St. Andrew Catholic Church

Season 2 of the EWTN web series “James the Less” premieres June 9, 2025. / Credit: EWTN YouTube channel

CNA Staff, May 27, 2025 / 16:06 pm (CNA).

The second season of the award-winning online EWTN series “James the Less” will be released on Monday, June 9. 

The first season introduced viewers to James Little, a student fresh out of college desperate for a job. James is an atheist. However, a “help wanted” sign on the church bulletin board catches his eye and entices him to interview for the position: handyman.

James accepts the position at St. James the Less Church and starts to encounter Catholicism. Soon, James finds his ideals challenged by the no-nonsense pastor Father Lambert Burns and through his romantic pursuit of parishioner Anne-Marie.

EWTN Director of Studio Operations Stephen Beaumont told CNA that the idea for the series came from his desire to “create a series of short videos about a character growing in virtue.”

“The idea for the title came from a Mass I attended at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, probably in 2019. I was in Rome on business and decided to attend a daily Mass at St. Peter’s. At St. Peter’s, there are always pilgrimage groups having Masses at the many side altars, and I ended up participating in a Mass with a group from a parish in England called St. James the Less,” he explained. “That name interested me, because you usually hear ‘St. James the Lesser’ or ‘St. James the Younger.’ Also, it reminded me of a saints book I got for my first Communion, which listed the apostle as St. James the Less. I thought it would work well as the title.”

Season 2 will consist of five episodes. “There will also be some new characters introduced, and most of all, you will see development of the relationship between James and Anne-Marie,” Beaumont shared.

James is played by Catholic artist and missionary Tanner Kalina. He has been a part of ministries such as FOCUS, Ascension Presents, NET, and others. He also hosts a podcast with several of his friends called “Saints Alive.”

While playing James, it has inspired Kalina “to look at the faith with fresh eyes,” he told CNA in an interview.

“He’s reminded me of how attractive our faith is and how we need to do a better job of owning it,” he said. “There’s so many people out there in James’ shoes who are aching for what we have as Catholics.”

“It’s been a great joy and a testament to the goodness and creativity of God. He’s so good,” Kalina added. “After I left Hollywood a number of years ago for ministry, I didn’t know if I’d ever have the chance to act again. When this fell in my lap, it felt like God was saying, ‘I see you. I know you. I love you. Enjoy!’”

Kalina shared that in Season 2 viewers will also see “what happens after James opens his heart ever so slightly to our Eucharistic Lord.”

When asked what he hopes people are taking away from the series, Kalina said: “I honestly just hope people are enjoying it. It’s just good ol’ wholesome fun, which is hard to find nowadays without an agenda attached.”

“Primarily it is a romantic comedy and a fish-out-of-water story, so most of all, we hope that people will find it entertaining,” Beaumont added. “There are some teaching moments along the way, but these moments flow naturally from the characters and the situations.”

The series will not be broadcast on television. Watch exclusively on EWTN’s YouTube channel:

Pope Leo XIV greets Buddhist monks in a meeting with representatives of other Christian churches, ecclessial communities, and other religions on May 19, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, May 27, 2025 / 15:36 pm (CNA).

The Vatican commenced its eighth Buddhist-Christian Colloquium on Tuesday in Cambodia, bringing together representatives of both religions to discuss the promotion of peace in Asia.

Prefect for the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue Cardinal George Koovakad delivered a short speech on the first day of the May 27–29 conference on “Buddhists and Christians Working Together for Peace through Reconciliation and Resilience,” highlighting the significance of the two religions’ common commitment to peace, Vatican News reported.

“Together, as Buddhists and Christians, let us explore how reconciliation and resilience can help shape peaceful and compassionate societies,” Koovakad said on Tuesday.

Approximately 150 people from Cambodia and abroad are participating in the three-day meeting organized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh, Saint Paul Institute, Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University, and the MAGGA Jesuit Research Center.

Among the Catholic conference participants are bishops and priests from 16 Asian nations, including Mongolia, Vietnam, Myanmar, South Korea, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka.

