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Volcano destroys Indonesia Catholic convent, killing religious sister

Members of a rescue team search for victims at Klatanlo village in East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Nov. 4, 2024, after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted overnight. / Credit: RNOLD WELIANTO/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Nov 4, 2024 / 16:20 pm (CNA).

A volcanic eruption destroyed a monastery in Indonesia on Sunday, leaving at least 10 people dead, including a Catholic sister.

Just minutes before midnight on Sunday, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the Island of Flores erupted, spewing ash 6,500 feet high and destroying local villages, causing residents to evacuate. Locals did not receive alarms or warnings of the eruption, according to a report by Asia News.

Sister Nikolin Padjo, head of a local monastery in Boru, Wulanggitang, died in the eruption, according to a report by Union of Catholic Asian News. Padjo was a Missionary Servant of the Holy Spirit (SSpS) and lived in the Hokeng Sisters Monastery. Another sister reportedly went missing as the sisters fled amid the volcanic ash, according to the Associated Press.

The San Domingo Minor Seminary in Hokeng, less than four miles from the crater in the Wulanggitang district, was also damaged, and at least 14 people living in the seminary were injured. An entire family was also among those whose lives were claimed by the volcano, according to Asia News.

About 70% of the 2 million residents of Flores are Catholic. The island has more than 2,700 Catholic churches. Flores is home to St. Peter Major Seminary, which is considered to be the world’s largest Catholic seminary with the highest enrollment. Indonesia has about 8.3 million Catholics, making up 3% of the nation’s population.

Nine bodies have been identified, and one victim remains undiscovered amid the debris according to the National Disaster Management Agency. The local search and rescue team is collecting data on the number of residents who are evacuating. The volcano damaged residences within a radius of about four miles from the mountain, while ash rain fell within the area. 

The local response team is concerned about potential lava floods. Similar floods killed many after a volcano in Indonesia in May. Indonesia has been plagued by volcanic eruptions given its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a path along the Pacific Ocean of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters.

The East Flores Regency Government has designated an emergency response status for the area until Dec. 31. At least 10,000 people spanning six villages in the Wulanggitang district and four in the Ile Bura district were affected by the eruption, according to the Associated Press.

Indonesia, which has a population of about 280 million people, is made up of more than 17,000 islands. In all, the country has 120 active volcanoes. Mount Lewotobi has erupted dozens of times in the past few weeks and has erupted 43 times since late October, according to Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. The ministry raised the warning level from Level III to Level IV on Sunday, according to Muhammad Wafid, head of the Geological Agency.

“Based on the results of visual and instrumental monitoring, there is an increase in volcanic activity in G. Male Lewotobi is quite significant,” he said in a Nov. 4 press release. Wafid also warned the public of potential lava and rain floods.

Catholic groups such as the Society of Divine Word’s Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission and Caritas Indonesia are reportedly working to help victims on the island. Caritas Indonesia is coordinating with local Caritas group Caritas Larantuka and Caritas Maumere to distribute aid and survey the need.

Sister Annella Zervas’ sainthood cause could be opened this month

Sister Annella Zervas, OSB, in her casket, after she died at 26 of a debilitating skin disease. August, 1926. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Joanne Zervas

CNA Staff, Nov 4, 2024 / 15:25 pm (CNA).

The bishops of the United States are set to discuss the possible opening of the sainthood cause of Sister Annella Zervas, a Benedictine nun from Minnesota who, in the early 20th century, exhibited holiness and persistence despite serious health challenges.

Zervas was born Anna Cordelia Zervas in Moorhead, Minnesota, in 1900. The second of six children in a devoutly Catholic family, Zervas showed great devotion to her faith, especially to Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. As a young girl, she would walk to daily Mass, often in the extreme northern cold.

At age 15, she entered the Order of St. Benedict at the convent of the Benedictine Sisters in St. Joseph, Minnesota, taking the religious name Mary Annella. Her mother reportedly objected to her chosen name: “There’s no saint Annella.” To which the young nun answered: “Then I shall have to be the first one.” She made her perpetual vows in July 1922.

Just a year later, in 1923, Zervas began experiencing what was later diagnosed as pityriasis rubra pilaris, a chronic and debilitating skin disease that caused extreme itching and other serious discomforts. Despite her condition, the musically talented Zervas continued to teach music at a Catholic school in Bismarck, North Dakota. Known for her positive attitude and good humor, she offered up her pain united with Christ’s suffering, trusting in Mary’s intercession and finding in the Eucharist her “greatest consolation.”

