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Peter Jesserer Smith, national news editor of OSV News, catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com. 

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com. 

Stories included in this episode:

• Pope Leo XIV thanked priests for their dedication while urging them to share leadership with laypeople, saying collaboration is essential for sustaining ministry and unity in today’s Church.
• Jesuit priests, seminarians and lay volunteers recovered the remains of two women migrants during a desert search near the U.S.-Mexico border, highlighting the deadly risks of migration.
• Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski said welcoming immigrants is a divine command rooted in Scripture, calling the Church to move beyond politics and stand in moral solidarity with migrants.
• Bishop Michael T. Martin introduced new Communion norms in the Diocese of Charlotte, emphasizing the Eucharist as a communal act of worship that fosters unity and active participation.
• A Franciscan-inspired community is seeking support to establish a house for the poor in Greccio, the birthplace of the Nativity scene, as mounting debt threatens its mission.

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com. 

Stories included in this episode:

• Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa says Gaza’s small Christian community is longing to rebuild ordinary life after two years of war, even as the situation remains fragile ahead of Christmas.
• All students kidnapped from St. Mary’s Catholic School in northwestern Nigeria have been freed just days before Christmas, bringing relief to families and the local Church after a monthlong ordeal.
• Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś was installed as archbishop of Kraków, telling the faithful he “doesn’t make sense” without them and pledging a listening, synodal approach to leadership.
• FOCUS founder Curtis Martin announced he is stepping down as CEO but will remain actively involved in the organization’s mission while supporting interim CEO Tim Thoman.
• As children gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV asked them to pray before their Nativity scenes this Christmas, especially for peace for children around the world.

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com. 

• Following his conviction under Hong Kong’s national security law, Jimmy Lai’s daughter says her father remains sustained by Catholic faith while she urges international leaders to press for his release.
• Nearly 50 Planned Parenthood clinics closed in 2025 after the organization lost access to Medicaid and Title X funding following a federal appeals court ruling tied to President Donald Trump’s legislation.
• As Christmas approaches, Catholic leaders and mental health experts are offering strategies to address what has been called an epidemic of loneliness in the United States, especially during the holidays.
• A new symposium in Houston will mark the 30th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s “Letter to Women,” examining Catholic teaching on women, gender, and modern society.
• Ahead of Christmas, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa visited Gaza City’s Holy Family Parish to offer prayers, encouragement, and hope to Christians enduring ongoing hardship.

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com. 

In this episode:

• In his message for World Peace Day, Pope Leo XIV warned that confrontational politics and increased military spending are fueling instability and urged people to protect and cultivate even the smallest signs of peace and hope.
• New York’s Catholic bishops said they are “extraordinarily troubled” by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to sign legislation legalizing physician-assisted suicide, arguing it abandons vulnerable people and undermines suicide prevention efforts.
• Pope Leo XIV accepted Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s resignation as archbishop of New York and appointed Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks of Joliet, Illinois, as his successor.
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced proposed regulations that would prohibit hospitals from providing certain gender transition surgeries and hormonal treatments to minors as a condition of Medicare and Medicaid participation.
• As Christmas approaches, the story behind “Silent Night” highlights how the beloved carol was born in hardship in 1818 Austria, with its message of quiet hope emerging from war, poverty, and uncertainty.

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com. 

In this episode:

• Amid a fragile ceasefire and ongoing hardship in Gaza, Caritas Jerusalem launched a “Christmas of Hope” campaign to offer humanitarian aid, spiritual support, and signs of hope to Christian communities across the Holy Land.
• U.S. bishops say the Catholic American Bible, set to replace the New American Bible Revised Edition in 2027, offers greater accuracy and deeper engagement with Scripture while remaining pastorally accessible.
• Catholic bishops in Illinois are supporting a lawsuit challenging a state law that requires pro-life pregnancy centers to refer women for abortions, arguing it violates religious conscience and free speech protections.
• Cardinal Christophe Pierre praised Haitian Catholics for their perseverance in faith and devotion to Mary during a pilgrimage in Washington, acknowledging ongoing violence, poverty, and instability affecting Haiti and its people.
• Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza, a practicing Catholic, described winning the Heisman Trophy as an honor “bigger than me,” thanking God, his family, and his community in an emotional acceptance speech.

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com. 

In this episode:

• Fifty French Catholics who were martyred while serving deported workers during World War II were beatified in a Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris Dec. 13, honoring their witness and sacrifice.
• A Pew Research Center report finds most Americans who leave their childhood religion do so by age 30, with former Catholics citing loss of belief, unmet spiritual needs and other factors for departing the Church. 
• The Little Sisters of the Poor have appealed an August ruling that struck down a religious conscience rule exempting employers with moral objections from providing contraceptive coverage in employee health plans.  
• A year-end report from the Death Penalty Information Center shows a significant rise in U.S. executions in 2025, largely due to a high number carried out in Florida even as new death sentences remain rare.
• Pope Leo XIV attended a Christmas concert at a Castel Gandolfo school, thanking children and teachers for their songs and reflecting on how they shared love and joy through their music.

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com. 

In this episode:

• A deadly terror attack on Jews celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach prompted Pope Leo XIV and Sydney’s archbishop to condemn antisemitic violence and call for unity and prayer.
• A Catholic bishop in Rhode Island offered prayers and support after a shooting at Brown University left two students dead and nine others wounded during final exams.
• Hong Kong pro-democracy Catholic media tycoon Jimmy Lai was convicted under the national security law in a trial critics called a political “farce,” drawing international concern for press and religious freedom.
• Belarusian Catholic Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski said his unexpected release from prison felt like a miracle from God, even as many political prisoners remain behind bars.
• Pope Leo XIV said the Christmas creche and tree are powerful signs of faith and hope and urged people to pray for peace and to eliminate hatred from their hearts.

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Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for Dec. 12, 2025. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

Thanks for listening! Let us know what you think. God bless!

Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for Dec. 11, 2025. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.