 'Yes, we do have several months open.'"

Ahead of the arrival of the relics, the website for the U.S. (stthereseusa2025.com) visit requests prayers.

"Through St. Thérèse we ask the Lord for another life-giving shower of graces for the USA," it reads. "We want to build up the Church and promote vocations. In St. Thérèse's words, we want 'to love Jesus and make Him greatly loved.'"

(OSV News) -- Food insecurity in the Gaza Strip "has reached catastrophic levels," a Catholic humanitarian organization has warned.

In his monthly update on the situation in Gaza in late May, Joseph Hazboun, regional director for CNEWA-Pontifical Mission for Palestine and Israel, painted a bleak picture that includes overcrowding at Gaza's two Christian churches and an "increasingly dire" health situation.

Nearly 2 million people, about 90% of Gaza's population, have been "displaced and living in overcrowded, unsafe conditions," he said.

"With limited access to basic needs such as clean water, food and sanitation, health conditions are rapidly deteriorating," he said. "Vulnerable groups, including infants, the elderly and pregnant women, are facing heightened risks of disease, malnutrition and preventable deaths."

Israel's continued military bombardments since October 2023 have left the health care system in shambles, with a shortage of medicine and health care professionals, he said.

An estimated 96% of the population is facing extreme levels of food insecurity, and some families are surviving on fewer than two meals a day.

"As of mid-May, more than 90 community kitchens have been forced to close due to a lack of fuel and supplies, with the remaining kitchens ... unable to provide sufficient meals to meet the nutritional needs of the population," Hazboun reported.

The Catholic Near East Welfare Association, or CNEWA, established in 1926 by Pope Pius XI to support the Eastern churches, administers the Pontifical Mission, which was founded as the Pontifical Mission for Palestine by Pope Pius XII in 1949 to care for Palestinian refugees. The mandate of the mission, which was subsequently placed under CNEWA’s direction, has been extended by several pontiffs to care for all those affected by war and poverty in the Middle East.

In a May 29 statement, Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, said that since the attack on Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, "the situation has reached tragic levels beyond anyone's worst fears."

"The horrific massacre of innocent Israelis and the subsequent response from Israel has resulted in unimaginable loss of life and human suffering," said the archbishop, who has been a vocal advocate for peace.

Regarding the Israeli-Hamas war, Archbishop Wester has signed on to joint letters calling for an end to the war, including a letter in January 2024 that he and Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, now archbishop of Washington, issued a statement calling for an "immediate and total" ceasefire.

On Oct. 7, 2023, the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, launched an attack on southern Israel. Nearly 1,200 people were killed, including more than 700 Israeli civilians, and Hamas took 251 hostages into Gaza. In retaliation, Israel launched an attack on Gaza that has killed at least 53,655 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

Many Christians have fled or tried to flee Gaza since the war began, Hazboun said, but leaving has been difficult.

Approximately 400 people have sought shelter at the compound of Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in Gaza. Hazboun said limited humanitarian aid is only distributed twice a month, and more than 100 people have chosen to return to their damaged homes because of overcrowding.

"Despite these challenges, the church remains committed to supporting the community," he said. "It provides vital psychosocial support to children through structured programs and has set up a small school and kindergarten to ensure some continuity in education during this crisis."

St. Porphyrios Greek Orthodox Church is sheltering about 150 people and, as with Holy Family Church, some have returned to their partially damaged homes because of overcrowding.

"The church continues to provide critical support to both those sheltering within and to vulnerable families in the surrounding area," said Hazboun. "For children, small-scale recreational activities offer a brief respite from the ongoing trauma, although these efforts are constrained by the severe shortage of resources."

The United Nations reports more than 1 million children in Gaza require immediate psychosocial support. In addition, nearly 85% of Gaza's schools have been damaged or destroyed.

"Thousands of students have been unable to sit for their matriculation exams, further compounding the impact on their future," Hazboun said.

Partner organizations in Gaza have requested assistance from CNEWA-Pontifical Mission for food for displaced families and for basic health care and psychosocial programs for adults and children.