Throughout the three-day conference, Christians and Buddhists have the opportunity to reflect on the stories of peace, reconciliation, and resilience found in the Bible’s Old and New Testaments and in Buddhist writings, including the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka and the Mahayana Sutras.

A statement released by the dicastery earlier this week said this year’s meeting is a “timely reminder of the power of religion” in fostering healing and hope in a world ravaged by conflict and violence.

According to the dicastery’s statement, Cambodia was chosen to host the international interreligious gathering to honor the legacy of the late Maha Ghosananda, a Buddhist monk who spiritually ministered to refugees during the country’s 1975–1979 Khmer Rouge communist regime led by Pol Pot.

Since 1995, the Vatican has held a series of Buddhist-Christian meetings in different countries to advance mutual understanding and collaboration between the Church and non-Christian religions in the spirit of Pope Paul VI’s Second Vatican Council declaration Nostra Aetate released in 1965.

The last Buddhist-Christian Colloquium in 2023 was held in Bangkok and focused on the theme of “healing a wounded humanity and the earth.”

Catholic Relief Services distributed humanitarian aid to Gaza earlier in the spring and has asked Israel to allow it to resume its work. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Catholic Relief Services

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 27, 2025 / 15:06 pm (CNA).

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is calling on Israel to resume allowing its humanitarian aid teams access to the Palestinian Gaza Strip to deliver food and other supplies to civilians as a partial blockade continues.

Israel imposed a full blockade on humanitarian assistance into Gaza in early March just before it launched new military offenses on the territory. Starting this month, Israel began allowing limited amounts of aid into Gaza, but CRS and other humanitarian organizations — as well as the United Nations — have said the limited aid is insufficient.

“CRS’ priority is the well-being of innocent civilians in Gaza, especially the vulnerable who continue to suffer most,” the organization said in a May 26 statement.

“Our teams on the ground are ready to deliver humanitarian assistance through appropriate modalities to civilians in need throughout the Gaza Strip,” the statement added. “We advocate for unimpeded humanitarian access and the entry of humanitarian supplies at scale. CRS is committed to our operational independence, to neutrality and impartiality, and to the safety and dignity of those we serve.”

The statement referenced Pope Leo XIV’s call for people to use dialogue to solve problems and advance the common good. In his first general audience, Leo also called the war “increasingly worrying and painful” and urged “the entry of decent humanitarian aid” and an end to hostilities, saying the “heartbreaking price is paid by children, the elderly, and the sick.”

CRS’ statement added that the group is “ready to discuss appropriate additional measures to ensure aid accountability” but warned “the innocent people in Gaza cannot wait” and “food and other supplies must be allowed in immediately through existing mechanisms.”

“CRS calls urgently for an end to the war, the return of the hostages, and full facilitation of accountable humanitarian response throughout the Gaza Strip,” the statement continued.

Cindy McCain, the executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the people of Gaza “are extremely food insecure and could be on the verge of famine” if even the partial blockade continues.

According to McCain, the U.N. was getting about 600 humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza every day during the temporary ceasefire, which was halted in March. With Israel permitting limited humanitarian aid to enter this month, she said the U.N. has only been able to get about 100 aid trucks into the territory daily.

“We need to get in, and we need to get in at scale, not just a few dribbles of the trucks right now; as I said, it’s a drop in the bucket,” McCain said.

Concerns about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

As part of its effort to scale back the full blockade on humanitarian aid, Israel is now allowing an American- and Israeli-backed organization, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), to deliver limited aid to Gaza. However, the U.N., CRS, and other humanitarian groups are not currently working with GHF and have expressed concerns about its operations.

“In the spirit of dialogue, we have sought to learn more about proposed approaches connected to [GHF],” the CRS statement read. “We have had many fundamental and practical questions about their proposal which remain unaddressed. We have not agreed to work or collaborate with GHF.”

GHF announced that it began delivering aid to Gaza this week, but it is unclear how much aid the group has provided. According to the BBC, the group operates at four distribution sites that are secured by American contractors and Israeli military personnel to ensure aid does not get into the hands of Hamas, which Israel and the United States classify as a terrorist organization.

