News and Press

LAKE CHARLES — Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana distributed more than 1,500 turkeys throughout the month of November to registered food distribution clients across the region. This annual effort ensured that area families facing food insecurity were able to enjoy a traditional holiday meal.

At the request of His Excellency, Bishop Glen John Provost, the Diocese of Lake Charles will join together in praying a Nine-Day Novena to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. The purpose of the novena is to pray for the selection of our next bishop.

Upcoming events around the Diocese of Lake Charles and beyond:   

December 2025 Prayer Intentions of Pope Leo XIV and Bishop Glen John Provost:

(USCCB News Archives can be accessed at www.usccb.org/news/) 

December 1, 2025
Pope Leo XIV Appoints Bishop Mario Aviles to lead Diocese of Corpus Christi
WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Most Reverend W. Michael Mulvey, 76, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, and has appointed Most Reverend Mario A. Avilés, CO, currently auxiliary bishop of Brownsville, as his successor.

The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on December 1, 2025, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

The Diocese of Corpus Christi is comprised of 10,951 square miles in the State of Texas and has a total population of 582,684, of which 209,726, are Catholic.

December 1, 2025
Bishops Grant More Than $7.5 Million to Strengthen Catholic Home Missions
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions convened this fall to review grant requests for the 2025-2026 year. The subcommittee awarded more than $7.8 million in grants for 69 dioceses and eparchies. These grants are made possible through the generosity of the Catholic faithful to the Catholic Home Missions Appeal, an annual collection taken in many U.S. dioceses.

Home mission dioceses and Eastern Catholic eparchies are found across the United States and its territories, many in regions with small Catholic populations in rural areas affected by economic hardship. Grants from the subcommittee help mission dioceses here in the U.S. support parish and diocesan operations, as well as ministries of evangelization, catechesis, and healing that grow and strengthen the Church.

“When parishioners contribute to the Catholic Home Missions Appeal, they bring faith, hope and love where it is most needed, regardless the amount of their gift. Their gifts have a profound, positive impact on Catholics who face poverty or the isolation of being a small, minority faith,” said Bishop Chad Zielinski of New Ulm, chairman of the Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions.

Among the recipients:

• The Diocese of Rapid City’s Standing Rock Reservation Ministry conducts home visitation and parish faith formation activities led by three Franciscan sisters and a priest who serve members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The ministry team cares for about 500 Catholics at four parishes on the 2.3 million acre reservation, while offering accompaniment and social support to 8,000 other residents of all faiths.
• The Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, received a grant for its Office of Deliverance Ministry to provide spiritual and emotional care for those who experience spiritual wounds and oppression by sin. This ministry receives more than 100 visits a month from people seeking spiritual liberation and healing through prayers of deliverance and the sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick.
• The Syro-Malankara Eparchy of St. Mary Queen of Peace traces its roots to the missionary work of St. Thomas the Apostle in India, but its 24 priests serve about 11,000 parishioners across the United States. Although the eparchy (the term for an Eastern Catholic diocese) has no paid lay staff, the grant empowers a wide range of ministry, including a youth summer camp, retreats, family conventions and vocational discernment.

“These stories reveal the wide range of spiritual and financial needs that the Catholic Home Missions Appeal addresses,” Bishop Zielinski said. “Parishioners in mission dioceses already give sacrificially from their limited means. My prayer is that their example of faith will inspire the rest of us dig deeper to help our neighbors carry out the mission that Jesus has entrusted to us.”

For more information on Catholic Home Missions, please see: https://www.usccb.org/committees/catholic-home-missions

November 19, 2025
Nationwide Prayer Vigil for Life Planned January 22-23
WASHINGTON – Catholics across the country are encouraged to observe a nationwide prayer vigil from Thursday, January 22 to Friday, January 23, 2026, to pray for an end to abortion and a greater respect for all human life in post-Roe America. “Together, we must pray to change hearts and build a culture of life as we advocate for the most vulnerable. I look forward to opening our Vigil with Holy Mass together with many other bishops, hundreds of priests, consecrated religious, seminarians, and many thousands of pilgrims,” said Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

The National Prayer Vigil for Life is hosted each January by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Pro-Life Secretariat, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and The Catholic University of America’s Office of Campus Ministry. This year, the opening of the National Prayer Vigil for Life will take place on January 22, the anniversary date of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide in 1973.