Working with the Near East Council of Churches, CNEWA-Pontifical Mission distributes fresh vegetables when available at the two churches as well as to people living on their own. Pontifical Mission has long supported Anglican-run al-Ahli Arab Hospital and, since January, has partnered with the hospital to provide urgent medical services.

"These services are vital as Gaza faces an alarming rise in injuries, trauma cases, burn victims and widespread infectious diseases due to unsanitary conditions and unsafe water. The hospital, now operating 24/7, is overburdened, using every available space for patient care," Hazboun said.

At the end of his general audience at the Vatican May 28, Pope Leo XIV pleaded for peace in Gaza.

"In the Gaza Strip, the cry of mothers, of fathers who clutch the lifeless bodies of children and who are continually forced to move in search of a little food and safer shelter from bombing, rises ever more intensely to the sky," the pope said.

In an interview with Vatican News a day earlier, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, called for an end to the bombardments of Gaza, for necessary aid to be allowed to reach the people, and for Hamas to immediately release all remaining hostages.

For his part, Archbishop Wester said that Oct. 7, 2023, "was a day of unspeakable darkness and hate" and that "The last 20 months in Gaza have been more of the same."

He asked: "How many more innocent people must die, how many children must be orphaned, and how many tears must be shed before the leaders of Hamas and Israel learn that light and love are the only weapons that will bring lasting peace to the land we call holy? How long, O Lord? How long?"

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As divided Christians grow closer together and honestly seek to heal the wounds they have inflicted on each other over the course of centuries, they give witness to faith in Christ as the source of peace, Pope Leo XIV said.

"In the context of our war-torn world, our ongoing journey of healing and of deepening fraternity has a vital role to play, for the more united Christians are the more effective will be our witness to Christ the Prince of Peace in building up a civilization of loving encounter," the pope said in a message.

Pope Leo sent the message to the Mennonite World Conference's celebration May 29 of the 500th anniversary of the birth of the Anabaptist movement in Zurich, Switzerland.

The movement's beginning in 1525 led to decades of political and religious strife, which turned violent at times.

A report issued in 2003 on the first Mennonite-Roman Catholic theological dialogue said that while there were different Anabaptist movements in Europe in the 1500s, all of them "agreed on the conviction that, since infants are not able to make a conscious commitment to Christ, only adults can be baptized after having repented of their sins and having confessed their faith. Since Anabaptists did not consider infant baptism valid, those Christians who were baptized as infants needed to be baptized again as adults."

Anabaptists also embraced a code of nonviolence, refusing to serve in any nation's army, even if some early Anabaptist leaders tried to build up their communities using violence. Today they are recognized as one of the historic peace churches.

In his message to people gathered for an ecumenical commemoration of the anniversary, Pope Leo praised the Mennonite World Conference for choosing as their theme, "The Courage to Love."

The theme "reminds us, above all, of the need for Catholics and Mennonites to make every effort to live out the commandment of love, the call to Christian unity and the mandate to serve others," Pope Leo wrote.

"It likewise points to the need for honesty and kindness in reflecting on our common history, which includes painful wounds and narratives that affect Catholic-Mennonite relationships and perceptions up to the present day," he said.

The "courage to love," he said, also is needed as Catholics and Mennonites learn to re-read history together "to heal past wounds and build a new future."

"This is certainly no easy task," Pope Leo said, but "it was precisely at particular moments of trial that Christ revealed the Father's will" that his followers love their neighbor and that they be one.

"My wish for each of us, then, is that we can say with St. Augustine: 'My entire hope is exclusively in your very great mercy. Grant what you command, and command what you will,'" the pope wrote, quoting the saint's "Confessions."

MENDHAM, N.J. (OSV News) -- As the Sisters of Christian Charity watched the white smoke rise from the Sistine Chapel in Rome May 8 and awaited the appearance of the new pope on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, they had no idea they had played a vital role in his early formation.

When Cardinal Robert F. Prevost's name was announced and he stepped onto the balcony as Pope Leo XIV, joy rippled through the crowd -- and among the sisters -- as the world learned that the new pope was an American. A Chicago native. An Augustinian. An alumnus of Villanova University and the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

Details emerged that he hailed from the South Side of Chicago, from the suburban town of Dolton, Illinois, and attended St. Mary of the Assumption Parish and School in nearby Riverdale. That revelation deepened the sisters' excitement: from 1918 to 1988, the Sisters of Christian Charity were educators at St. Mary School.

