Students attend a postcard writing party hosted by St. Carol Coston fellows Chase Tuller and Anthony Miranda at John Carroll University in Cleveland, October 2026. (Courtesy of Chase Tuller and Anthony Miranda)

'A lot more fire': Students at Catholic colleges find new energy before midterms

News

As the midterms approach, young organizers at six Catholic universities around the U.S. described a tension, ranging from deep anxiety about the country's direction to a growing desire to participate.

The Latest

Voting is a sacred right and duty, no matter where you live

Thomas Reese, Religion News Service

Amid mixed Pew findings, youngest adults outpace parents' generation in worship attendance

Kathryn Post, Religion News Service

Election cycle will influence when pope heads to US, top Vatican diplomat says

Carol Glatz, OSV News

Editors' Choice

In Focus

Voting is a sacred right and duty, no matter where you live

If you do not live in a competitive district, the temptation is to stay home and not vote.

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#1
Priest in Ecuador, 53, struck and killed by falling crucifix during Mass

A priest in Ecuador was struck and killed by a falling crucifix while celebrating Mass, a tragedy captured during a livestream of the service on Oct. 17.

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#2
White House names 12 bishops who prayed with Trump, defends president's record

The White House identified the 12 Catholic bishops who met and prayed with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office less than two weeks before the midterm elections, while defending his record with Catholic Americans.

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Archbishop Jeffrey Grob concelebrates Mass with the presbyterate during his installation as the 12th archbishop of the Milwaukee Archdiocese Jan. 14, 2025. (OSV News/Catholic Herald/Andy Gilicinski)

#3
Milwaukee archbishop who prayed with Trump apologizes, says bishops were 'manipulated'

Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob expressed "sincere regret" for participating in what he said was "a political photo opportunity" orchestrated by the White House.

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#4
Ahead of elections, White House shares video of Catholic bishops praying over Trump

#5
Editorial: Bishops' prayer for Trump may have been sincere. For Trump, it was pure politics.

#6
Catholic groups raise alarm about DOJ guidance on institutionalizing persons with disabilities

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Podcast: 'Action is the antidote to a sense of helplessness,' says anti-nuclear leader

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On this week's episode of "The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast," John Dear hosts Melissa Parke, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

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Many today are looking to Pope Leo's Magnifica Humanitas for ethical guidance and hope in a world increasingly saturated with AI. That same document can offer guidance and hope for humanity's new ventures into space. 

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Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Vatican foreign minister, speaks during a news conference at the Vatican, on Jan. 18, 2024. (CNS/Lola Gomez)

Election cycle will influence when pope heads to US, top Vatican diplomat says

The first U.S.-born pope is very much looking forward to eventually visiting his native country even as he prepares to head to Latin America — his seventh papal trip abroad after his election a year and a half ago, the Vatican foreign minister said.

Pope Leo to offer 12 public Masses in November, including in a Rome cemetery

Pope Leo XIV will celebrate 12 public Masses during the month of November, starting with an All Souls' Day Mass at Rome's largest cemetery. The Vatican released the pope's liturgical calendar Oct. 27, one day after doctors confirmed he is fit to undertake his Nov. 6-17 journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.

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Ahead of Rome tipoff, basketball powerhouse Villanova embraces 'Pope Leo effect'

At Villanova University, all roads — or at least many of them — seem to lead to Rome, thanks to famed alumnus Pope Leo XIV and the school's growing ties to the Vatican. Even its vaunted basketball program is getting in on the act.

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Pope Leo's doctors confirm his visit to Latin America two weeks after lung surgery

Two weeks after Pope Leo XIV's surgery for lung cancer, his doctor confirmed he can fly to South America according to the previously released schedule, with Uruguay, Argentina and Peru planned as stops for his Nov. 6-17 trip, the longest trip of the pontificate so far.

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The people who participated in the Sept. 26 walk in San Francisco Angulo, El Salvador, called for the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals, ecology and the environment. (Lissette Lemus)

Catholic sisters protest environmental threats near El Salvador's mega-prison

At event tied to Season of Creation, Catholic sisters and Franciscan friars in El Salvador support a rural community fighting water contamination and a landfill near CECOT, which can hold up to 40,000 inmates. 

At Cadillac Mountain, a missing Wabanaki marker and the fight over what national parks should tell

Some of the signs removed from Acadia were developed over years of partnerships with organizations including Friends of Acadia, the Schoodic Institute and the Native Plant Trust — with consultation from citizens of the Wabanaki Nations.

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In praise of a wild, unfettered God

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Attacks on the National Park Service are just tip of the iceberg of ecological sins, and a specifically Catholic issue.

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Franciscan friar Sidival Fila’s "Senza Titolo 14 serie SINDONI" summons the spirit of his order with its subtle ecological message. The artwork is featured in the "ART CUT: Exercises in Empathy: Accompaniment" exhibition on display at the Burns Library at Boston College through November 15. (Michael Centore)

Catholic Universities Art Triennial exhibit brings imaginative empathy to Boston

The exhibition "ART CUT: Exercises in Empathy: Accompaniment" on display at Boston College through Nov. 15 is part of the international Catholic Universities Art Triennial.

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In a new documentary produced in collaboration with the Vatican, actor Chris Pratt and Pope Leo XIV venture into the secret catacombs under St. Peter’s Basilica, exploring how the long-lost remains of the first apostle were found.

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The people who participated in the Sept. 26 walk in San Francisco Angulo, El Salvador, called for the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals, ecology and the environment. (Lissette Lemus)

Catholic sisters protest environmental threats near El Salvador's mega-prison

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For years, Sr. Caroline Ngatia, a member of Assumption Sisters of Eldoret, has been transforming the lives of street children as the director of Dorothea Rescue Centre.

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Sometimes you find yourself in a situation that turns into a more significant moment than you ever expected. Sr. Nancy Sylvester recalls her exchange with the vice president at a town hall, and what happened next.

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