She died at age 26 in 1926 on the eve of the solemnity of the Assumption. After her death, people began to report receiving favors and miracles through her intercession.

Patrick Norton, an advocate for her prospective cause, said he had a vision in 2010 while at Zervas’ grave and was inspired to spread devotion to her. Norton, a house painter, husband, and father of three from Avon, Minnesota, has dedicated his life to sharing her story by reprinting and distributing booklets about her life and giving talks, despite having no prior experience. 

At their planned annual plenary meeting in Baltimore, which begins Nov. 11, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) plans to discuss opening her cause for beatification and canonization.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, has been leading the effort to open her cause, working with the local Benedictines — who were initially reluctant to open her cause — to gather information from their archives. On Oct. 23, Cozzens released a letter announcing that preliminary steps to open her sainthood cause are being taken. 

Zervas’ family has been cooperative, sharing photos and information to help tell her story. A guild has been organized to promote prayer for and awareness of her prospective cause as well.

Once opened — giving Zervas the title “servant of God” — the cause will first gather testimonies and information to determine if Zervas lived a life of “heroic virtue.”

If the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints agrees, Zervas will be declared “venerable.” The next title, “blessed,” comes after at least one verified miracle is attributed to her intercession.

Heralds of the Gospel founder dies at 85 

Heralds of the Gospel founder Monsignor João Scognamiglio Clá Dias. / Credit: Courtesy of Heralds of the Gospel

Sao Paulo, Brazil, Nov 4, 2024 / 14:55 pm (CNA).

Monsignor João Scognamiglio Clá Dias, founder of the Heralds of the Gospel, died in the early morning hours of Nov. 1 at the age of 85, according to a statement from the organization.

“As founder of the Heralds of the Gospel, he leaves a legacy of sanctity of life for millions of Catholics linked to the institution” on five continents, the Heralds of the Gospel said in the statement.

João Scognamiglio Clá Dias was born on Aug. 15, 1939, in São Paulo. On July 7, 1956, he met professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, founder of the Brazilian Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP) and, according to the Heralds, “he became an ardent disciple and faithful interpreter” of Correa de Oliveira’s thought and work. 

In 1958, Clá Dias served in the Brazilian Army and received the Marechal Hermes Medal, the most distinguished military honor in training. He studied law at the Faculty of Largo São Francisco in São Paulo and then completed a doctorate in theology and canon law. He founded the Aristotelian-Thomistic Philosophical Institute and the São Tomás de Aquinas Theological Institute in addition to the scientific magazine Lumen Veritatis and the Catholic culture magazine Heralds of the Gospel.

During this period he wrote 27 works, several of which were translated into seven languages ​​and some with a circulation of more than 2 million copies, such as: “Fátima, Dawn of the Third Millennium,” “Holy Mary! The Paradise of God Revealed to Men,” “St. Joseph, Who Knows Him?”, and “What Is Unpublished About the Gospels and Life and Work of Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira.”

He also promoted the construction of churches in Brazil and other countries in America, Europe, and Africa. In 1970, based on Corrêa de Oliveira’s wishes, he wanted to establish an association of a religious nature, approved by the Church and at its service. He had an experience of community life in an old Benedictine property in São Paulo. 

In 1995, after the death of Corrêa de Oliveira, he created three entities of pontifical right: the International Private Association of Faithful Heralds of the Gospel, approved in 2001 by Pope John Paul II; the Virgo Flos Carmeli Clerical Society of Apostolic Life; and the Regina Virginum Society of Women of Apostolic Life, both approved in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Prolific ministry

In addition, he founded more than 50 choirs and orchestras and promoted the construction of almost 30 churches and oratories in Brazil and on different continents in America, Europe, and Africa.

According to the Heralds, João Clá Dias also personally directed the institutions he founded, which currently carry out their activities in more than 70 countries with the help of millions of members and followers, including priests, associate brothers, cooperators, or supporters. 

Clá Dias also spread devotion to the Virgin Mary through ceremonies of consecration to Our Lady, according to the method of St. Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort. He also instituted and encouraged perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the main houses of the institutions he founded.

On June 15, 2005, he was ordained a priest at the age of 65. In 2008 he was appointed protonotary apostolic and honorary canon of the papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome by Pope Benedict XVI. 