They quickly began poring over archives in search of records of those who had taught there during the grade school years of Pope Leo XIV. The North American province of the Sisters of Christian Charity is based in Mendham, in the Diocese of Paterson.

The story of this connection traces back to the Sisters of Christian Charity's founding. Pauline von Mallinckrodt established the congregation in 1849 in Paderborn, Germany. Amid political upheaval under Otto von Bismarck and in response to calls from America for German-speaking sisters to educate immigrant children, the sisters arrived in the United States in 1873.

They established schools in many states across the country. Little could Pauline have imagined that one day, her community would help form a future pope's early faith and education.

In September 1961, young Robert began first grade at St. Mary School. Under the guidance of the sisters, he received the foundational education that would one day support him in leading the Catholic Church.

Two Sisters of Christian Charity who served at St. Mary's during Prevost's time were Sister Rosalie Erdmann, now a member of the Sisters of the Living Word, and Sister Leocadia Salbert, now known as Sister Jeanette Salbert, also of the Sisters of the Living Word.

Sister Rosalie taught sixth and seventh grades during Robert's eighth-grade year. Though she did not teach him directly, she remembers seeing him serve Mass and play on the school playground. She also fondly recalls his mother, Mildred.

"Robert's mother was wonderful. She was the school librarian and deeply involved with the school and parish," Sister Rosalie said in an interview for The Beacon, Paterson's diocesan news outlet.

Sister Jeanette arrived at St. Mary during the second half of Robert's eighth-grade year and taught science. Although she does not remember him, she recalls the school's nurturing environment.

"It was more than a school," Sister Jeanette said. "It was a family."

Even before Sister Jeanette arrived, the Prevost family had already made an impression. In 1964, Mildred organized the St. Mary's Altar Rosary Society and mobilized school families to collect S&H Green Stamps, which were used to purchase a car for the sisters.

Sister M. Alypia Schalkowski, who died in 2003 and was Robert's first-grade teacher, remained connected to him throughout the years. Her address books listed his successive addresses, first as the provincial of his Augustinian order in Illinois and later as the prior general in Rome.

The Sisters of Christian Charity joyfully celebrate Pope Leo XIV's pontificate and the path he will chart for the church. They are honored and proud to have played a small yet meaningful role in his early formation.

Deacon Pat Bruen, 67, and Deacon Benjamin Schroder, 26, look forward to serving the Lord's people in southeast Michigan

DETROIT — Two men who are set to become the newest priests of the Archdiocese of Detroit took two distinctive paths to the priesthood.

On Saturday, June 7, Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger will ordain transitional deacons Pat Bruen and Benjamin Schroder, who have spent year preparing through seminary studies and field ministry. The Mass, which begin at 10 a.m., will be livestreamed.

The two men will be ordained priests “now and forever,” but the two took two completely different paths in their journey to becoming Christ’s ministers on earth.

Deacon Pat Bruen

Deacon Pat Bruen, 67, is late-in-life priestly vocation, studying at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass.

Deacon Bruen graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Dearborn and went on to Spring Arbor College to obtain a bachelor’s in health care management and Central Michigan University to earn a master’s in database management.

“I was married for 40 years, so I did not have a call when I was younger,” Deacon Bruen told Detroit Catholic. “But my longtime friend and now pastor, Fr. Bob McCabe, suggested I pray about it. I thought I was too old, but the Lord had other plans.”

Deacon Bruen, whose father also was a deacon, applied to St. John XXIII Seminary, which offers graduate-level programming for priesthood candidates considered to be “second-career vocations.”

His studies led him to understand what it means to be a priest in an increasingly secularized society.

“The challenge is that we live in a secular and often anti-Catholic culture,” Deacon Bruen said. “Prayer and devotion are the key. This will allow us to love as Jesus taught us, and that love is what draws people. You can talk until you are blue in the face, but people don’t listen until they know you love them. There is an old quote attributed to Theodore Roosevelt that says, ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.'”