Earlier this month, Dorothy Shea — the acting U.S. ambassador to the U.N. — said the GHF was established “to provide a secure mechanism capable of delivering aid directly to those in need without Hamas stealing, looting, or leveraging this assistance for its own ends.”

“Safeguards are in place to ensure Palestinian civilians in Gaza will have access to aid, preventing diversion by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and criminal organizations — and ensuring Israel can remain secure,” Shea said.

However, Tom Fletcher — the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator — said at a U.N. security council briefing earlier this month that the Israeli plan excludes people, forces displacement, and exposes thousands to harm.

“It restricts aid to only one part of Gaza while leaving other dire needs unmet,” Fletcher said. “It makes aid conditional on political and military aims. It makes starvation a bargaining chip. It is a cynical sideshow. A deliberate distraction. A fig leaf for further violence and displacement.”

Jake Wood resigned from his position as executive director of GHF over the weekend amid concerns, saying: “It is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon.”

Palestinian health officials reported this week that more than 54,000 people have died in Gaza since the start of the war in late 2023.

The Servant of God Matthew Makil (center) appears in this 1896 photo flanked by apostolic vicars Aloysius Pazheparambil (left) and John Menachery (right). / Credit: kirchlicher Fotograf, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

ACI Prensa Staff, May 27, 2025 / 14:36 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decrees recognizing three new venerables, including two missionaries and an Indian bishop.

In his first audience since beginning his pontificate with the prefect of the Vatican dicastery, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the Holy Father approved the “offering of life” of the Servant of God Alejandro Labaca Ugarte of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin.

Alejandro Labaca, a bishop martyred in the Ecuadorian jungle

Labaca was born on April 19, 1920, in Beizama, Spain. After being expelled from communist China, this Capuchin missionary arrived in Ecuador, where he served as titular bishop of Pomaria and apostolic vicar of Aguarico.

Labaca dedicated himself to evangelizing in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador until he gave his life on July 21, 1987, in the Tigüino region of the country after being struck by spears from the Tagaeri, a tribe threatened by oil exploitation in the area, which the prelate opposed.

Inés Arango, a missionary dedicated to the Huaorani people

Dying in the same incident with Labaca, Inés Arango Velásquez, a missionary of the Capuchin Tertiaries of the Holy Family, was declared venerable by Leo XIV on May 22.

This religious sister, born in Medellín, Colombia, on April 6, 1937, had been in Aguarico for 10 years, dedicated to the apostolate among the Huaorani Indigenous people.

On July 11, 2017, the Vatican published Pope Francis’ motu proprio Maiorem Hac Dilectionem in which he established that “offering one’s life” knowing that death will surely follow is a new path to beatification for a member of the faithful.

The offering of one’s life is one of the paths to beatification along with heroic virtue and martyrdom.

Matthew Makil, Indian bishop

Leo XIV also approved the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Matthew Makil, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

He was born on March 27, 1851, in Manjoor, India, and died on Jan. 26, 1914, in Kottayam, also in India. He was also titular bishop of Tralles and the first apostolic vicar of Kottayam.

After being declared venerable, a miracle performed through his intercession must be approved for beatification, the first step toward possible canonization.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

The bishops of Ghana are shown with Ghana President John Dramani Mahama at the Jubilee House in Accra on May 23, 2025. / Credit: President of the Republic of Ghana

ACI Africa, May 27, 2025 / 13:59 pm (CNA).

Members of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) have called on the government there to implement stringent measures against the ongoing illegal mining that is leading to loss of land in the West African nation.

In a May 23 meeting with Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama at Jubilee House in the country’s capital city, Accra, the president of the GCBC, Bishop Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, expressed concern that what began as a subsistence activity has turned into a national threat, noting that over 4,000 hectares of forest land have been lost and rivers like the Pra, Offin, and Ankobra have become symbols of environmental degradation due to illegal mining.

