Wisdom Wednesday | October 1st

Welcome to our weekly search for wisdom in the tangled up world of faith, culture and politics. The World Day of Migrants and Refugees for 2025 will be observed on October 4 and 5 with the theme “Migrants, Missionaries of Hope,” according to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. According to the Pentagon, U.S. generals should prepare for war. And also examined today, prayer at the Pentagon.

Remember when you had to pick, CBS or NBC news? One of every five Americans today get news from Tik Tok.

‘Migrants, missionaries of hope’

This is a special year, as the World Day of Migrants and Refugees event will coincide with the Jubilee for Migrants and the Missionary World and will be celebrated over two days instead of its usual last Sunday in September. According to Vatican News, the theme was chosen by Pope Francis and highlights the courage and resilience of migrants.

Archbishop, sisters denounce assault of migrants

The archbishop of Washington on Sunday focused on the government’s actions that kept many in his flock from attending the event, following reports of catechists and ministers detained on their way to Sunday Mass and other church activities. National Catholic Reporter says Cardinal Robert McElroy wasted no time pointing out that this year’s World Day for Migrants and Refugees is not like the others — at least not in the U.S.

An immigrant’s identity mistaken

Yakima’s bishop urges the federal government to release a misidentified immigrant. “There’s an enormous amount of fear among our immigrant communities,” said Bishop Joseph Tyson, who told National Catholic Reporter that local Spanish-speaking Catholics have been focused on the immigration enforcement issue.

Faith groups supporting immigrants

Religion News Service reports on a woman who came to her ICE check-in backed by an Episcopal bishop and 500 supporters. As immigrants increasingly fear detention at ICE check-ins, many faith groups have doubled down on accompaniment strategies to support them at those appointments.

U.S. military told to ‘prepare for war’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a rare meeting of the most senior military leadership in the U.S. that they must “prepare for war.” “From this moment forward, the only mission of the newly restored Department of War is this: Warfighting,” Hegseth said in his speech, as reported by Newsweek. “Not because we want war. No one here wants war. But it’s because we love peace.”

Pentagon worship services test Constitution

Defense Secretary Hegseth tests Constitution in Pentagon worship. Under his leadership, the Department of Defense has shared at least three faith-themed videos, according to the National Catholic Reporter.

Justice Bulletin Board

“If good work is expected of the servant in today’s gospel, why should a disciple of Jesus think faithful loving service is not the way to follow the master teacher? Continuing even further, if we are truly made in the image of God, shouldn’t we be love to the world?” Questions from Barbara Molinari Quinby, as she examines the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

Education, conservatism and patriotism

The Oklahoma leader who wants a Trump Bible in every classroom and who commanded all students to pray for the president now wants to use the power of the state to establish Turning Point USA chapters in all 451 public high schools. Baptist News Global describes Turning Point USA not only as a politically partisan organization but also infused with far-right evangelical theology.

The U.S. Department of Education has formed an America 250 Civics Education Coalition with 41 conservative groups in preparation for the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary next July 4. Baptist News Global reports an Education Department spokesman could not explain why the coalition chose only conservative groups, rather than making the anniversary nonpartisan or bipartisan.

An additional 14 Texas public school systems are being sued to stop them from installing classroom Ten Commandments displays mandated by the state. A coalition of civil rights groups filed a federal complaint Sept. 22.

Shooting at LDS Church in Michigan

The horrific event prompted Catholic Solidarity, prayers. The attack came one day after the death of LDS Church President Russell M. Nelson on Saturday, Sept. 27, at age 101 in Salt Lake City. The story from National Catholic Register.

Death penalty in DC

President Donald Trump has signed a memorandum reimplementing the death penalty in the District of Columbia, and the administration said it also will begin pushing capital punishment nationwide. From Baptist News Global.

Faith and the environment

Catholic and other faith-based organizations submitted nearly 10,000 comments opposing the Trump administration’s attempt to revoke the bedrock environmental policy underpinning federal regulations on polluting emissions that drive climate change and harm human health. From National Catholic Reporter.

Next Steps for Nature

An invitation from the AUSCP Creation Care working group: “This month we celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4) whose love of nature inspired Pope Francis in his work Laudato Si’. One of the easiest ways to help nature is planting native plants where you can. Join us October 16 at 6 p.m. CT for a webinar, Next Steps for Nature with Doug Tallamy. It is free and open to all. Learn more about the webinar speaker HERE and Register HERE.