In 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade. Since the Dobbs decision, abortion policy is now determined at the state and federal levels. Some states have increased access to abortion and others are working to ensure stronger policies to protect preborn children and their mothers.

The Opening Mass of the National Prayer Vigil for Life will take place at 5:00 p.m. in the Great Upper Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, January 22. Bishop Thomas will be the principal celebrant and homilist for the Opening Mass. At 7:00 p.m., following the Opening Mass, a National Holy Hour for Life will take place in the Crypt Church (lower level) of the Basilica, which will include Recitation of the Rosary and Benediction. The nationwide vigil concludes on Friday, January 23 in the Great Upper Church with the 8:00 AM Closing Mass celebrated by Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM, Cap., archbishop emeritus of Boston.

Pre-registration is required for clergy and seminarians. For more information about on-site attendance at the Basilica for the National Prayer Vigil for Life, please visit the event page at https://www.nationalshrine.org/event/2026-national-prayer-vigil-for-life/.

The live television broadcasts on January 22 for the 5:00 pm Opening Mass and the January 23 Closing Mass at 8:00 a.m. will be provided by the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) and will be available via livestream on the Basilica’s website at www.nationalshrine.org/mass.

For those who cannot come to Washington, Catholics across the country are invited to unite in prayer during the nationwide vigil through local diocesan prayer efforts such as special Masses and holy hours taking place during January 22-23. Additionally, thousands of Catholics are signing up for the national pro-life novena, 9 Days for Life, which will take place from January 16-24, 2026.

November 13, 2025
U.S. Bishops Elect Conference Secretary and Committee Chairmen at Fall Plenary Assembly
BALTIMORE — At the plenary assembly in Baltimore on Wednesday, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) elected Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend as Conference Secretary. They also elected chairmen of six standing Conference committees. Bishop Rhoades will assume the office of secretary immediately upon conclusion of the plenary today, as he is filling the vacancy that results from Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, who had been serving as USCCB secretary, being elected as USCCB president.

• Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne South Bend was elected as USCCB secretary and chairman of the Committee on Priorities and Plans in a 126-95 vote over Archbishop James F. Checchio, coadjutor of New Orleans. Bishop Rhoades fills the vacancy created with the election of Archbishop Coakley as Conference president. Bishop Rhoades assumed his new position at the conclusion of this year’s plenary assembly and will serve as secretary through November 2027, at which time he will be eligible for re-election.

• Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, as chairman-elect of the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance in a 113-108 vote over Bishop Edward M. Lohse of the Diocese of Kalamazoo.

• Bishop Peter L. Smith, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, as chairman-elect of the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs in a 139-83 vote over Bishop Daniel J. Felton of the Diocese of Duluth.

• Bishop William A. Wack, CSC, of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, as chairman-elect of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis in a 116-106 vote over Bishop Earl K. Fernandes of the Diocese of Columbus.

• Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, as chairman-elect of the Committee on International Justice and Peace in a 154-68 vote over Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

• Bishop Mark O’Connell, bishop-designate of the Diocese of Albany, as chairman-elect of the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People in a 116-106 vote over Bishop John P. Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix.

• Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon and Bishop Michael J. Sis of the Diocese of San Angelo tied for a vote with 111-111 for chairman of the Committee for Religious Liberty. Bishop Sis withdrew his name and Archbishop Sample was named the chairman. Bishop Rhoades had been serving as chairman of the religious liberty committee, but was elected as Conference secretary, creating a vacancy in the committee chairmanship. Therefore, Archbishop Sample assumes the chairmanship on Thursday, and his term runs through November 2029.

November 12, 2025
U.S. Bishops Issue a “Special Message” on Immigration
BALTIMORE — As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) gathered for their Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, the bishops issued a Special Message addressing their concern for the evolving situation impacting immigrants in the United States. It marked the first time in twelve years the USCCB invoked this particularly urgent way of speaking as a body of bishops. The last one issued in 2013 was in response to the federal government’s contraceptive mandate.