“We must act not only with force but with foresight. Enforcement must be balanced by credible and sustainable alternatives for those driven by desperation,” he said during the meeting. 

Kwasi, who leads the Diocese of Sunyani in Ghana, described the act of illegal mining as doing grave ecological damage, noting its dangers to both the environment and the moral values of the community. He presented recommendations from the Ghanaian bishops to the government aimed at curbing it.

The recommendations urge the government to audit and repeal the laws that allow illegal mining and to freeze licenses of new artisans and small-scale miners until a review of environmental and social impacts is fully completed.

They also call on the Ghanaian government to declare a limited state of emergency in most affected areas to suspend mining activities, deploy military engineers for land restoration, and restore local governance with decentralized oversight.

Kwasi outlined more of the recommendations from the bishops, encouraging the government to collaborate with the Church and the district-level mining task force to do eco-mining audits, monitoring, and reporting of those who commit breaches.

He urged the government to enforce mandatory reclamation bonds and establish an independent environmental restoration fund co-governed by state, church, and traditional authorities. He also emphasized the need for the government to use part of the mineral development fund to empower communities affected by illegal mining through vocational training programs.

Kwasi, on behalf of the bishops, also spoke about digital mineral traceability, urging the government to implement a national block-chain-based system for tracking all minerals from the sources of exports to prevent smuggling and ensure proper accountability.

Bishops also call for electoral reform

In the meeting with Mahama in attendance alongside other government officials and the bishops, Kwasi raised concerns regarding electoral violence, national unity, and declining public trust in the country.

He highlighted the decrease in electoral participation, which fell from 85% in 2016 to 60.9% in 2024, which he said indicates a growing sense of disengagement among the electorate, especially the youth.

“The reduced turnout reflects broader concerns about the efficacy of democratic processes in addressing pressing national issues,” he said, noting that many young Ghanaians remain dissatisfied with politics as a “vehicle for real change.”

“The perception that politics is transactional and exclusive must be confronted. We must make democracy work, not just periodically at the polls, but persistently through policy, equity, and inclusion,” Kwasi said.

Pointing out some of the national unity challenges that Ghana is facing — including intensified political polarization and deepening mistrust between ethnic, regional, and partisan lines — Kwasi said that land disputes, chieftaincy conflicts, and vigilantism persist in flashpoint areas.

He went on to condemn the persistent violence that has marked the electoral process in previous elections from 1992 to 2024, despite the peaceful transition of power from one government to another.

According to the Centre for Democratic Development in Ghana, there were 76 recorded incidents leading up to the 2024 general election, including 24 cases of destruction, vandalism, and invasion of public facilities as well as several injuries and six fatalities.

Kwasi recommended that the Ghanaian government work on economic equality and electoral integrity to prevent future incidences of electoral violence in the country. He called on the Ghanaian government to collaborate with the Church in ensuring civic education and engagement.

“By reinforcing the values of participatory governance and accountability, we can work towards revitalizing public trust and ensuring that democracy serves the prosperity of all Ghanaians,” he said, adding: “Let us build a politics that serves not itself but the people, a politics that is not about the survival of the fittest but about the flourishing of the weakest; a politics where governance is not performance but a moral vocation.”

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia in an address on May 22, 2025, told the U.N. Security Council that civilians are not “expendable.” / Credit: Kevin Jones/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 27, 2025 / 13:29 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia addressed the United Nations Security Council last week, underscoring the Holy See’s concern for the rising number of civilians impacted by armed conflicts across the globe.

“It is fundamental that, even in the midst of conflict, the protection of the human person and its inherent God-given dignity remain at the center of all collective efforts, also in order to avoid the scourge of war,” said Caccia, who serves as permanent observer of the Holy See to the U.N., in his May 22 address.

“The human person must never be treated as expendable or reduced to mere collateral damage,” the Italian archbishop continued, citing the “deliberate targeting” of civilians and civilian structures as a matter of “great concern.”

“While these violations are an immense human tragedy, they also represent a grave affront to the foundations of international security,” Caccia emphasized in his statement.