On Aug. 15, 2009, he received the “Pro Ecclesia et Pontice” medal for his zeal for the Church and the pope. That same year he published a book on the occasion of the Year for Priests, written at the request of the then-prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes. In 2010 he published the book “The Church Is Immaculate and Indefectible,” in which he denounced the root causes of abuse committed against minors or vulnerable people.

In 2017, Clá Dias resigned from his position as president of the International Association of Heralds of the Gospel in the wake of accusations made against the organization through a video, which included a meeting between the founder of the Heralds and a group of priests who read an alleged dialogue that a priest of the institution would have had in an encounter with a supposed demon during an exorcism.

In 2019, the association received several complaints of abuse against children and adolescents that allegedly took place within the Heralds’ headquarters in Caieiras, Brazil. On July 23 of this year, the case was closed by the Court of Justice of São Paulo in the Heralds’ favor.

In its statement on the death of their founder, the Heralds indicated that since 2017 the association “has been the subject of false accusations by the enemies of the Church” and that “reestablishing the truth, Monsignor João emerged unscathed from these waves of defamation, either by benevolently accepting the judicial retractions of the accusers or by accumulating numerous procedural victories, recorded in sentences and investigatory files.”

“Thus, convinced that the biographies of providential men do not end on this earth, their spiritual children will continue their work under the protection of the Most Holy Mary, to fulfill the mission of being a link between the holy Church and civil society,” the Heralds’ statement declared.

Condolences, solidarity of Cardinal Odilo Scherer

The archbishop of São Paulo, Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, on behalf of his archdiocese, wrote a note of condolence for the death of Clá Dias, expressing his “solidarity and consolation to the members of the Heralds of the Gospel.”

He also said that the Archdiocese of São Paulo “offers its prayers and supplications” for Clá Dias and “asks God to welcome him and reward him in eternity for his testimony of faith and his service to the mission of the Church.” 

A funeral Mass for Clá Dias was held on Sunday, Nov. 3. 

This story was first published by ACI Digital, CNA’s Portuguese-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by ACI Prensa and CNA.

Pope Francis appoints Chicago auxiliary bishop to lead Milwaukee Archdiocese

Pope Francis on Nov. 4, 2024, named Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Jeffrey Grob as archbishop of Milwaukee. / Credit: Archdiocese of Milwaukee

Vatican City, Nov 4, 2024 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Monday accepted the resignation of Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki and named Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Jeffrey Grob to be his successor.

With the Nov. 4 appointment, the 63-year-old Grob will be returning to his birth state of Wisconsin. The prelate was born to dairy farmers in the town of Cross Plains in 1961.

Listecki, who has served as Milwaukee’s archbishop since 2010, submitted his resignation to the pope on his 75th birthday, March 12, as required by canon law.

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Milwaukee spans 10 counties in southeastern Wisconsin. The territory has approximately 550,000 Catholics — about 23% of the population — and 184 parishes.

After growing up in rural Wisconsin, Grob was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1992. He also served as a judge in the archdiocesan tribunal after receiving a licentiate — and later a doctorate — in canon law.

He also holds a licentiate in sacred theology and a doctorate in philosophy.

Grob served as judicial vicar for the Chicago Archdiocese for two years before he was named its chancellor in 2017.

Pope Francis appointed Grob an auxiliary bishop of Chicago in September 2020.

Pope Francis offers Mass for over 120 deceased cardinals and bishops

Pope Francis prays during a Mass of suffrage for deceased cardinals and bishops in St. Peter’s Basilica on Nov. 4, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Nov 4, 2024 / 11:35 am (CNA).

Pope Francis celebrated a Mass for deceased cardinals and bishops in St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday morning, saying they were “shepherds and models for the Lord’s flock” who loved the Church in their own way.

Seven Catholic cardinals and 123 Catholic bishops died within the last 12 months. 

“Our remembrance becomes a prayer of intercession for our dear brothers, elect members of the people of God. They were baptized into the death of Christ in order to rise with him,” the pope said in his homily at the Mass. It is the pope’s custom to offer a Mass in November for the prelates who passed away during the past year.

Pope Francis delivers his homily during a Mass of suffrage for deceased cardinals and bishops in St. Peter’s Basilica on Nov. 4, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Pope Francis delivers his homily during a Mass of suffrage for deceased cardinals and bishops in St. Peter’s Basilica on Nov. 4, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

“Having broken the bread of life on earth may they now enjoy a seat at his table,” he continued. “Let us pray that they may exult in eternal communion with the saints and we, with firm hope, let us look forward to rejoicing with them in heaven.”

