We Are Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish

CNA Staff, May 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Teresa Rodriguez was working as a hospice nurse, seeing patients at a memory care facility, when she realized that her patients were not being offered any spiritual services. While speaking with a patient and the patient’s husband one day, the idea was proposed of organizing a time to pray the rosary. Rodriguez immediately decided to make that happen.

“That day I talked to the activities director … and she was thrilled. [She was] so excited that we would even consider coming in and praying with the residents,” Rodriguez told CNA in an interview. 

At the time, Rodriguez was leading a Bible study at her parish, Sacred Heart of Mary in Boulder, Colorado. She asked the women in her Bible study if anyone would be willing to volunteer to pray the rosary with patients at a memory care facility. Two of them volunteered to go with her. 

The event was quickly a success. What started as a once-a-week event quickly became twice a week, and then three times. Rodriguez placed bulletin announcements in the surrounding parishes and was able to gather more volunteers. This marked the beginning of what is now known as the Rosary Team, which started in 2019 and today is made up of over 500 volunteers in 18 states.

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rosary Team held Zoom rosaries that were broadcast throughout the facilities. Once they began to reopen, Rodriguez reached back out to facilities to see if they could hold in-person rosaries again and, much to her surprise, there was even more excitement about having individuals come in to pray the rosary with the residents. 

Over the years, Rodriguez has had a plethora of moving experiences with residents at the memory care facilities. 

“One that really got to me was I was praying with one resident and she said to me after we were done praying, ‘That’s the first Hail Mary I’ve prayed in 45 years,’” Rodriguez recalled. 

She added that at times they encounter residents who can’t speak or can only say very few words, “then, all of the sudden, we start praying the rosary with them and they say out loud the prayers of the rosary.”

Melanie McClanahan, a Rosary Team volunteer, said her time volunteering with the ministry “has been a miracle in my life and I see how it is a miracle in the lives of others. I have watched people heal, including myself; I have seen family members come together, and I have watched people who weren’t sure about their beliefs grow in their love of Jesus and their devotion to our Blessed Mother.”

When asked why it’s so important to do work like this with the elderly and memory-impaired, Rodriguez said: “The elderly are quiet and we don’t see them a lot — due to their health issues and their mobility — and they can be easily forgotten, especially when they’re in facilities, when they’re not out at our parishes, not in our neighborhoods, or in the grocery stores. They’re such an easy group to forget and we don’t want to forget them.”

“This is a pro-life issue in pro-life ministry, that we need to take care of people from conception to natural death, and this is a part of caring for them and, you know, acknowledging them, and giving them love,” she added.

Rodriguez said she hopes that both volunteers and residents are being impacted by this ministry and that “the faith and love for God grows through the Rosary Team, and through the volunteers and the residents praying together.”

In his official inauguration in office, Pope Leo XIV said his “first great desire” is for a united Church, “a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.”

Within the Christian tradition, there are three principal ways to pray. Each of these ways are umbrellas that cover vast and diverse forms and types of prayer.

Our Editorial Director reflects on Pope Leo XIV’s call for the Church to be a leaven of unity and love in the midst of the restlessness and questions of our world.

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Pope Leo XIV appeals for peace in war-torn parts of the world, praying for people suffering because of war, especially in Gaza, Myanmar, and Ukraine.

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Pope Leo XIV presides at the Mass of Inauguration of his Petrine Ministry in Saint Peter’s Square, and invites the Church to walk together along the path of God's love and remain united in one family.

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Washington D.C., May 17, 2025 / 17:30 pm (CNA).

The Catholic Information Center (CIC) on Saturday held its third annual Eucharistic procession through Washington, D.C., in which more than 1,000 participants processed through the downtown area with the Blessed Sacrament. 

Father Charles Trullols, the director of the CIC, told CNA the day was “perfect.”

The event kicked off with a Mass at CIC’s chapel. The group of attendees was so large that it could not fit inside the chapel itself, sending people to watch the Mass on a screen outside where they were eventually brought Communion. 

The procession began after Mass and was led by the crossbearer, candle-bearers, religious sisters, and young children who recently received their first holy Communion and who laid rose petals ahead of the Eucharist.

Trullols carried the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance and held it high for the crowd to witness and follow. A choir, priests, and laypeople followed behind through the downtown area.

As the group walked, attendees said prayers and sang hymns. Some bystanders joined in and others kneeled as the procession passed by.

Gerard McNair-Lewis, a development associate at CIC, noted that the event is held during May, “the month of Mary.” 

“What better way to celebrate Mary than to honor her son’s Eucharistic presence?” he said.

The group processed down K Street. The Eucharist in the procession was “the closest tabernacle to the White House,” McNair-Lewis said. It’s “a great testament that religious things happen in our nation’s capital.”