God, Government and the Algorithm

Religion News Service offers an invitation to a symposium. “Today, religion and politics intersect in everyday life, including education, immigration and the social safety net. Meanwhile, algorithm-driven feeds shape what people see and which voices are heard. This is the backdrop for our upcoming symposium: “God, Government and the Algorithm: The New Rules of Belief and Power.” Register for full livestream of the event, to be held October 22.

Where do you get your news?

One in five Americans now regularly get news on TikTok, up sharply from 2020, according to Pew Research.

In a fragmented media environment with seemingly endless sources of information to choose from, Americans’ news habits have changed dramatically in the 21st century. Pew Research offers a fact sheet looking at the platforms Americans turn to for news, including patterns and trends.

For Hindus and others: No charges, but enduring marks from media. While the federal probe into a Hindu temple construction is closed, years of intense media scrutiny following a very public raid on the temple grounds leave critical questions about government overreach when targeting minority faiths. From Religion News Service.

‘I still say DEI’

Baptist News Global features a doctor who explains why DEI is good medicine. “I am a doctor at a large academic medical center. For more than a decade, I have practiced primary care and fostered the professional development of hundreds of medical trainees. I also mentor, teach, evaluate and help lead training programs.”

Pope Leo acknowledges African Roots

The pope’s comments came in July during an interview with Elise Ann Allen, released recently alongside a Spanish edition of her new biography of Leo. Editor Nate Tinner-Williams reports from Black Catholic Messenger.

Turmoil over plan to honor Senator Durbin

The meetings of two groups of Illinois Catholic leaders chaired by Cardinal Blase Cupich were postponed indefinitely after a lay leader requested that the decision to honor a pro-abortion-rights senator be discussed. “At the heart of the consistent ethic of life is the recognition that Catholic teaching on life and dignity cannot be reduced to a single issue, even an issue as important as abortion,” Cupich wrote in a Sept. 22 statement, noting Durbin’s record on immigration, care for creation, and other social-justice issues. From the National Catholic Register.

Church (and government) leaders observe Chinese Catholic anniversary

Chinese Catholics marked the 400th anniversary with calligraphy and painting. UCAN News reports the jubilee event was jointly celebrated with China’s National Day in the presence of government officials. China’s National Day on Oct. 1 celebrates Mao Zedong’s formal proclamation establishing the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Korean Catholics and others oppose abortion

Catholic Church officials in South Korea have launched a nationwide 40-day prayer campaign to oppose proposed changes to the country’s abortion law, including the legalization of abortion pills and the removal of existing restrictions. The Church, along with Protestant groups and parts of the medical community.

Diocesan news

New York Supreme Court tosses lawsuit against Buffalo Diocese over bankruptcy payments. Some parishioners had argued that the diocese should await the Vatican’s ruling on a diocesan merger plan before requiring the parishes to pay the highest-level payment rate into the settlement. From the National Catholic Register.

Bishop Michael Martin of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, said the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) must cease at four parishes and will be only be permitted at one chapel beginning Oct. 2. The bishop said the chapel is “not a parish, nor is it a parish-like community being formed for those who desire to celebrate the TLM.” From the National Catholic Register.

Commentaries

Celibacy and its discontents. It’s not sex but clerical power that is at stake, says Jesuit Father Myron J. Pereira of Mumbai, in On Second Thoughts, a column published by UCA News. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.

Cardinal Dolan, can an unrepentant racist really be a saint? Daryl Grigsby, writing at Black Catholic Messenger, reacts to the prominent Catholic prelate’s likening of the late Charlie Kirk, an unabashed racist Republican, to St. Paul the Apostle. “Even a cursory listen of his various public comments reveals a disdain for Black Americans that is, frankly, stunning. The same holds true for LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, women, and anyone who is not a White American male.”

In appreciation of the Psalms Recently I reread the Psalms, says Brian Bantum at the Christian Century. “As I read I felt myself swinging with the writers from lament to anger to praise and back again. From pleading to hope, from doubt to confession. I started to simply read through the Psalms back to back. . . . I could feel the turbulence of the world that gave birth to these songs.”

‘Pet ministry’ “Theology wasn’t at the top of their minds when they started the pet ministry almost two decades ago,” said the co-author of a new book. Baptist News Global says the authors think that the “sense of family” [with pets] offers churches a prime opportunity to reach people and bring compassionate care to them and their animals. At the same time, New Tricks makes a strong case that caring for pets makes humans better people by becoming more attentive to caring for God’s creation.

Catholic high school boys ‘Got Talent’

A Catholic high school boys’ choir from Chicago made it to the top five on the season finale of “America’s Got Talent” Sept. 24, prompting a message of pride and encouragement from Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich. From National Catholic Reporter.