The Holy See became a non-member-state permanent observer to the United Nations in 1964. Its mission there is key to the Holy See’s diplomatic work, communicating the Catholic Church’s centuries of experience to assist the U.N. in realizing peace, justice, human dignity, and humanitarian cooperation and assistance.

In his capacity as head of the mission, Caccia urged the U.N. Security Council to continue its work to “put an end to the use of indiscriminate weapons, landmines, and cluster munitions, and to stop the deployment of explosive weapons in populated areas.” 

He also highlighted the importance of ending mass arms production and stockpiling as a concrete step toward protecting civilian lives. 

Finally, Caccia warned the council against emerging military technologies such as lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) and encouraged a legally-binding proposal to prohibit them by 2026. 

“Ensuring that decisions over life and death remain under meaningful human control is not only a matter of legal accountability but also a moral responsibility,” Caccia said. 

Caccia has served as permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York since his appointment by Pope Francis in November 2019. Prior to this, Caccia spent nearly 30 years in the Vatican’s diplomatic service working in nunciatures in Tanzania, Lebanon, the Philippines, and the Vatican’s Secretariat of State in Rome.

He studied at the Vatican’s Diplomatic School, the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome, where he earned a doctorate in sacred theology, and at the Pontifical Gregorian University for a licentiate in canon law. Prior to this, he served for three years as a parish priest in his home diocese, the Archdiocese of Milan.

Pope Benedict XVI ordained Caccia a bishop in 2009 and named him apostolic nuncio in Lebanon. His episcopal motto is “We have believed in the love God has for us” (1 Jn 4:16).

null / Credit: Andy - Rock News/Shutterstock

Vatican City, May 27, 2025 / 12:48 pm (CNA).

The official website of the Vatican for the first time has been refreshed since it was created in the 1990s, prominently featuring multimedia content and online links to other Vatican offices and ministries.

A banner image of a waving Pope Leo XIV against a simple light blue background can now be found spread across the top half of the revamped Holy See website’s homepage published earlier this week. 

Replacing the outdated dropdown mega menus found in the older version of the Holy See’s homepage is a large, clickable “Magisterium” button — which also features a small icon of the pontiff’s new coat of arms — to help online visitors find the pope’s prepared homilies and speeches and additional information about the Vatican.

Acquiring tickets for papal audiences and liturgical celebrations has also been made easier through the updated website. Earlier this year, the Prefecture of the Papal Household — which is one of four Vatican offices featured on vatican.va — launched its new website with digital registration forms for individuals and pilgrim groups wanting to see the pope. 

The other three Vatican ministries featured on the updated website are the Church’s charitable organization Peter’s Pence, the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, and the yearlong 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.  

Daily news and calendar events related to Pope Leo XIV and the Vatican can also be viewed on the updated homepage in nine languages: Arabic, English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, and Spanish. 

Additional information and Church documents that can be accessed from the new homepage include the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, codes of canon law, ecumenical councils, Catholic social teaching, and reports on the Church’s response to the abuse of minors.

The Lecceto hermitage near Siena, Italy. / Credit: LigaDue, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

ACI Stampa, May 27, 2025 / 12:18 pm (CNA).

The Augustinian nuns of Lecceto are a small community living in a hermitage 10 kilometers (a little more than six miles) from the city of Siena in Italy. The hermitage bears witness to an ancient and rich history that began in the 12th century and originates with the Augustinian order. 

Today, several Augustinian nuns live here, praying, working, and studying — a contemplative life that mirrors that of the new Pope Leo XIV, who knows the nuns of Lecceto well and has visited them on several occasions in their beautiful setting among the olive trees and vineyards of Tuscany. 

ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner, asked Sister Sara Maria to share the activities of the nuns at the monastery and the nuns’ relationship with Pope Leo XIV.

ACI Stampa: As an Augustinian community, how did you receive the news of Cardinal Robert Prevost becoming the new pope?

Sister Sara Maria: Augustine always lived and professed a deep love for the Church, the “true mother of the faithful.” As daughters of Augustine and thus deeply devoted daughters of the Church, we followed the days of the congregations and then the start of the conclave with great prayerful participation. 

