St. Giles, Abbot (Patron of Physically Disabled) Feast day - September 1 St. Giles is said to have been a seventh century Athenian of noble birth. His piety and learning made him so conspicuous and an object of such admiration in his own country that, dreading praise and longing for a hidden life, he left his home and sailed for France. At first he took up his abode in a wilderness near the mouth of the Rhone river, afterward near the river Gard, and, finally, in the diocese of Nimes. He ...

In his message, Pope Leo offers prayers for all the victims, injured, and missing and expresses his solidarity with those who have lost loved ones, while invoking divine blessings on the entire Afghan people.

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Pope Leo XIV meets members of Opera San Francesco per i Poveri, urging them to live charity as assistance, welcome, and promotion of human dignity, and to witness to God’s love in society.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV, praying publicly for the victims of the school shooting in Minneapolis, also prayed for an end to the "pandemic" of gun violence.

After reciting the Angelus prayer with visitors in St. Peter's Square Aug. 31, Pope Leo switched from Italian to English when he led the prayers for the community of Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis where two children were killed during Mass Aug. 27 and 18 other people were injured.

In remembering "the victims of the tragic shooting during a school Mass in the American state of Minnesota," the pope said, "we include in our prayers the countless children killed and injured every day around the world."

"Let us plead God to stop the pandemic of arms, large and small, which infects our world," he said. "May our mother, Mary, the Queen of Peace, help us to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah: 'They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.'" 

Pope Leo also called again for an end to Russia's war on Ukraine, decrying renewed attacks on various Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv.

"Unfortunately, the war in Ukraine continues to sow death and destruction," the pope told thousands of people gathered for the midday prayer.

"I renew my closeness to the Ukrainian people and to all the wounded families," he said, calling on everyone "not to give in to indifference but to draw near (to the Ukrainian people) through prayer and concrete acts of charity."

"I strongly reiterate my urgent appeal for an immediate ceasefire and for a serious commitment to dialogue," he said. "It is time for leaders to abandon the logic of weapons and to take up the path of negotiation and peace, with the support of the international community. The voice of weapons must be silenced, while the voice of fraternity and justice must be raised."

Pope Leo also prayed for migrants from Africa who drowned Aug. 26 when their boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania as they were trying to reach Spain's Canary Islands.

"Our hearts are also wounded by the more than 50 people who died and around 100 still missing in the shipwreck of a vessel carrying migrants who were attempting the 1,100-kilometer (about 680-mile) journey to the Canary Islands, which capsized off the Atlantic coast of Mauritania," the pope said.

"This deadly tragedy is repeated every day around the world," Pope Leo said. "Let us pray that the Lord may teach us, as individuals and as a society, to fully put into practice his word: 'I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.'"

Speaking in both English and Italian, the pope entrusted all the "injured, missing and dead everywhere to our Savior's loving embrace."
 

Raymond was born at Portella, Catalonia, Spain. He was delivered by caesarean operation when his mother died in childbirth. Hence his name non natus (not born). He joined the Mercedarians under St. Peter Nolasco at Barcelona. He succeeded Peter as chief ransomer and went to Algeria to ransom slaves. He remained as hostage for several slaves when his money ran out and was sentenced to be impaled when the governor learned that he had converted several Mohammedans. He escaped the death sentence ...

Pope Leo XIV renews his invitation for Christians to join together on September 1 to celebrate the World of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which draws inspiration from the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and the theme: “Seeds of Peace and Hope.”

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Pope Leo XIV renews his closeness to the Ukrainian people, appealing for an immediate ceasefire, and prays for the victims of the Catholic school shooting in Minnesota and migrants killed off the coast of Mauritania.

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In his reflections before leading the Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo prays that the Church may always be "a school of humility" in following Jesus' example, as well as "a home where all are welcome", where rivalries are set aside.

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The Saint Curé d’Ars Major Seminary in Bujumbura hosted a national congress on the priesthood from 27 August to 30 August 2025. This event brought together Bishops and representatives of priests from all eight dioceses of the country. It had a dual purpose: to mark the centenary of the first ordinations of Burundian priests (1925 - 2025) and to celebrate the Jubilee Year observed by the universal Church.

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Authorities say a Ukrainian politician who previously served as the parliament speaker has been shot dead in the western city of Lviv. Saturday’s killing came on the day that officials said Moscow launched more than 500 drones and 45 missiles against 14 regions, killing at least one person and wounding some 24 others, including children.

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