During the homily, the Holy Father invited more than 200 people present at the Monday Mass — including cardinals, bishops, priests, men and women religious, and laypeople — to meditate on the word “remember” in the account of Christ’s crucifixion recorded in St. Luke’s Gospel.

“‘Ricordare’ in Italian means to lead back to the heart [or] to carry in the heart,” the pope shared. “That man crucified alongside with Jesus transformed his dire pain into a prayer: ‘Carry me in your heart, Jesus.’”

Religious sisters pray during a Mass of suffrage for deceased cardinals and bishops celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica on Nov. 4, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Religious sisters pray during a Mass of suffrage for deceased cardinals and bishops celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica on Nov. 4, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Emphasizing the significance of Our Lord’s heart, the Holy Father said Jesus always listens to the prayers of defenseless sinners.

“This criminal who dies as a ‘disciple of the last hour’ desired only one thing: to find a welcome heart,” he said. “Christ’s heart, pierced by pain, was laid open to save the world. [He has] an open heart, not a closed heart. Dying himself, he was open to the voice of a dying man.”

“Jesus dies with us because he died for us,” Pope Francis repeated to the congregation.

Pope Francis celebrates a Mass of suffrage for deceased cardinals and bishops celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica on Nov. 4, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Pope Francis celebrates a Mass of suffrage for deceased cardinals and bishops celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica on Nov. 4, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Sitting in front of a covered Altar of the Chair of St. Peter, the Holy Father implored his listeners to have a merciful and compassionate heart like Jesus.

“How do we carry people in our hearts? How do we remember those right at our side throughout our lives? Do you judge? Do you divide? Or do [you] welcome?” the pope asked. 

“Dear brothers and sisters, by turning to the heart of God, men and women of today and of every age can find hope for salvation,” the Holy Father insisted. “The Lord is close to us.” 

“Jesus, remember us! Jesus, remember us!”

Six U.S. bishops were among the deceased clergy remembered during the Mass held in the Vatican: Bishop Raymond Emil Goedert of Chicago; Bishop Francisco González Valer of Washington, D.C.; Bishop Thomas John Gumbleton of Detroit; Bishop Daniel Patrick Reilly of Worcester, Massachusetts; Bishop Edward James Slattery of Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Bishop Basil Harry Losten of Stamford, Connecticut, of the Ukrainians.

In Louisville, Catholic high schoolers help bury the indigent dead

Ben Kresse, a theology teacher at St. Xavier High School, shows a group of students how to uncover a temporary marker on a gravesite in Meadow View Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky, Sept. 21, 2024. / Credit: The Record/Ruby Thomas

CNA Staff, Nov 4, 2024 / 10:05 am (CNA).

An indigent burial program run by Catholic Charities in Louisville, Kentucky, regularly receives help from an unlikely source — local high schoolers.

Catholic Charities of Louisville says its “one-of-a-kind” burial program “provides burial services for individuals in our community who do not have resources or family to provide them.”

“Every individual that qualifies for the Indigent Burial Program receives a dignified and respectful service surrounded by compassionate volunteers and community members,” the charity says.

Jennifer Wilson, the burial program’s coordinator, told CNA that the initiative was originally started by the city in order to address individuals whose remains were left in city morgues with no family or loved ones to claim them.

“It’s just not a very good thing,” she said. “It doesn’t show respect and dignity for human beings.”

The program is funded by the city and administered by Catholic Charities, Wilson said.

Students use shovels to locate a temporary marker at a gravesite in Meadow View Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky, Sept. 21, 2024. Credit: The Record/Ruby Thomas
Students use shovels to locate a temporary marker at a gravesite in Meadow View Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky, Sept. 21, 2024. Credit: The Record/Ruby Thomas

“We give them a service,” she said. “We put them to rest with dignity and respect and love, no matter what they’ve done and where they come from.” The burials are conducted out of Meadow View Cemetery, south of the city near the Ohio River.

Catholic Charities will sometimes help with expenses, she said. The charity also supplies headstones to the graves, while volunteers make palls, which a priest then blesses.

“This is just to say, ‘We’re here for you. You’re not alone. We’re going to lay you to rest with dignity.’ That’s a special thing,” she said.