That ecclesial participation also included a human sentiment connected to the presence in the conclave of our beloved brother, Father Robert Prevost, whom we esteemed as someone who could be elected. Knowing his human and spiritual depth ... we feared for him, and when the cardinal protodeacon began to proclaim the name, the mere “R” of “Robertum” was enough to fill us with both joy and trepidation — joy for the Church, which had a new pope in such a short time, showing the world the power of the Spirit in the grace of unity; joy for an Augustinian pope who once again would bring to the world the charism of communion and unity of St. Augustine. Trepidation for the burden placed on our brother, as he himself said the next day to the cardinals: “You have called me to carry that cross and to be blessed with that mission.”

Do you know him personally? We understand he has visited you a few times. Could you tell us about those moments?

We have known Father Robert since the years when he was prior general of the Order of St. Augustine and, due to his institutional role, he visited our community multiple times, presiding over important celebrations, elective chapters, and helping us through some difficult points in our journey. 

Every time we had the joy of welcoming him among us, we appreciated his fraternal presence, his warmth and capacity for listening, the simplicity of his manner, and the clarity with which he could express himself: a person capable of guiding and making decisions, starting from a real openness to others and to their situations.

What are your activities in the monastery? What do the Augustinian nuns do?

The Augustinian nuns, just like the Poor Clares for the Franciscans, or the Carmelites, or the Dominican and Servite nuns, are the contemplative branch of their respective mendicant orders. This means that ours is a cloistered life centered on prayer. But, as Augustinians, the life we lead is marked entirely by a yearning for communion: “Cor unum et anima una in Deum” — “One heart and one soul in God,” as St. Augustine loved to repeat.

We live a very simple daily life made up of prayer, work, and study (“Rise, seek, sigh, yearn with ardor, knock on the closed door. If we feel no desire, if we have no longing, if we do not know how to sigh, we will end up throwing pearls before anyone, and find only worthless pearls ourselves” — In Ev. Io. tr. 18,7), in communion and openness to anyone who knocks at our door.

Our main activity — after prayer — is the welcoming of men and women who are in search of God’s peace, who ask for a time of rest and the sharing of the experience of faith. 

What are your hopes for the new pope? Do you expect to hear from him or get in touch?

For Pope Leo we pray, asking for an abundance of the Spirit’s gifts and peace of heart for the heavy task he has undertaken. We know his balance and his humility, and we wish him to walk serenely along the path he has set for himself: to be a servant of the faith and the joy of the people of God who have been entrusted to him. 

In recent days we have sent him congratulatory messages, and we were also blessed with an audience granted to some Augustinian men and women: It was a great gift to be able to greet him, to receive his blessing ... and to witness firsthand his deep, abiding serenity.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, CNA's Italian-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Jesus exposed in the Blessed Sacrament. / Credit: Comunidade Javé Nissi via Pexels

Manila, Philippines, May 27, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

As the National Eucharistic Revival comes to an end in the United States this year, many believe there is a need for a global Eucharistic revival in other parts of the world — including the Philippines.

Empty adoration chapels in the majority-Catholic country and lack of belief in the Real Presence are leading more parishes to implement a simple initiative called the “Holy Hour Pledge” and call for more catechesis.

Filipino-American priest Father James Cervantes of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception (MIC) lamented the phenomenon throughout different parishes across the Philippines, despite its renown as the largest Catholic nation in Asia and the third largest in the world.

“I came here to Manila just a year and a half ago. I noticed there are a lot of adoration chapels where Jesus is exposed, but they’re empty and abandoned. I was puzzled. I thought, ‘OK, maybe this is just one.’ But then I visited another church and another, across different cities — and again, Jesus was exposed, but they were all empty. In the U.S. and in Poland, this wouldn’t even be allowed. All I could think was, ‘Oh Lord, no one is in here, I’m so sorry Lord.’”

Cervantes recounted a tragic situation in one of the Manila parishes whereby the monstrance — with the consecrated host — was stolen by thieves inside an empty adoration chapel.