Throughout the procession the group stopped at different locations to kneel before the Blessed Sacrament and hear the Gospel. At one stop, Monsignor Charles Pope spoke outside the Veterans Affairs office.

Pope praised veterans and the military, pointing out that “many put their lives on the line so that others can live in greater security and freedom.” He said these individuals “imitate Jesus, who lays down his life so we can live eternally.”

Krista Anderson, an attendee from Virgina, told CNA that her husband Michael Simpson was a staff sergeant for the United States Army who was killed in Afghanistan. 

She felt the moment to honor veterans was a message from God.

Craig Carter flew into Washington for a work trip and “happened to see [the procession].” 

A Protestant, Carter said God “wanted me to come to D.C. early just to pray.” He joined the procession, he said, because God “has been working on [his] heart.” 

Lydia Vaccaro, a young attendee from Virgina, told CNA that “adoration has always been super special to me in my Catholic faith. So, it brought me here.”

“It’s a beautiful witness,” attendee Hannah Hermann said.

“I like being in front of processions like this, where you’re out and people see,” Hermann said. “I’ve heard conversion stories from people who witness a procession."

“The procession was beautiful,” Trullols told CNA after the event concluded. “Every year it is getting better.”

“We know how to do it better and it’s growing — the quantity of people, the attention, and also the way we organize the liturgy and the music,” Trullols said.

CNA Staff, May 17, 2025 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

Thousands of the faithful took to the streets of Rome on Saturday to take part in elaborate and beautiful processions by members of Catholic confraternities from around the world who gathered in the Eternal City as part of the 2025 Jubilee festivities.

A confraternity is a voluntary association of the faithful devoted to special works of Christian charity. Many date back hundreds of years.

The Saturday processions were held to mark the Jubilee of Confraternities. Two processions total marched through the Roman streets and ended at the Circus Maximus.

Vatican City, May 17, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are among numerous international leaders and dignitaries, representing approximately 200 foreign delegations, who will attend Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass at the Vatican on Sunday, May 18. 

The global leaders and representatives who will be present in St. Peter’s Square for the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass include: 

Americas

JD Vance, vice president of the United States

Marco Rubio, U.S. secretary of state of the United States

Mark Carney, prime minister of Canada

Rodney Williams, governor general of Antigua and Barbuda

Teresa Susana Subieta Serrano, ambassador of Bolivia to the Holy See

Javier Milei, president of Argentina

Joseph Curry, ambassador of the Bahamas to the Holy See

Milton Inniss, ambassador of Barbados to the Holy See

Geraldo Alckmin, vice president of Brazil 

Manuel José Ossandón, president of the senate of Chile

Gustavo Petro, president of Colombia

Arnoldo André Tinoco, minister for foreign affairs and worship of Costa Rica

Salvador Valdés Mesa, vice president of Cuba

Raquel Peña Rodríguez, vice president of the Dominican Republic

Félix Ulloa, vice president of El Salvador

Daniel Noboa, president of Ecuador

Alrich Nicolas, representative of Haiti

Alfredo Vásquez Rivera, ambassador of Guatemala to the Holy See

Rebeca Ráquel Obando, president of the supreme court of justice of Honduras

Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez, interior minister of Mexico

Maurizio Gelli, concurrent ambassador of Nicaragua to the United Kingdom

Javier Martínez-Acha, minister of foreign affairs of Panama

Santiago Peña, president of Paraguay

Dina Boluarte, president of Peru

Matteo Forconi, honorary consul of St. Kitts and Nevis in Florence

Gilbert Chaguory, ambassador of St. Lucia to the Holy See

Ruediger Ackermann, honorary consul of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to Germany

Colin Connelly, ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago to Belgium and the European Union  

Ricardo Duarte Vargas, charge d'affaires of Uruguay to the Holy See

Carmen Meléndez Rivas, mayor of Caracas, Venezuela

Europe

Bajram Begaj, president of Albania

Patrice Faure, representative of the Co-Prince of Andorra Emmanuel Macron 

Xavier Zamora, prime minister of Andorra

Vahagn Khachaturyan, president of Armenia

Christian Stocker, chancellor of Austria

Sahiba Gafarova, president speaker of Azerbaijan

Ihar Sierhiejenka, president speaker of Belarus

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium

Borjana Krišto, chairwoman of the council of ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Rosen Zhelyazkov, prime minister of Bulgaria

