Welcome to Wisdom Wednesday, in August a month of remembrances and a time for the Church to teach the dangers of nuclear weapons. Archbishop Wester is honored as the 2026 Teacher of Peace by Pax Christi USA.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Each year, we remember the horrific events of August 6 and August 9, 1945, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only time nuclear weapons have been used against human targets. From Pax Christi USA 2025.
Archbishop Wester: Teacher of Peace
Pax Christi USA recognizes Archbishop John Wester with its 2026 Teacher of Peace award. He “has used his teaching office to remind the Church that the danger of nuclear weapons is still real and something that Christians should resist,” said Lexington Bishop John Stowe.
A wide spectrum of notable people, religious, scientists, people with political resumes are among people congratulating Archbishop Wester, according to Independent Catholic News.
‘Slaves and slave owners’
Pope Leo XIV speaks on his genealogy in new interview. Leo more fully acknowledged his family history in response to a question about his connection to the U.S. as the first American Pope. From Black Catholic Messenger.
Medjugorje damaged
Authorities in Bosnia recently investigated the desecration of a Virgin Mary statue and a shrine damaged by fire overnight in a southern Bosnian village, a popular destination for Roman Catholic pilgrims. From the Associated Press.
Church school to be restored
A $5 million gift from former Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer will help restore Detroit’s historic St. Cecilia Catholic School and gymnasium into a long-planned youth center, local nonprofit SAY Detroit has announced. From Black Catholic Messenger.
Zoning for mosque different than for church?
In Oklahoma, Broken Arrow mosque leaders sue over alleged discrimination, reports Religion News Service. “They did not want Muslims here, so they made up a reason, and in doing so, they violated the law,” said Meghan Murphy, an attorney with CAIR’s Legal Defense Fund.
Expanding Islam education
As anti-Muslim bigotry rises, Connecticut’s new provision to expand education on Arab and Islamic studies attempts to quell the tide. From Religion News Service.
A ‘post-evangelical’ church expands
Led by Zach Lambert, Restore church is part of a small but growing countertrend. Religion News Service reports the story of Mariah and Michaela Montgomery-Lindsay who moved more than 150 miles from Houston to Austin with three cats and two dogs in tow, it wasn’t for a job or family, but for church.
Faith leaders condemn ICE deaths
“This isn’t a peacekeeping initiative — this is a terror campaign,” describes ICE according to a report from Religion News Service. A news conference inside the state Capitol brought together about two dozen leaders from the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, the South Central Conference of the United Church of Christ, the National Council of Jewish Women and other faith-related groups.
A war-fighter’s error
Pete Hegseth continues to apply Isaiah 6:8 to US warfare, according to Baptist News Global. Jewish and Christian clergy, scholars and laity quickly pointed out the theological error of Hegseth’s application of words written by the prophet Isaiah.
World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly
The 2026 theme is from Scripture: “I will never forget you” (Isaiah 49:15). In his message for the sixth celebration of the day, Pope Leo XIV reminded Catholics that this promise should shape how all treat the older adults in their lives. National Catholic Reporter has the details of the mid-September event.
Catholic Scouts change name
In June, the National Catholic Committee on Scouting announced it has a new name: Catholic Scouting America. While the original name will remain the same for legal purposes, the new public name is meant to both clarify and strengthen the organization’s 100-plus-year commitment to faith, family and adventure. From National Catholic Reporter.
No funeral Mass eulogies in Springfield Diocese
Illinois bishop bars family eulogies, same-day vigils under new funeral policies. National Catholic Reporter notes that “any words of remembrance have to be submitted for approval three days prior to the funeral Mass and they can only be read by a priest or deacon.”
Pope Leo ‘trying to hold the church together’
So says the new leader of US Franciscans. From National Catholic Reporter.
New director at UND McGrath Institute
Joseph Capizzi, former dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at The Catholic University of America, was appointed the new director of the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame effective July 1, succeeding theologian John Cavadini after his 25-year tenure. From National Catholic Reporter.
The Napa Institute
COMMENTARY in the National Catholic Register: “The Most Important Event of the Year”: Inside the 2026 Napa Institute Summer Conference. The article promises “Some of the most pivotal moments during this year’s summer event.”
COMMENTARY in the National Catholic Register last year: “Bowling Nuns, Eucharistic Procession, and Catholic Actors: Top 5 Moments From Napa 2025!” Plus 17 bishops including Cardinal Raymond Burke, the annual conference did not disappoint!
Cupich: Synodality is like dancing
In a reflection for Vatican Media, Cardinal Blase Joseph Cupich draws on the traditional Croatian kolo dance as an image of the Church’s synodal journey. He says the Church is called to move from individual performance to collective harmony by listening to the “divine melody” that guides its life and mission.
Where is the Democratic Party headed?
Michael Sean Winters, for National Catholic Reporter, offers Catholic commentary on the Michigan Senate primary. (The primary was Tuesday, results may come today.)
Texas includes religious texts in schools
COMMENTARY from National Catholic Register: If public schools expose students to Scripture as one of the foundational texts of Western civilization, Catholic families should welcome the chance to build on that foundation.
Migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border
Independent Catholic News finds Catholics expanding support for migrants at US-Mexico border.
Do I have to go to Mass on vacation?
It might be the wrong question. From National Catholic Reporter.
PETITION: ‘Safeguarding the Human Person’
The Saint Meinrad Class of 1967 recently launched an advocacy petition inspired by Pope Leo’s Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence, reports Bob Stewart, a friend of the AUSCP. You can read the full text of the petition and sign it if you agree. Put Human Dignity and Democracy at the Center of Artificial Intelligence.
Asking the EPA
Catholic groups urge EPA to halt actions that devalue human life, God’s creation. The story from National Catholic Reporter.
Justice Bulletin Board
Barbara Molinari Quinby reflects on a poem and a verse from Psalm 85 for this 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time: “Justice shall walk before him, and prepare the way of his steps.”
Black holes and supernovas
One kind of pastor collapses everything into themself. The other expands until they forget where they started. Which one are you? COMMENTARY from the Christian Century.
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