St. Mary's Church

CNA Staff, Dec 5, 2025 / 11:37 am (CNA).

EWTN Studios in partnership with Catholic actor and director David Henrie announced Dec. 3 the upcoming premiere of “Seeking Beauty,” a first-of-its-kind adventure documentary series that explores culture, architecture, food, art, and music, and aims to point viewers to the beautiful — and ultimately to the divine.

Set to debut on EWTN+ on Jan. 19, 2026, the series follows Henrie’s journey into the heart of Italy to explore what makes Italian culture one of the most beautiful in the world. It not only looks at the physical beauty of the country but also its spiritual richness.

According to a press release, Henrie, best known for his role as Justin Russo in Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place,” said: “We wanted an experience for viewers, so we flipped the format on its head. We have someone who’s not an expert — which is me — inviting the audience to go on a journey. We go all over Italy, and we meet with locals, artists, experts, and I’m sitting down asking questions that maybe you at home would want to ask... I was blown away; hopefully, you’ll be blown away, too, because we had some beautiful experiences.”

From the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to quaint restoration workshops where the masterpieces of Caravaggio and Michaelangelo are studied, the series weaves adventure with spiritual insight.

In an interview with EWTN News President Montse Alvarado conducted earlier this year, Henrie shared that a moment that stood out to him while filming the series was watching an old Caravaggio painting be restored. He recalled being shown by artists doing the restoration some of the mistakes made in the painting that are only noticeable up close. Henrie called this experience “humanizing.”

“When you think of great artists before you, they’re almost so high that it’s like unreachable … and to get to see their works up close with a restorer was so cool to go, ‘Oh, this person was human. He completely painted over what he did. There was something he tried that didn’t work at all,’” he said. “That was really cool to me to learn how human these artists were and that they were struggling with the same things that I struggle with, just in a different medium.”

The actor emphasized that the common theme throughout the series is “that beauty has a capital B — that beauty is ultimately the language of the divine and a reflection of God.”

The series is produced by EWTN Studios, Digital Continent, and Henrie’s Novo Inspire Studios.

“David Henrie’s passion for storytelling that honors the good, the true, and the beautiful aligns perfectly with EWTN’s legacy of innovative Catholic media,” Peter Gagnon, president of EWTN Studios, said in the press release. “Through ‘Seeking Beauty’ on EWTN+, we’re not just entertaining, we’re inspiring transformation, one breathtaking discovery at a time.”

Henrie’s production company, Novo Inspire Studios, aims to create entertaining, timeless, and meaningful content that the whole family can enjoy. The company’s work was recently nominated by the Television Critics Association Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Family Programming, which Henrie called a “massive honor.”

EWTN Studios was recently launched by EWTN as part of its new organizational restructuring, continuing the media organization’s legacy of creating impactful content in the Catholic sphere in a way that reflects the changing nature of media and evolving technologies.

Season 2 of “Seeking Beauty” recently finished filming in Spain.

Exclusive trailers and behind-the-scenes glimpses are available here. The series will stream exclusively on EWTN+, EWTN’s brand-new dynamic digital platform offering premium faith-inspired content anytime, anywhere.

Ante la sexta edición del Concierto con los Pobres, una tradición instaurada por el Papa Francisco que se celebra cada Navidad en el Vaticano, León XIV recordó que la música “ha tenido siempre un papel importante en la experiencia cristiana”.

Unos 450 nadadores ya se encuentran inscritos para participar este lunes 8 de diciembre de la Peregrinación a Nado con la imagen de Nuestra Señora del Rosario de San Nicolás. 

Los obispos españoles han negado que haya un acuerdo entre la Iglesia Católica y el Estado para eliminar la asignatura alternativa a Religión en el Bachillerato 

Diversos colectivos católicos de Quito (Ecuador) convocaron para el miércoles 3 de diciembre un acto público de reparación en la Plaza Grande, frente al Municipio, luego de la presentación de una obra teatral drag en la antigua capilla del Museo de la Ciudad, un espacio que, aunque desacralizado desde 1998, conserva símbolos e identidad cristiana.

La Catedral de Notre Dame de París anunció que, a partir de este 5 de diciembre, la Corona de Espinas, una de las reliquias más veneradas de la Pasión de Cristo, será presentada en ostensión todos los viernes de 3:00 a 6:30 p.m.

El Papa León XIV reflexionó sobre los desafíos de la inteligencia artificial y propuso diversos objetivos para que contribuya al bien común y no sólo al poder y la riqueza de unos pocos.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 5, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:

Pope Leo sends surprise video message to Australian Catholic youth festival 

Pope Leo XIV sent a surprise video message to thousands of young Catholics at the Australian Catholic Youth Festival on Nov. 30, urging them to turn to God, “especially through prayer and the sacraments. That’s where you’ll hear your Heavenly Father’s voice most clearly.”