Under the regulations pertaining to statements and publications of the Conference, a “Special Message” may only be issued at plenary assemblies, and they are statements which the President of the Conference, the Administrative Committee, or the general membership consider to be appropriate in view of the circumstances at the time. To show the consensus of the body, a Special Message must receive two-thirds of the Conference members present and voting at the plenary in order to pass. In a vote of 216 votes in favor, 5 votes against, and 3 abstentions, the bishops overwhelmingly approved the Special Message, with sustained applause of the body following the vote.

The full text of the bishops’ Special Pastoral Message follows:

As pastors, we the bishops of the United States are bound to our people by ties of communion and compassion in Our Lord Jesus Christ. We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement. We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care. We lament that some immigrants in the United States have arbitrarily lost their legal status. We are troubled by threats against the sanctity of houses of worship and the special nature of hospitals and schools. We are grieved when we meet parents who fear being detained when taking their children to school and when we try to console family members who have already been separated from their loved ones.

Despite obstacles and prejudices, generations of immigrants have made enormous contributions to the well-being of our nation. We as Catholic bishops love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity. For this very reason, we feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity.

Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants. We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of good will work together.

We recognize that nations have a responsibility to regulate their borders and establish a just and orderly immigration system for the sake of the common good. Without such processes, immigrants face the risk of trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Safe and legal pathways serve as an antidote to such risks.

The Church’s teaching rests on the foundational concern for the human person, as created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). As pastors, we look to Sacred Scripture and the example of the Lord Himself, where we find the wisdom of God’s compassion. The priority of the Lord, as the Prophets remind us, is for those who are most vulnerable: the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger (Zechariah 7:10). In the Lord Jesus, we see the One who became poor for our sake (2 Corinthians 8:9), we see the Good Samaritan who lifts us from the dust (Luke 10:30–37), and we see the One who is found in the least of these (Matthew 25). The Church’s concern for neighbor and our concern here for immigrants is a response to the Lord’s command to love as He has loved us (John 13:34).

To our immigrant brothers and sisters, we stand with you in your suffering, since, when one member suffers, all suffer (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:26). You are not alone!

We note with gratitude that so many of our clergy, consecrated religious, and lay faithful already accompany and assist immigrants in meeting their basic human needs. We urge all people of good will to continue and expand such efforts.

We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement. We pray that the Lord may guide the leaders of our nation, and we are grateful for past and present opportunities to dialogue with public and elected officials. In this dialogue, we will continue to advocate for meaningful immigration reform.

As disciples of the Lord, we remain men and women of hope, and hope does not disappoint! (cf. Romans 5:5)

May the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe enfold us all in her maternal and loving care and draw us ever closer to the heart of Christ.

November 11, 2025
U.S. Bishops Affirm Advancement of Cause for Sainthood of Father Richard M. Thomas, SJ
BALTIMORE — At their November Plenary Assembly, the bishops of the United States held a canonical consultation on a possible cause of beatification and canonization for Reverend Richard M. Thomas, a priest of the Society of Jesus. Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, and Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces, facilitated the discussion by the bishops. With 206 votes in favor, 4 votes against, and 1 abstention, the bishops affirmed their support for the advancement of the cause of beatification and canonization on the diocesan level.

The following brief biography of Father Richard Thomas, SJ, was drawn from information provided by the Diocese of Las Cruces:

Richard Thomas was born on March 1, 1928, in Seffner, Florida. He was educated in Catholic schools and graduated from Jesuit High School in Tampa. He entered the Jesuit order in 1945, and was ordained to the priesthood in San Francisco, California in 1958. In 1964, he was assigned to lead Our Lady’s Youth Center in El Paso, Texas, a ministry to the poor in south El Paso. He expanded the reach of Our Lady’s Youth Center to New Mexico and across the border to areas of Juarez, Mexico.