Heading back to Detroit to serve the people of God in southeast Michigan, Deacon Bruen hopes to bring God's healing presence to the people of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

“I’m really excited about the missionary work we can do as Catholic priests and the healing power we can bring. There's a phrase we use in the Archdiocese of Detroit, ‘unleashing the Gospel,’ it really has power,” Deacon Bruen said. “That will help people in a world that is very troubled. I’m excited about that in a target-rich environment for souls, and that’s what we’re hunting.”

Upon ordination, Deacon Bruen will celebrate Masses of thanksgiving at his home parish, Divine Child Parish in Dearborn, on June 8, and St. Mary Parish in Chelsea on June 15.

Deacon Benjamin Schroder

Deacon Benjamin Schroder, 26, was working at a hardware store and took a few classes at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit before he first thought he might have a vocation to the priesthood.

After graduating from Utica Community Schools’ International Baccalaureate program, he wasn’t exactly convinced he was destined for the priesthood.

“I really didn’t consider it until my last year in high school, and that wasn’t even my first option,” Deacon Schroder said. “I attended a vocations night for altar serving that the seminary hosted, and I was pretty confident I wouldn’t be a priest until some seminarians shared their vocation story. The simple realization that God knows what will make me happy, and He also wants me to be happy, helped me a lot in discerning what the Lord was calling me to do.”

The more classes Deacon Schroder took, and the more time he spent with seminarians in the classroom, the more he was affirmed that the priesthood would be life-giving for him.

Being able to do pastoral work as a deacon cemented that this was truly God’s calling for him.

“I really appreciated being able to do both hospital ministry and some street evangelization,” Deacon Schroder said. “I was able to meet people at all points on the spectrum of life. (I met) people just admitted to the hospital or just getting discharged, people who are not Christian or people who go to Mass every Sunday. These encounters helped remind me that Christ is for everyone at every time.”

When asked what he is most looking forward to as a priest, Deacon Schroder admitted to the “expected answer” — celebrating Mass and the sacraments — adding he looks forward to walking with people in their journey with Christ and his Church.

“I think Benedict XVI summed it up well. ’The ways of the Lord are not easy, but we were not created for an easy life, but for great things, for goodness,’” Deacon Schroder said. “The challenge is that many people settle for an easy life. The Church does what it always does: she shows them the greater and better things — in fact, the greatest thing — life in following Jesus Christ.”

Upon ordination, Deacon Schroder will celebrate Masses of Thanksgiving at his home parish, St. Kieran Parish in Shelby Township, on June 8 and St. Mary Parish in Royal Oak on June 15.

AIP Speaker Series' fifth season ends with biography of St. Rita and insights into Pope Leo XIV from a Midwest Augustinian friar

PLYMOUTH — Fr. Tom McCarthy, OSA, spoke about his “two close friends” to close out the fifth season of the "Anything is Possible" Speaker Series at St. John’s Resort on May 27.

Those two friends happened to be St. Rita of Cascia and the man he knew as Fr. Robert Prevost, OSA, but the world now knows as Pope Leo XIV.

“I’m very grateful that I get to talk about a very dear friend of mine, St. Rita,” Fr. McCarthy said. “Then, I’m going to talk about another dear friend, Pope Leo, but we’ll start with ladies first, OK?”

Fr. McCarthy is the vocations director of the Midwest Province of the Order of St. Augustine and director of the St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago. He told the story of St. Rita of Cascia, a woman born in Roccaporena, Italy, in 1381 who lived a life Fr. McCarthy described as simple, but profound.

St. Rita was born to older parents in the small hamlet of Roccaporena, just outside Cascia, where Augustinian nuns lived.

“You would think with two devout parents they’d be happy to see Rita become a nun, but they told her, ‘No,’” Fr. McCarthy said. “They said, ‘Rita, you have to take care of us.’ Back in the day, there was no Social Security, no pensions. You had to be taken care of by your children. They were not being selfish. They were being realistic."

Rita’s parents arranged for a man named Paolo Mancini to marry Rita, whom Fr. McCarthy described as a “mafia-type guy” and a local mob enforcer.