How can a deeply devout nation like the Philippines be devoid of adorers? Cervantes said it is only a symptom of a deeper problem. 

“Empty adoration chapels are symptomatic of a deeper problem. People here are hungry for the faith; they actually want to know what the Church teaches, but there is a lack of catechesis and faith formation,” the priest told CNA.

For many Filipino Catholics, the faith is merely practiced in external rituals — but a deep relationship with Jesus, and a strong catechesis, is lacking.

This is not only a Philippine problem but also a universal one. Even in Catholic-majority countries like Brazil and Mexico there has been a reported upsurge in Catholics leaving the faith for Protestant denominations due to a lack of faith formation and personal relationship with Christ. 

Both the Pew Research Center in “Religion in Latin America” (2014) and Premier Christian News in “Evangelicals Poised to Outnumber Catholics in Brazil” (2025) have reported on the decline in Catholicism and growth in Protestantism in Latin America, mainly due to “a lack of personal encounter with Christ” leaving them spiritually hungry and vulnerable to conversion. By contrast, evangelical churches often emphasize personal conversion, relationship with Jesus, and Bible study, filling the void left by poor catechesis in Catholic communities.

A Catholic who came back to the faith in the Philippines who preferred to remain anonymous shared with CNA that he felt he wasn’t being “fed” in the Catholic Church and hence had sought what he was hungering for elsewhere.

“In evangelical churches, we have Sunday school and Bible studies and discipleship groups keeping us in touch with our faith,” he shared. “I was hungry for Jesus. I wanted to grow more in my faith, but there are not many opportunities for ongoing formation in the Catholic Church, so I sought for that in evangelical circles.”

What brought him back? The Eucharist.

“Despite all the charismatic preaching and music and evangelism, something felt void and lacking. We didn’t have the Eucharist,” he said. “It was the Eucharist that brought me back to the Catholic faith, and it’s the Eucharist that makes me stay.”

“When I truly understood the meaning of the holy sacrifice of the Mass, and the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, there was just no going back. If I hunger to be ‘fed,’ it makes sense that none other than Jesus in the Eucharist can do that for me. Without the Eucharist, something just felt deeply missing.”

Cervantes agreed. “The Mass is the most powerful act of worship you can participate in on the face of the Earth. There are parishes which are vibrant, full of life, full of spirit … They’re so alive. You can just tell there’s a difference. We need to go back to the basics — more reverent Masses and good preaching.”

“People are coming to Sunday Masses anyway, so we as priests need to make use of that opportunity to give them basic catechesis right then and there. There is a real need for priests to emphasize the doctrine of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. There needs to be a re-catechesis of the most basic foundations of the Catholic faith,” Cervantes added.

A simple solution: the Holy Hour Pledge 

In response to the crisis in Eucharistic belief and catechesis, various parishes across the Philippines implemented a simple but concrete solution: a “Holy Hour Pledge” initiative, which has seen remarkable success.

One such parish is the St. John Bosco Parish and Center for Young Workers in Santa Rosa, Laguna, Philippines. Outside its perpetual adoration chapel are pledge cards in which anyone can sign up and pledge one hour a week to accompany Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. 

Parishioners sign two wallet-sized pledge cards that read: “I love you, Lord. Out of my deep love for you, O my dear Lord, I am offering a Holy Hour each week to console you and to make reparation for my sins, those of my loved ones, and those of the whole world.” At the bottom of the card, one commits his or her chosen day and time each week for the Holy Hour.

One card is dropped into a dropbox outside the adoration chapel while the other is kept in the person’s wallet or on the refrigerator door as a reminder of his or her weekly pledge. Since the initiative began, the parish reported a significant rise in the number of visitors. 

“It works because they are pledging not to any staff or person but to the Lord himself,” said Johanna Adaza, head of staff at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Divine Mercy in El Salvador, Philippines, which has also implemented its own Holy Hour initiative. “What we noticed is that most people adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament are old people.” 

“There is a lack of formation in the younger generations, and so we need to re-catechize the youth,” she said.