Also special are the volunteers who regularly help with the burials — local high schoolers drawn from surrounding Catholic schools.

The St. Joseph of Arimathea Society, founded in 2006, works with students to coordinate tasks such as headstone placement. Students regularly attend the burials themselves as well.

The society is named after St. Joseph of Arimathea, the Sanhedrin follower of Jesus who gave his own intended burial tomb for Christ’s body. 

Students locate graves, remove temporary markers, and lay permanent headstones in Meadow View Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky, Sept. 21, 2024. Credit: The Record/Ruby Thomas
Students locate graves, remove temporary markers, and lay permanent headstones in Meadow View Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky, Sept. 21, 2024. Credit: The Record/Ruby Thomas

Art Potter, a Louisville resident who has volunteered with the group for years, told CNA that there are weekly Christian burial services given for “homeless [people] found on the street, persons murdered, [victims of] drug overdoses, and those simply abandoned by families.” 

“We infrequently have attendees of 20-25 persons,” Potter said, “however most of the time there is no one attending but volunteers.”

The volunteers are drawn from Catholic high schools, he said, “teaching respect and dignity to the deceased, whatever the cause of death.”

The Catholic newspaper The Record reported in September about a group of students working to lay several dozen headstones at the cemetery. Students from rival Catholic schools came together to do the work in 90-degree heat. 

High school junior Murphy Lee Schmidt told the paper that while the students were “not fully burying [the dead],” they were “doing our part.” 

Students from Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, Kentucky, work to identify a gravesite in Meadow View Cemetery, Sept. 21, 2024. Credit: The Record/Ruby Thomas
Students from Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, Kentucky, work to identify a gravesite in Meadow View Cemetery, Sept. 21, 2024. Credit: The Record/Ruby Thomas

“Just cleaning off their graves and making it a reverent area, just keeping their name alive is really important,” he said.

Beth Yeager, the new program director for community support services at Louisville Catholic Charities, said the program has received bequests recently allowing them to hire an assistant to help with administrative tasks. The Catholic charity works with the coroner’s office as well as with a local hospice as part of the ministry.

“It’s more than just burying people,” Yeager said. “It’s spending time figuring out how to do it the right away.”

Wilson said the point of the program is to afford poor and abandoned people the same dignity and love that others receive when they are buried. 

“We try to make it as ‘normal’ as possible,” she said. “We want to take care of people.”

Pope Francis names Archbishop Galbas as new leader of Warsaw Archdiocese

Archbishop Adrian Józef Galbas. / Credit: episkopat.pl

CNA Newsroom, Nov 4, 2024 / 09:05 am (CNA).

Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Adrian Józef Galbas as the new metropolitan archbishop of Warsaw, Poland, accepting the resignation of Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, who will turn 75 in February.

The appointment was announced Monday by the apostolic nunciature in Poland.

Galbas, 56, has served as metropolitan archbishop of Katowice since May 2023. A member of the Pallottine Fathers, he previously served as auxiliary bishop of Ełk and obtained his doctorate in spiritual theology from Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw in 2012.

Within the Polish Bishops’ Conference, Galbas serves as chairman of the Council for the Lay Apostolate and is a member of the conference’s permanent council.

Born in Bytom, Poland, in 1968, he made his perpetual vows with the Pallottines in 1993 and was ordained a priest in 1994. Before becoming a bishop, he served as provincial superior of the Pallottines’ Annunciation Province from 2011 to 2019.

Pope Francis named him auxiliary bishop of Ełk in December 2019 and appointed him coadjutor archbishop of Katowice in December 2021. He became metropolitan archbishop of Katowice in May 2023.

The Archdiocese of Warsaw, established in 1798, serves as the primary see of Poland and encompasses the capital city of Warsaw.

Nycz led the archdiocese since 2007.

Michigan man builds up the Catholic Church, one Lego at a time, for 25 years

John Kraemer shows off the interior of one of his Lego churches to an interested parishioner at Resurrection of the Lord Parish in Standish, Michigan. / Credit: Photo courtesy of John Kraemer

CNA Staff, Nov 4, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

John Kraemer knows that what he does is unusual. In fact, he relishes the improbable path that God has set him on for the past quarter-century.

Every year, Kraemer assembles some 30,000 Lego bricks into a painstakingly intricate model of a Catholic church. Though often inspired by the designs of real churches he has visited, each one is a unique creation.