Rita’s holiness converted Paolo, and the two lived a simple, pious marriage where Paolo left his mob activities, and they raised two sons.

But tragedy struck when another mobster took Paolo’s conversion as a sign of weakness and attacked and killed him as he was heading home from work. Their two sons swore a vendetta against the man who killed Paolo, and Rita prayed for her two sons not to take revenge, worrying for their souls.

“She loved them so much, she prayed, ‘God, take them to you, please take them to heaven so they don’t commit this horrible sin, this murder,'” Fr. McCarthy said. “That’s the love of a parent who would do anything for their child, even if that means sending that child back to God. Very shortly after that, they died of natural causes.”

Rita was now alone, with her parents, husband and two sons deceased.

“She was alone, but she wasn’t lonely,” Fr. McCarthy said. “She mourned and she mourned appropriately. But who was the center of her life? Jesus Christ. She used to climb this hill in Roccaporena and pray, and when she prayed, she thought, ‘I’ve done the obligations God has asked of me, now I’m ready to be a nun.’”

However, the Augustinian prioress at Cascia wouldn’t allow Rita into the convent, due to Paolo’s past mob connections and her age.

Undeterred, Rita went out to find her husband’s murderer and forgive him, causing a reconciliation between the warring factions in Cascia.

“And this is how she got her title as peacemaker; she found her husband’s murderer and forgave him,” Fr. McCarthy said. “She started to bring the two families together. We need her today, don’t we?”

Despite this, the Augustinian prioress still wouldn’t let Rita into the convent. So she turned to St. Augustine, St. John the Baptist and St. Nicholas of Tolentine.

“Those three saints miraculously brought her through the doors of the convent, left her in the chapel, and when the nuns woke up and asked how she got in here, she said St. Augustine, St. John the Baptist and St. Nicholas of Tolentine brought her in there," Fr. McCarthy said. "They looked and saw that the entrance to the monastery was locked. Do you know what the lock was in a medieval monastery? It was a giant log across the door. There was no way this small, petite woman was getting through a log-locked door. And so, they said this must be from God.”

Rita gained notoriety in the convent as a counselor, drawing upon her background as an obedient daughter, a graceful wife and a loving mother to give counsel to the people of Cascia.

Upon her death in 1457, people from across Italy traveled to Cascia to see Rita’s incorrupt body. A popular piety evolved around Rita as a saint of the impossible, given the unforeseen circumstances of God’s plan to join the Augustinians after becoming a wife and mother and finding grace in all God gave her in life.

By the turn of the 20th century, the Church recognized Rita as a saint, canonizing her on May 24, 1900, by Pope Leo XIII. Her feast day is May 22, the anniversary of her death.

“We just celebrated the 125th anniversary of her canonization by Pope Leo XIII last Saturday, and a little secret about my next friend: I'm going to talk about Pope Leo," Fr. McCarthy said. “He told us he chose the name Leo XIV because of how Leo XIII was there for the discarded after the Industrial Revolution. Pope Leo XIII was one of the authors of the five-day work week. But he was also a wonderful friend to the Augustinians. He canonized so many of our saints and just loves the Augustinians."

Fr. McCarthy, as director of the St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago, has encountered many people who have gone to St. Rita with their intercessions, particularly women who struggle to get pregnant or are in a difficult pregnancy.

“So friends, that’s my story of this simple woman of Cascia,” Fr. McCarthy said. “This saint of the impossible. And sometimes, as we go through life and deal with situations we think are impossible and we have nowhere else to turn, turn to St. Rita, and say, ‘Rita, simply give me the strength to do what you did.’ That’s why we turn to the saints. They are our older brothers and sisters in faith. They are our heroes in faith.”

Fr. McCarthy then pivoted to his other friend, the man he knew simply as “Bob,” who now pastors approximately 1.39 billion Catholics as Pope Leo XIV and what it means to him, as an Augustinian, to see one from his ranks raised to the papacy.

“Bob Prevost was and is an unbelievable man,” Fr. McCarthy said. “We as Augustinians know who he is, and that’s why we’re ecstatic. We can’t wait for the world to get to know him. He is a quiet man, but he’s not in any way bashful. He’s one of the smartest men I know."