A youth from a Manila parish shared: “We want to grow in faith. We long to understand the beauty of the Mass and the holiness of the Eucharist. But some Masses feel more like shows than sacred moments. Reverence is replaced with entertainment or jokes. We go to Mass because we’re looking for something deeper. We’re hungry for the Word, for meaning, for reverence … I hope priests will really prepare their homilies. It may be as short as five minutes but substantial. The homily is the catechism for some and the only time to know about the faith. Some homilies bring us to ‘aha’ moments.”

Kent, a 25-year-old adorer at St. John Bosco Parish, told CNA: “I used to feel depressed and so senseless. A friend suggested to me to visit the Blessed Sacrament for even just 15 minutes a day. I thought it was an absurd proposition, but I decided to take him up on it. After a while, I started to notice the difference. I couldn’t live without it. I committed to one hour a week on my pledge card, but I started going every day. I wanted to be face to face with Jesus as much as I could. As St. John Bosco, our parish’s patron, would always say: ‘Frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament will turn ordinary men into saints!’”

Mildred, the Peruvian goddaughter of Pope Leo XIV, with then-Father Robert Prevost. / Credit: Courtesy of Mildred Camacho

ACI Prensa Staff, May 26, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

“Godfather, we love you! Long live the pope!” Mildred exclaimed as she shared her moving testimony about Father Robert Prevost, who was a young Augustinian priest in Chulucanas, Peru, when she was born and who today leads the Church as Pope Leo XIV.

Mildred, a 29-year-old Peruvian mother of two daughters and a devotee of St. John Paul II, is justifiably proud of her godfather: “I would love to tell him that I have admired him since I was little, that it’s not just a recent thing,” she said in an interview with EWTN Noticias, the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News.

The connection between the two began decades ago, when her father, Héctor Camacho, was a teenager serving as an altar boy at the cathedral in Chulucanas in the Piura district of the country. At that time, then-Father Prevost had just arrived in Peru as an Augustinian missionary, where he worked from 1985 to 1986.

“He always instilled in us the importance of believing in God, having faith, being respectful, polite, and trying to excel in life,” Camacho told EWTN News.

Some time later, Camacho moved to Trujillo to study, where he met Prevost again. The priest gave him spiritual guidance and encouraged him to do charitable work. When Prevost had to travel to the United States due to the death of his mother, Camacho asked his permission to name his daughter Mildred after her. Later, he also asked him to be her godfather.

The baptism took place at St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Chulucanas, and it forever marked Mildred’s life. Although she doesn’t have that many memories because they didn’t see each other much, her godfather’s teachings and example were always present.

She treasures the messages that then-Father Prevost sent her by email. She also remembers that whenever she attended a Mass or event where he was present, her godfather always made time to greet her family.

The last time she saw him was on her birthday, Aug. 10, 2024, when as Cardinal Prevost he returned to Chulucanas to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the diocese. On that occasion, he let her know that it might be many years before they would be able to communicate. 

“What he always told me was: ‘Live with joy, live happily.’ And I always remember him saying: ‘Keep me in your prayers, as I keep you in mine,’” Mildred recalled.

About her godfather, she said: “He always told us that faith isn’t just about going to Mass but about living with charity, loving one’s neighbor, and being a light for others. He always inspired me to have hope and not give up in the face of difficulties.”

Mildred dreams of seeing her godfather again. If Pope Leo XIV comes to Peru, she is willing to camp on the street where he passes by just to be able to see him up close, hug him, and say: “Godfather, we love you!”

Where the young missionary lived

In Chulucanas, Prevost lived at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, where he slept in a small, humble room. A servant of God, Father Juan Magnif, an Augustinian who lived to the age of 85 and won the affection of the people for his charity, also lived at this same parish.

According to the Andina news agency, Magnif was the only American Augustinian Fidel Castro allowed to remain in Cuba after the revolution. Now, a mausoleum is being built next to the parish where his remains will rest, which will be transported from the United States.

Pope Leo XIV could be the one to declare him blessed.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.