St. Mary's Church / Iglesia Santa María

Browsing News Entries

Browsing News Entries

Presidente de EWTN España: Lo más razonable es creer que Jesucristo sea Dios 

José Carlos González-Hurtado, presidente de EWTN España, publica en España “Las evidencias científicas de que Jesús es Dios”, tras el éxito de su primer libro 

¿Por qué la Iglesia Católica prohíbe el “matrimonio gay”?

La Iglesia Católica ha seguido afirmando la definición de matrimonio como la unión exclusiva entre un hombre y una mujer. ¿Por qué?

León XIV pide a las parroquias una liturgia “sobria en su solemnidad” con atención a la piedad popular

León XIV también pidió a las parroquias que inviertan en la formación litúrgica, sobre todo de los lectores.

Elecciones en Chile: Jara se impuso sobre Kast con leve ventaja e irán a segunda vuelta

Jeannette Jara, postulante del Partido Comunista, resultó ganadora de las elecciones generales de este domingo en Chile con el 26,8% de los votos, y se medirá en segunda vuelta con José Antonio Kast, del Partido Republicano, quien obtuvo el 23,9%. 

La protección de los menores, un tema que el Papa lleva “muy dentro del corazón”

El Santo Padre afirmó que los esfuerzos por construir comunidades donde la dignidad de los menores y de los más vulnerables sea protegida y promovida, es un tema que lleva “muy dentro del corazón”.

Papa León XIV: Estamos llamados a defender la dignidad en todas las etapas de la vida

El Papa afirmó que “estamos llamados a defender activamente la inequívoca dignidad de todo ser humano, en todas las etapas y facetas de su existencia”, algo que “lamentablemente” no siempre es real.

El Papa lamenta que haya espacios donde el Evangelio esté “distorsionado por intereses particulares”

León XIV mantuvo este lunes en el Vaticano una audiencia con la Federación Bíblica Católica

Santa Isabel de Hungría, ejemplo de valentía y caridad radical para la sociedad actual

Este 17 de noviembre se celebra a Santa Isabel de Hungría, princesa del siglo XIII que vio el rostro de Cristo en los más necesitados, hizo de la caridad su baluarte y del Evangelio su forma de vida.

Bishops discuss faith formation before National Catholic Youth Conference

Organizers of Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming digital dialogue with young people Nov. 21 at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis speak to the media at the site of the United States Catholic Bishops’ Conference Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore on Nov. 12, 2025. Left to right: Cardinal Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States; Montse Alvarado, president and COO of EWTN News; Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez, Archdiocese of Philadelphia; Christina Lamas, executive director of National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry; and Archbishop Charles Thompson, Archdiocese of Indianapolis. / Credit: Shannon Mullen/National Catholic Register

Baltimore, Maryland, Nov 17, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Bishops discussed young Catholics’ place in the Church ahead of the National Catholic Youth Conference.

At the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, bishops spoke about the young generation as many prepare to attend NCYC. The conference will take place Nov. 20–22 in Indianapolis for prayer, community, evangelization, and service among Catholic teenagers.

During NCYC, Pope Leo XIV will hold a digital dialogue with teens from across the nation. “When the pope speaks, he speaks to the world, and this will be a wonderful, wonderful moment. This encounter will engage young people in real time,” said Archbishop Nelson Pérez of Philadelphia. 

At a Nov. 12 press conference at the USCCB fall plenary, Pérez said “there is a deep significance to this encounter.” He added: “It reflects the Holy Father’s desire to connect with young people, with our youth, whom his predecessor … Pope Francis, called ‘the now of God.’”

Pérez said during his time as a priest and bishop, he has noticed teenagers “want a place in the Church.” He said: “They want to be seen, heard, and valued, which is so beautiful ... They want to be loved by the Church.”

“Even in today’s interconnected world, the Church can seem far away from young people. The Holy Father’s choice to encounter the American youth ... is an expression of his closeness to the youth of the world.”

“This moment will mark a powerful opportunity for young people to witness the beauty of the universal Church with our Holy Father and to express their concerns, voices, experience, [and] what’s in their hearts,” Pérez said.

Bishop Joseph Espaillat, auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of New York, has attended NCYC more than a dozen times. He told CNA “the energy and the vibrancy of the young people” is why he returns each year.

“It’s not just the local parish or the local diocese, but it’s the national Church and there’s something powerful when we come together,” Espaillat said.

​This year’s event is “the first time ever the Holy Father has a live online interview like this,” at NCYC, Espaillat said. “What I love about it is that the Church in the United States is leading right now. The young people being the focus with our Holy Father is going to be great, and it’s going to produce a lot of positive energy in our Church.”

Espaillat encouraged attendees “to be open and allow yourself to be surprised by the Holy Spirit.” He added: “Don’t go in with a preconceived notion. It is a great event in which there are many, many fruits. I’ve seen young people just come to life at the event.”

Youth draw closer to the Church

As thousands of teenagers plan to gather at the national conference, U.S. bishops further explained why so many young Catholics are looking to the Church. A number of bishops highlighted the Catholic presence on social media is helping to draw them in.

Bishop William Byrne of Springfield, Massachusetts, told CNA the exponential growth of young Catholics coming to the Church is “amazing and exciting.” Byrne, who served as chair for the USCCB’s committee on communications, detailed how much its online presence has grown its outreach to the young generation and wider population. 

“Beginning with the illness of our beloved Pope Francis, through the funeral, and then the transition to Pope Leo, we’ve actually had a 226% growth in our social media on the four platforms we use — TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube,” he said.

“The amazing thing is, it’s still growing. It means that people are seeing it, sharing it,” Byrne said. He specifically noted it’s the “young people” spreading the message online. 

“So we see that we are reaching people,” Byrne said. “But our goal is not to get people locked on their phones. Our goal is to get people locked on Jesus Christ and have the impression be Jesus Christ and his bride, the Church.”

“This is an exciting time. It’s not without its challenges, but it’s also a wonderful opportunity,” Byrne said. “We’re reaching young people who are curious and hungry. It’s so exciting to see the Church continue to speak to the world, because the Church has never lost her relevance.”

The start of the Catholic online presence followed the movement of the new atheists, Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, said. He told CNA the movement was made up of “people who were really shaping the culture, saying: ‘There’s no purpose of life. We come from nowhere. We go nowhere. There’s no objective moral value.’”

“A lot of people, myself included, began to get on social media with a religious voice,” Barron said. “People who had not heard a religious voice or who were disaffiliated … could find people like me and many others who were actually talking about God and about religion.”

“But I think as a whole generation came of age, they realized what a desperately sad and empty message that is,” Barron said. “There’s this hunger in the heart for God, and so that just reasserts itself. I think a lot of younger people who were raised on this very vapid philosophy began to look to religion.”

As more young Catholics get involved in youth formation whether in their parishes or at larger gatherings like NCYC, Barron said he encourages them to use the opportunities to “build community and build a sense of family with other believers.”

Barron, who is the founder of the Catholic media organization Word on Fire, has gained nearly 3 million YouTube subscribers and millions of other followers across social media platforms. But, he said, “one drawback of social media is that it’s a little private world. It can be a lot of people accessing it, but privately.”

“Maybe through social media an individual finds a path to religion, but then to look around a room and see thousands of other people that are on a similar path — that’s a great thing,” Barron said.

La caricia de Robert Prevost a las familias de inmigrantes venezolanos cuando era obispo de Chiclayo

Su familia, como miles de venezolanos, llegó a Chiclayo “con una mano delante y otra detrás”, pero Mons. Prevost les ayudó en todo lo que pudo