On Christmas Day in 1972, prompted after reading Luke 14:12-14 where Jesus tells his followers to invite the poor – not their rich friends – to dine, Father Thomas invited a prayer group from El Paso to join him in serving dinner to the poor who lived and worked at a garbage dump in Juarez, Mexico. While Father Thomas and his group only took enough food to feed 150 people, more than 300 people came to dinner and each was served a full meal. With leftovers that were donated to three orphanages after the dinner, the group later realized that the Lord had multiplied the food; the event prompted the group to not only return to the garbage dump on a regular basis, but also led them to advocate for better income for the trash pickers, and start additional ministries to the poor such as food banks, a prisoner outreach program, a medical and dental clinic, and student scholarship assistance. It is said that while Father Thomas believed in miracles such as what happened at the Christmas dinner in 1972, he did not assign them a central place in his work or his message; instead, he chose to see them as ways that God would occasionally intervene to encourage and guide Christians to do His will. Father Thomas considered it the duty of every Christian to share with the poor and preached on Catholic social teaching and living out the Gospel values taught by Christ.

As a gifted preacher and teacher, Father Thomas was a sought-after speaker and gave talks at conferences, seminars, and workshops around the world, and had a special charism in mobilizing lay people to get involved in the Church and in helping the poor in their local area. Father Thomas lived the virtue of fortitude heroically, having the courage of his convictions and courageously facing the opposition that arose as he did what he felt God was calling him to do. He also lived the virtue of justice in an extraordinary way. Working for a just society and championing people who were victims of inequality or oppression was an ever-present emphasis of his ministry. In trying to live a just life and work for justice for others, Father Thomas lived an ascetic lifestyle, profoundly exemplifying the virtue of temperance: he slept on an army cot or on the floor, lived without heating or cooling in the houses or cars he used, wore his clothes until they were threadbare, and gave away many things of his that the poor needed.

Father Richard Thomas died on May 8, 2006, in Las Cruces, after several years of declining health including a battle with cancer. He was laid to rest in the Jesuit plot of Concordia Cemetery in El Paso and leaves behind a legacy of a strong commitment to social justice and an unwavering obedience to God's word.

November 11, 2025
U.S. Bishops Elect New President, Vice President
BALTIMORE — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is meeting in Baltimore November 10-13 for their plenary assembly. On Tuesday, November 11, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, was elected as Conference president, and Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville was elected as Conference vice president. They succeed Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, the Archbishop for the Military Services, USA, and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, who are concluding their terms as Conference president and vice president, respectively.

The president and vice president were elected from a slate of 10 nominees. Archbishop Coakley was elected president with 128-109 votes over Bishop Flores in a runoff on the third ballot. In the vote for vice president, Bishop Flores was elected vice president on the first ballot from the remaining nine candidates. Both bishops will assume their respective new offices for a three-year term after the adjournment of the plenary assembly on Thursday.

Archbishop Coakley currently serves as Conference secretary, a position he has held since 2022 when he was elected to complete the term left vacant when Archbishop Broglio, who had been serving as Conference secretary was elected as president. Archbishop Coakley was then re-elected to serve a full three-year term as Conference secretary through November 2027. The bishops will vote tomorrow for a Conference secretary to complete the term that will be vacant as a result of Archbishop Coakley assuming the presidency.

Read Archbishop Coakley’s biography.

Read Bishop Flores’ biography.

June 9, 2025
Bishops Tell Congressional Leadership that AI Must Serve All of Humanity
WASHINGTON — With broad support from multiple committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), a number of bishop-chairmen have written a letter to the U.S. Congress offering ethical principles and policy recommendations on artificial intelligence. Grounded in the Church’s concern for human dignity and the common good, the letter outlines how AI development and uses should serve all of humanity.

“Artificial intelligence is rapidly shaping the future of our society,” said Bishop William D. Byrne, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Communications. “As pastors entrusted with the care of human life and dignity, we urge lawmakers to heed the call of our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, to help ensure that AI is developed with responsibility and discernment so that it may truly benefit every person.”

The bishops’ letter addresses a wide range of policy considerations, including the impact of AI on family life, labor and the economy, healthcare, education, political and civic life, warfare, energy, and the environment. The letter invites lawmakers to an ongoing dialogue about how to responsibly harness emerging technologies, in ways that uphold moral and social values.

The full text of the USCCB’s letter, Artificial Intelligence: Principles and Priorities, is available here.

June 6, 2025
U.S. Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection Releases Annual Report
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection has released the 2024 Annual Report – Findings and Recommendations on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

The report is based on the audit findings of StoneBridge Business Partners, a consulting firm which provides forensic, internal, and compliance audit services. A survey regarding allegations of abuse of minors and costs that is annually conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University is also included as a part of the report. 