Kaemer’s Lego Church Project, now in its 25th year, blends creativity, his Catholic faith, and disability advocacy — a subject near and dear to Kraemer’s heart as a disabled person himself.

“I am thankful to God that I have a purpose in my life that goes beyond myself. Without God in my life, without the Church, I would not have anything to do,” Kraemer, who lives in east-central Michigan, told CNA.

“And yet, God has given me this unique mission to share the faith creatively, to talk about issues related to disability, to show people what it means to live the faith and have a disability or challenges. I know that there are a lot of people out there who have their own struggles. So if I can bring some insight into how I deal with it, it may give them some wisdom on how to navigate their own issues that they may be facing.”

One of John Kraemer's Lego creations. Credit: Photo courtesy of John Kraemer
One of John Kraemer's Lego creations. Credit: Photo courtesy of John Kraemer

Every year, Kraemer builds his Lego church, displays it at a number of parishes in the Saginaw, Michigan, area around the holiday season, and then tears it down and starts again. 

Kraemer’s first display, in 2000, was at Mount Zion Parish in Flushing, Michigan. St. Helen’s Parish in Saginaw, which has since been renamed Christ the Good Shepherd, is his longest-running location — in addition to singing in the choir, Kraemer has displayed his creations there every year since 2004.

He has also toured numerous other parishes and assisted-living facilities with his creations, always garnering a warm reception and enthusiasm, especially from children, who are particularly drawn to the bright colors and interactive elements, such as the bells in the towers. 

A foundation of faith

As he previously told CNA, Kraemer enjoyed playing with Legos as a kid, but the spaceships his peers were building didn’t appeal to him. Looking for inspiration for what to build, the obvious solution soon presented itself — churches. 

“At that time period for me, church was the core of who we were … so there was a strong emphasis on that, and as I grew up it kind of developed from there,” Kraemer said.

What started as a hobby blossomed into something much more, as Kraemer realized he had a knack for large builds. 

The dimensions of his Lego churches, which can weigh as much as 80 pounds, are somewhat limited by the necessity that they must be transported by car, but they’re still a lot bigger than anything you’ll find at a toy store. Each one is constructed on a plywood base, and his latest effort measured nearly 4 feet long and 2 feet high.

When not in use, Kraemer stores the tens of thousands of Lego bricks required for each church in his one-bedroom apartment. During the annual construction stage, Kraemer said he spends anywhere from two to five hours each day laying bricks — or, as he calls it, “praying at the bricks.”

“As I am building, I’m laying out all of my own personal fears, all my own personal anxieties, any challenges that I’m personally facing … I’m praying with my hands as I am building because I’m trying to build the faith in a very creative way,” he explained.

The interior of one of John Kraemer's Lego churches. Credit: Photo courtesy of John Kraemer
The interior of one of John Kraemer's Lego churches. Credit: Photo courtesy of John Kraemer

An expression of faith

Like a real church architect, Kraemer is very intentional about his designs. Each element has significance and meaning as part of the larger whole, and also sends a message about the things Kraemer values. For one thing, he explains that his models are “filled to the brim with people,” representing “a prayer for a future” where Mass attendance is revitalized. 

In light of the ongoing National Eucharistic Revival, Kraemer said he takes care to make the tabernacle a prominent feature in each of his churches, a design preference that fits with his own ideas of what a Catholic church should look like. Alongside the tabernacle, he also for this anniversary season undertook a “complete brand-new build” of the pipe organ model he uses. 

“When I go into a build, I’m always praying about what I’m about to do, and to [find out] what story the Lord wants me to tell. Where’s my focus going to be overall in terms of the design?” he said. 

Kraemer said he enjoys the “display” period each year because it allows him to answer questions about his Lego creations and to enjoy people’s reactions upon seeing his work, especially the reactions of kids.

But he said it also allows him to explain his deeper motivations for such a labor-intensive project.

“I’m showing that no matter what challenge, whether it be medical or emotional or whatnot, no matter what challenge or disability you face, God can still use your talents,” Kraemer explained.

Catching a ride

Kraemer’s passion surrounding disability advocacy is personal — he has a mild form of cerebral palsy, which affects his learning, his balance, his hearing, and his fine motor control. 

His own identity as a disabled person manifests itself in his models, where he takes care to include depictions of parishioners with special needs, using items such as wheelchairs, adult strollers, and guide dogs. 