Fr. McCarthy said there are many practical reasons for Pope Leo XIV's election, particularly his role as the prior general of the Augustinian order worldwide.

“That means he was the head of the Augustinians in the world,” Fr. McCarthy explained. “It’s a six-year term, and in those six years, he visited every single Augustinian community in the world, in over 50 countries. And then he had a second term. He knows five languages and can read two others, so talk about someone who has been around the world; he’s a citizen of the world.”

However, Fr. McCarthy cautioned against thinking that the election of then-Cardinal Prevost boiled down to politics.

“Especially as Americans, we try to think this is all political,” Fr. McCarthy said. “This is as far from politics as you can imagine. It’s the Holy Spirit. We’re not in charge. What did they pray at the beginning of the conclave? They prayed for the Holy Spirit to guide them. Just as the Holy Spirit guides us."

As a native Chicagoan and fellow Augustinian, Fr. McCarthy is sometimes taken aback by the fact that Pope Leo XIV is now the leader of the Church. But he assured those gathered at St. John’s Resort that the man who now sits upon St. Peter’s chair is indeed a friend to all.

“He’s our guy,” Fr. McCarthy said. “He’s going to start a spark to help us evangelize. We need to evangelize, and it all starts with us because we can’t be alone in doing it. And I know my friend, the pope, will help us evangelize, because he has this quiet confidence that St. Rita had, a true, humble trust in God. So, friends, that’s my story. That’s my story about this simple woman of Cascia, the saint of the impossible. And a story about a friend of ours, who is leading the Church with that same simple grace.”

(OSV News) -- Washington state's bishops filed a lawsuit May 29 over a new law requiring clergy to report child abuse or neglect without exceptions for clergy-penitent privilege.

First reported by The Pillar, the lawsuit is in response to Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson's approval of Senate Bill 5375 earlier the same month, which designated members of the clergy as mandatory reporters, or people required by law to report suspected or known instances of child abuse or neglect.

The requirements of the legislation signed into law did not include an exception for sacramental confessions. Other mandatory reporters in Washington state include school personnel, nurses, social service counselors and psychologists.

While some have argued the bill addresses an important omission from the state's list of mandatory reporters, others have expressed concern that without exceptions for the clergy-penitent privilege, as similar laws in other states have, Washington state's law could place Catholic priests at odds with civil law in order to uphold church law regarding the seal of the confessional.

"It's hard to imagine a more brazen attack on faith than state bureaucrats policing the sacrament of confession," Mark Rienzi, president and CEO of Becket, a religious liberty law firm in Washington,D.C., that is representing the bishops, said in a statement provided to OSV News.

"Washington's law isn't about protecting kids -- it's about jailing priests for following the Church's ancient faith practices," Rienzi said. "We're asking the court to step in and stop the state from turning a sanctuary for the soul into a tool of surveillance."

The governor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from OSV News.

In the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, the bishops argued, "Washington is targeting the Roman Catholic Church in a brazen act of religious discrimination," citing how the state protects confidential communications in other settings.

"Without any basis in law or fact, Washington now puts Roman Catholic priests to an impossible choice: violate 2,000 years of Church teaching and incur automatic excommunication or refuse to comply with Washington law and be subject to imprisonment, fine, and civil liability," the lawsuit said, citing historic examples of priests who were martyred over their refusal to break the seal, from St. John Nepomucene in the 14th century all the way to bishops martyred in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War.

Every U.S. state, district or territory has some form of mandatory reporting law. Most states that specifically include clergy in their mandatory reporting laws provide some clergy-penitent privileges to varying degrees, according to data from the Child Welfare Information Gateway, which operates under the Children's Bureau at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Washington State Catholic Conference, which is the public policy arm of the state's Catholic bishops, previously supported a different version of the legislation to make clergy mandatory reporters that did include an exception for hearing confession, part of the sacrament of reconciliation. However, they opposed the particular version of the legislation that was signed into law which lacked that exception.

"Previous versions of legislation mandated that clergy report sexual abuse while at the same time protecting the sacramental seal surrounding confession," the lawsuit said.