This is the twenty-second such report since 2002 when the U.S. bishops established and adopted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, a comprehensive framework of procedures to address allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy and establish protocols to protect children and young people.

The 2024 report covers July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. During that period, 902 allegations were reported by 855 victims-survivors of child sexual abuse by clergy throughout 195 Catholic dioceses and eparchies that reported information. This is a decrease of 406 allegations reported in the previous audit year. Out of the 902 allegations, a total of 548, or 61%, were brought to the attention of the diocesan/eparchial representatives through an attorney, making this the principal reporting method during the 2024 audit period. Allegations made by spouses, relatives, or other representatives such as other dioceses/eparchies, religious orders, clergy members, or law enforcement officials on behalf of the victim-survivor were additional methods of reporting, totaling 118 allegations. The remaining 236 allegations were made by self-disclosure.

During the current audit period, dioceses and eparchies provided outreach and support services to 146 victim-survivors and their families who reported during this audit period. Continued support was provided to 1,434 victim-survivors and their families who reported abuse in prior audit periods. The report notes the ongoing work of the Catholic Church in continuing the call to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults. In 2024, the Church conducted 2,237,906 background checks on clergy, employees, and volunteers. In addition, in 2024, over 2.2 million adults and over 2.8 million children and youth were trained in how to identify the warning signs of abuse and how to report those signs. 

For the 2024 audit year, 195 of 196 dioceses/eparchies fully participated in the 2024 data collection process and one diocese did not participate. StoneBridge physically visited 48 dioceses/eparchies and utilized remote technologies to perform 22 additional remote visits to dioceses and eparchies, for a total of 70 on-site audit visits and collected data from an additional 125 others. Of the 70 dioceses/eparchies that participated in the on-site audits that took place between February and December 2024, there were four findings of non-compliance with certain aspects of the Charter involving two locations. Compliance with the Charter was determined based on implementation efforts from the date of the last audit visit through 2024.

CARA completed their data collection for the 2024 annual survey in January 2025. All but two of the 196 dioceses and eparchies of the USCCB completed the survey, for a response rate of 99%. The findings indicate that among 97 alleged perpetrators that were classified, more than four-fifths of the alleged offenders identified between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, are deceased, already removed from ministry, already laicized, or missing (84%). Another 11 priests or deacons identified during fiscal year 2024 were permanently removed from ministry during that time (11%). Four alleged offenders were temporarily removed from ministry pending investigation of the allegations (4%). One alleged offender remained in active ministry during that fiscal year pending the investigation (1%).

For the 2024 audit period, there are four findings of non-compliance with certain articles of the Charter involving one eparchy and one diocese. The Diocese of Our Lady of Deliverance Syriac Catholic Church in the USA was found to be non-compliant with Article 12 of the Charter due to the absence of a safe environment training program for minors, in addition to, failure to provide safe environment training to the majority of their volunteers. They were also found non-compliant with Article 13 of the Charter for not completing background checks for the majority of their volunteers. The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown was found non-compliant with Article 2 of the Charter due to not having a functioning Review Board throughout their audit period. The Diocese of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands did not participate in either the on-site audit or data collection process, thus no information on this location could be included in this report.

The USCCB’s Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People and the National Review Board continue to emphasize that the audit and continued application of zero-tolerance policies are two important tools in the Catholic Church’s broader commitment to create a culture of protection and healing that exceeds the requirements of the Charter. 

This most recent annual report, and all previously published annual reports, may be found on the USCCB website: https://www.usccb.org/offices/child-and-youth-protection/audits. Additional information on diocesan requirements for the protection of children and young people may be found here.

Late November through early December has evolved into the “Season of Giving” across the country with multiple entities and agencies vying for donations. Several years ago, a special second collection was created to encourage parishioners to engage in this seasonal spirit of giving to support specific vital endeavors. This year’s Advent Season of Giving collection is scheduled for December 6-7, 2025, in every church parish in the Diocese of Lake Charles. Donations are also accepted online at any time convenient to you at www.lcdiocese.org/resources/support-the-diocese.