The papal message — played during the opening plenary at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre — drew cheers from young Catholics who gathered from around the country under the 2025 Jubilee theme “Pilgrims of Hope.” The three-day event, held Nov. 30–Dec. 2, opened with a five-kilometer (three-mile) pilgrimage walk from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Participants accompanied the World Youth Day Cross and Icon through the city streets to the convention center.

“Our lives find their ultimate purpose in becoming who God made us to be, by living out his will," Leo said. He reminded pilgrims of the words of Pope Benedict XVI: “You are not the result of a random process. Each of you is willed, each of you is loved, each of you is necessary.”

Holy See Permanent Observer Mission to U.N. calls for end of Ukraine war ‘right now’

The Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the U.N. called for the end of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine immediately during a Dec. 3 emergency session. 

Monsignor Robert Murphy, chargé d’affaires, said the war in Ukraine must halt “not at some undefined moment in the future, but right now.” Murphy emphasized the need for both sides of the conflict to bring about the return of children to their families and urged all nations represented in the assembly interested in ending the war “to reject passivity and provide tangible support for any initiative that could lead to genuine negotiations and lasting peace.”

Bishops praise ‘historic decision’ to end child marriage in west Pakistan province

The western province of Balochistan in Pakistan has passed a law criminalizing child marriages, eliciting praise from Catholic bishops in the region. 

The 2025 Law on the Restriction of Child Marriage in Balochistan penalizes adults who facilitate arranged marriages for minors under the age of 18, repealing a previous law that set the minimum age for girls to be married at 14 years old. Bishop Samson Shukardin, OFM, of Hyderabad and president of the Pakistan Bishops’ Conference, called the new law “a historic decision to protect children and an important step toward strengthening the rights of minors,” according to a Fides report on Monday. 

The bishop further expressed gratitude to lawmakers for passing the law, noting that “the Church promotes the fundamental rights of every human being, especially those of girls,” adding: “Early marriage deprives them of their education, their health, and their self-confidence.” 

Sri Lankan cardinal urges Catholics to join emergency response amid natural disaster

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith is urging Catholics to join emergency response efforts across Sri Lanka as the country recovers from Cyclone Ditwah, the worst natural disaster in its history.

“We request our priests, religious, brothers, sisters, and lay leaders to work together with all the societies and organizations to provide relief to the people who are helpless at this moment,” Ranjith said in a statement, according to UCA News. 

Bishop Jude N. Silva of the Diocese of Badulla, one of the “worst affected,” according to UCA, instructed all priests to cancel Masses and programs “until the situation improved.” Caritas Sri Lanka has led the emergency response, according to AsiaNews.  

European bishops talk Catholic-Muslim relations at three-day meeting on Nostra Aetate

The Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe discussed Catholic-Muslim dialogue at a three-day conference titled “Nostra Aetate, 60 Years On: Perspectives on Catholic-Muslim Dialogue.”

The meeting took place in Augsburg, Germany, and included “over 30 participants, representatives of European Bishops’ Conferences, theologians, and witnesses from 20 European countries,” according to a press release from the council.

In his keynote address, Cardinal Michael Louis Fitzgerald reflected on ways Nostra Aetate may frame encounters where interreligious dialogue takes place, the release said, noting that “the three days of the meeting were characterized by a wide-ranging exchange in the plenary conversations as well as beautiful liturgies celebrated in the churches of St. Moritz, St. Peter in Perlach, and the Basilica of Sts. Ulrich and Afra.” 

Capuchin Friars in Sumatra welcome those displaced by severe flooding

Capuchin Friars in the Sibolga province of Indonesia welcomed those displaced by flooding in the country due to Cyclone Senyar, according to Fides. 

“The worst is over, but the emergency continues. Floods and landslides have swept away entire villages. Many people are homeless. Rescue teams are now trying to reach the displaced: for some it is possible, for others it is not, because the areas remain isolated,” said Provincial Superior of the Capuchin Friars in Sibolga Friar Yoseph Norbert Sinaga. The cyclone has affected 1.5 million people and displaced more than 570,000, according to the report.

Archdiocese of Raipur, India, completes historic Eucharistic pilgrimage

The Archdiocese of Raipur in India has concluded a historic Eucharistic yatra, or pilgrimage, covering 1,655 miles across 72 parishes. 

The Eucharistic yatra lasted 14 days, with pilgrims traveling through 19 civil districts of the Central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, stopping in each parish for an hour of Eucharistic adoration, according to a Catholic Connect report. Participants in the yatra used a vehicle that was converted into a mobile chapel donated by the Mid India Province of the SCSC Sisters.

La Fundación Contemplare impulsa por tercer año un mercadillo de productos elaborados por conventos de clausura bajo el sello de calidad espiritual “Made in prayer”. 

En la lista de las películas favoritas del Papa León XIV figura La vida es bella, dirigida por el italiano Roberto Benigni, con quien se reunió en la tarde de este jueves en el Vaticano.