Andrej Plenković, prime minister of Croatia

Constantinos Kombos, minister of foreign affairs of Cyprus

Marek Výborný, minister of agriculture of the Czech Republic

Susanne Shine, ambassador of Denmark to Belgium, Luxembourg and Vatican State 

Lauri Hussar, president speaker of Estonia

Anders Adlercreutz, minister of education of Finland

François Bayrou, prime minister of France

Mikheil Kavelashvili, president of Georgia

Friedrich Merz, federal chancellor of Germany

Julia Klöckner, president of the Bundestag, Germany

Sofia Zacharaki, minister of education and religious affairs of Greece

Tamás Sulyok, president of Hungary

Einar Gunnarsson, ambassador and permanent representative of Iceland in Geneva

Michael Higgins, president of Ireland

Vjosa Osmani, president of Kosovo 

Evika Siliņa, prime minister of Latvia

Prince Alois of Liechtenstein 

Brigitte Haas, prime minister of Liechtenstein

Gitanas Nausėda, president of Lithuania

Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg 

Luc Frieden, prime minister of Luxembourg

Robert Abela, prime minister of Malta

Prince Albert II of Monaco

Milojko Spajić, prime minister of Montenegro

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands 

Dick Schoof, prime minister of the Netherlands

Kjersti Rødsmoen, ambassador of Norway to Holy See

Andrzej Duda, president of Poland

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, president of Portugal

Mircea Abrudean, acting president of the senate of Romania

Olga Lyubimova, minister of culture of Russia

Denise Bronzetti, captain regent of San Marino

Đuro Macut, prime minister of Serbia

Peter Pellegrini, president of Slovakia

Robert Golob, prime minister of Slovenia

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain

María Jesús Montero, vice president of Spain 

Princess Victoria of Sweden

Jakob Forssmed, minister for health and social affairs of Sweden

Karin Keller-Sutter, president of Switzerland

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, to represent King Charles of the United Kingdom

Angela Rayner, deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine

Nuriddin Ismoilov, president speaker of Uzbekistan  

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission

Middle East and North Africa

Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, prime minister of Bahrain

Ahmed Fouad Hano, minister of culture of Egypt

Reza Salehi-Amiri, minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts of Iran

Saywan Barzani, ambassador of Iraq to Italy

Isaac Herzog, president of Israel

Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan

Nasser Sanhat Alqahtani, ambassador of Kuwait to Italy

Joseph Aoun, president of Lebanon

Aziz Akhannouch, prime minister of Morocco

Benvinda Levy, prime minister of Mozambique

Sayyid Nazar Al Julanda Majid Alsaid, ambassador of Oman to Italy  

Mahmood bin Hamad Al Hasani, ambassador of Oman to the Holy See

Ramzi Khoury, minister of religious affairs of Palestine

Varsen Aghabekian, minister of state for foreign affairs of Palestine

Issa Kassissieh, ambassador of Palestine to the Holy See

Asma Naji Al-Amri, ambassador of Qatar to the Holy See

Prince Faisal bin Sattam bin Abdulaziz, ambassador of Saudi Arabia in Italy

Adel al-Jubeir, minister of state for foreign affairs of Saudi Arabia

Louay Fallouh, ambassador of Syria to the Holy See

Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, minister of culture and tourism of Turkey

Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, United Arab Emirates

Africa

Barthélémy Kéré, president of the constitutional council of Burkina Faso 

Prosper Bazombanza, vice president of Burundi 

Paul Atanga Nji, minister of territorial administration of Cameroon

Janine Lélis, minister of defence of Cape Verde

Ahmad Makaila, ambassador of Chad to the Holy See

Rrigobert Itoua, ambassador of Congo to the Holy See

Patrick Jérôme Achi, minister of state of Côte d'Ivoire

Joaquín Mbana Nchama, ambassador of Equatorial Guinea to the Holy See

Russell Dlamini, prime minister of Eswatini

Brice Oligui Nguema, president of Gabon

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, member of the parliament of Ghana

Yvette Sylla, ambassador of Madagascar to United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Patrick Gervais Assirvaden, minister of energy and public utilities of Mauritius 

Betty Cherwon, ambassador of Kenya to France, Portugal, Serbia, Holy See and Monaco

Lucia Witbooi, vice president of Namibia

Bola Tinubu, president of Nigeria

Jean-Baptiste Tine, interior minister of Senegal

Sylvestre Radegonde, minister for foreign affairs of Seychelles

Nosipho Nausca-Jean Jezile ambassador of South Africa to Italy

Monday Semaya Kumba, minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation of South Sudan