Jean Hill, executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference, said in a statement provided to OSV News, "Confession offers the faithful a confidential space to seek God's mercy and guidance."

"This trust is sacred, and any law that jeopardizes it risks discouraging those who recognize the harm they have caused from seeking moral guidance," she said.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that priests are strictly forbidden from divulging what penitents tell them during confession and states that information a penitent divulges is under "seal."

"Given the delicacy and greatness of this ministry and the respect due to persons, the Church declares that every priest who hears confessions is bound under very severe penalties to keep absolute secrecy regarding the sins that his penitents have confessed to him," the catechism states.

The Washington bishops' lawsuit referenced the church's ancient history of confessional secrecy, from the letters of Pope Leo I in the fifth century, citing the teaching of the Apostles, to its codification in canon law by the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215.

The lawsuit also recounts the steps taken by the Catholic Church in the U.S., as well as the dioceses involved in the suit, to eradicate clergy sexual abuse and sexual abuse more broadly.

It added under their own internal policies, priests in each of the three dioceses in the state "who suspect based on what is disclosed during confession that the penitent is suffering from abuse or neglect, the penitent has engaged in abuse or neglect, or some third party has engaged in abuse or neglect, invite the penitent for counseling outside of the sacrament of confession."

"And, should the priest learn information in that non-sacramental counselling providing reasonable cause to believe abuse or neglect has been committed, the priest is obligated to report that suspected abuse or neglect to proper law enforcement agencies or the department of children, youth, and families," the lawsuit said. "The Church recognizes that even one credible allegation is too many and that there is more work to do. Yet evidence-based measurements of the Church's response show that the Church's efforts to combat abuse are working."

Hiram Sasser, executive general counsel for First Liberty Institute, also representing the bishops in the lawsuit, said in a statement provided to OSV News that "Washington's law targeting Catholic clergy with threat of imprisonment and fine if they do not break the sacramental confessional seal is a brazen act of religious discrimination."

"For centuries, Catholic priests have been willing to die as martyrs rather than violate this sacred duty," Sasser said. "A few politicians in Washington state won't break them. And the Constitution protects them."

Earlier in May, the Justice Department said it planned to investigate what it called an apparent conflict between the Washington state law and the free exercise of religion under the First Amendment.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV spent several hours May 29 visiting the Borgo Laudato Si' ecology project set up at the papal villa and farm in Castel Gandolfo, as well as the former papal summer residence there.

Pope Francis established the project in early 2023, saying he wanted "to make a tangible contribution to the development of ecological education by opening a new space for training and raising awareness," according to the Vatican City governor's office.

The project offers tours of the formal gardens to tourists and school groups but also is set up to train gardeners and maintenance workers.

Pope Francis also turned the papal palace on the town's main square into a museum, which opened in 2016. Many of the townspeople hope the new pope will once again spend at least part of the summer in the villa but there has been no word about that.

As news spread that the pope was in the hilltop town, visitors to the property May 29 began gathering in the square outside the papal palace, hoping to get a glimpse of the new pope. One Italian woman even tried to get others to join her in shouting encouragement for the pope to come to the window. But they left disappointed.

The Vatican press office confirmed the pope's visit but provided no details.

The papal property at Castel Gandolfo extends over 135 acres -- surpassing the 108.7 acres of Vatican City. It includes 74 acres of gardens -- 17 of which are formal gardens -- 62 acres of farmland, three residences and a farm with chickens, hens, rabbits, assorted fowl, cows and a small dairy operation. There are also fruit and olive orchards, vineyards, hayfields, vegetable patches, aromatic herbs, flowerbeds and plants that often are used to decorate the papal apartments and meeting rooms at the Vatican.

Meeting in September with people involved in the center, Pope Francis noted that they were developing a new vineyard for wine production. "It is intended to act as a synthesis of tradition and innovation, as a 'trademark' of the Borgo," he said.

In November, Pope Francis appointed Father Manuel Dorantes, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago to be administrative management director of the Laudato Si' Center for Higher Education, which is part of the project.

Father Dorantes did not respond to requests for comment about Pope Leo's visit.