Salah Mohamed Ishag Rahama, charge d'affaires of Sudan to the Holy See

Hassani Iddi Mwamweta, ambassador of Tanzania to the Holy See

Faure Gnassingbé, president of the council of ministers of Togo

Thomas Tayebwa, deputy speaker of parliament of Uganda

Macenje Mazoka, ambassador of Zambia to the Holy See

Constantino Chiwenga, vice president of Zimbabwe

Asia-Pacific 

Anthony Albanese, prime minister of Australia 

Tareq Md Ariful Islam, ambassador of Bangladesh to the United Nations

Harivansh Narayan Singh, deputy chairman of upper house of parliament of India

Muhaimin Iskandar, minister of community empowerment of Indonesia

Tarō Asō, member of the house of representatives of Japan

Hendy Anak Assan, ambassador of Malaysia to the Holy See

Gerelmaa Davaasuren, ambassador of Mongolia to the Holy See

Hmway Hmway Khyne, ambassador of Myanmar to Italy

Tara Morton, ambassador of New Zealand to Andorra, Malta, Morocco and the Holy See

Yusuf Raza Gilani, chairman of the senate of Pakistan

Myla Grace Ragenia Macahilig, ambassador of the Philippines to the Holy See

Edwin Tong, minister for culture, community and youth of Singapore

Yoo In-chon, minister of culture, sports and tourism of South Korea

Oh Hyun-joo, ambassador of South Korea to the Holy See 

Chen Chien-jen, former vice president and ex-premier of Taiwan, to represent president Lai Ching-te of Taiwan (China)

Theerarat Samrejvanich, deputy minister of interior of Thailand

Maria Fernanda Lay, member of the national parliament of Timor-Leste

Bernard Leclerc, ambassador of Vanuatu to Israel and Russia

Duong Hai Hung, ambassador of Vietnam to Italy

CNA Staff, May 17, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

For Catholic students in the United States, the election of Pope Leo XIV as the first American pope on May 8 filled them with excitement and hope.

Or, as one student put it: “Everyone just freaked out.”

Catholic middle school students attending the Diocese of Arlington’s annual BASH event held at Bishop O’Connell Catholic High School shared memories of the day with Roselle Reyes, news correspondent for “EWTN News In Depth.”

Bahkita Karenge, a Catholic school student in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, remembered the excitement of finding out during the school day. Students were “screaming,” “jumping and laughing,” and giving hugs.

“It was so beautiful because at that moment, it didn’t really matter which sport you played or which friend group you were in or which trend you were following,” Karenge reflected.

“Everyone was just a young Catholic kid, and everyone was excited that we have a new leader.”

Karenge remembered how “everyone joined in” singing the national anthem together after they found out. 

“America represents a lot of different people coming together, so I think [Pope Leo XIV will] really try to make everyone’s voice across the world feel heard, and I think that’s good as a new pope,” Karenge added.

Hopes for ‘revival’ 

Students shared their hopes for what Pope Leo XIV will bring to the world. 

Arlington Catholic student Benjamin Lee observed that Leo is known “from a lot of places around the world” and said he hopes this will “attract” more people to Catholicism. 

The pope grew up in Chicago and spent about a dozen years as a missionary in Peru and has dual citizenship. 

“I hope that more people will become Catholic through that, knowing that he is the first American pope,” Lee said. 

“He’s also Peruvian,” said Catholic student Alison de River. “I’m Peruvian, too, so it makes me really happy.” 

Another student, Andreas Millradt, said he hopes Pope Leo XIV will bring about a “revival.” 

“I hope Pope Leo XIV will bring a new revival to the U.S. to help everyone come to Jesus, learn who he is and what he can do for us,” Millradt said. 

One Catholic school student, Patrick Aogauer, expressed hope that an American pope will show the universality of the Church. 

“I really hope that his new papacy will expand the Catholic Church and show Americans that, yes, it’s universal,” he said. 

‘A frenzy’

Students recounted how special it was to experience such a historical moment with their classmates. 

Millradt remembered that “everyone just freaked out” when they learned the new pope was Cardinal Robert Prevost from the U.S.  

“Everyone went into a frenzy,” Millradt said. “It was incredible.”

“I feel really proud that we have our first American pope, and that it feels like we’re all united,” Millradt continued.

As they were watching the conclave, Millradt said his classmates discussed how they’ve never had an American pope.

“I feel like it was such a blessing being able to see this, such a historical moment and share it with all my schoolmates,” he added. 

Jennifer Meszaros, a local Catholic who attends Our Lady of the Blue Ridge Parish, reflected on how Pope Leo gives young Catholics a deeper connection to the Vatican. 

“I think it brings the Vatican closer to these kids, gives them something tangible, and they can relate to,” Meszaros said. 

“Chicago, they know that,” she continued. “He plays tennis, they play tennis.”

For her part, Meszaros said she hopes the new pope will bring “youth movement back to the Church, which we desperately need for the future of our Church.” 

Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, reflected on the “enthusiasm” from young people reacting to the new announcement. 

“There is a real excitement because it represents that the Lord has spoken to us,” Burbidge said. 

He “gave us a new shepherd,” Burbidge continued. “I think young people are responding well to that.”