Transportation is a significant issue for Kraemer, who is unable to drive and has, at least for car rides, had to rely on the kindness of others for decades — though he enthusiastically recounts how helpful it has been to get more adept at riding his trusty adult tricycle. Through his online platform, Kraemer passionately advocates for better transportation solutions for the disabled and hopes to inspire others to address this often-overlooked need in their own parishes.

“We don’t have a consistent pathway across the entire Church on how to get people to Mass who may not have a way to get there on their own. And I think that that is something that we definitely do need to look at,” he said. 

“It is a topic that comes up quite frequently with me because I’ve been there. I’ve been in those shoes. I’ve been in times where I wanted to attend a holy day of obligation, but I had no way to get out there.”

Kraemer said he feels a sense of responsibility to advocate for others in the Church who are struggling with their own disabilities and said he wants people to know that God can utilize everyone’s talents, regardless of their challenges.

“God has blessed me abundantly with this ministry, which means even if some of my own needs are mostly met, like with getting [to] Mass on Sunday, I know there are others out there who are struggling. So if I can use my voice and my platform in the service of Christ, then I know that I’m doing something right,” he said.

A depiction of the Mass inside one of John Kraemer's Lego churches. Credit: Photo courtesy of John Kraemer
A depiction of the Mass inside one of John Kraemer's Lego churches. Credit: Photo courtesy of John Kraemer

Filled with gratitude

Kraemer’s first display of the 2024 “season” was at Resurrection of the Lord Parish in Standish, Michigan. He plans to bring the model to St. Helen’s around the Advent season.

Kraemer said he is filled with immense gratitude for the support he has received throughout the 25 years of the Lego Church Project. He said he sees his work as a testament to the power of God’s grace and a reflection of his desire to share his faith and advocate for the needs of others. 

As he embarks on the next chapter of his Lego ministry, Kraemer said he remains committed to using his unique talent to inspire and uplift others.

“I am thankful to the people that [have supported] me over the last 25 years. I cannot say thank you enough. Without the support of those around me, this would not be possible,” he said.

Pope Francis: The heart of our faith is love

At the Angelus on Nov. 3, 2024, Pope Francis asked for prayers for Valencia, a region in southeast Spain that was hit by devastating flash flooding in late October. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Nov 3, 2024 / 13:35 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Sunday spoke about Jesus’ teaching that “all things must be done with love,” something, he said, that is essential for the faith of each person.

Every Sunday at noon, the pope appears at a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square to give a brief spiritual reflection before leading the Angelus, a traditional Marian prayer, in Latin.

Speaking to thousands of people gathered in the sunny Vatican square on Nov. 3, Francis commented on the day’s Gospel passage, which recounts one of Jesus’ many discussions in the temple of Jerusalem. In the scene, a scribe asks Jesus: “Which is the first of all the commandments?”

The question, the pontiff said, is a good one, and “essential for us too, for our life and for the journey of our faith.”

“Indeed, we too at times feel lost among so many things and ask ourselves: But, in the end, what is the most important thing of all? Where can I find the center of my life, of my faith?” he said. “Jesus gives us the answer, putting together two commandments that are the primary ones: the love of God and the love of neighbor. And this is the heart of our faith.”

The pope underlined that when the Lord comes again, he will first and foremost ask us how we loved.

Crowds in a sunny St. Peter's Square watch Pope Francis as he leads the Angelus prayer from a window of the Apostolic Palace on Nov. 3, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media
Crowds in a sunny St. Peter's Square watch Pope Francis as he leads the Angelus prayer from a window of the Apostolic Palace on Nov. 3, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media

“It is important, then, to fix in our hearts the most important commandment,” he continued. “Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself. And to carry out every day an examination of conscience and ask ourselves: Is love for God and neighbor the center of my life? Does my prayer to God impel me to go out to my brothers and sisters and love them gratuitously? Do I recognize the presence of the Lord in the faces of others?”

Pope Francis quoted from his newest encyclical, Dilexit Nos, which is on the Sacred Heart: “We all — as we know — need to return to the heart of life and faith, because the heart is ‘the radical source of their strengths, convictions.’”

“And Jesus tells us that the source of everything is love, that we must never separate God from man,” he said. “The Lord says to the disciple of every time: In your journey, what counts are not the exterior practices, such as burnt offerings and sacrifices, but the readiness of heart with which you open yourself to God and to brethren in love.”

“We can do many things, but do them only for ourselves and without love, and this will not do; we do them with a distracted heart or even with a closed heart, and this will not do. All things must be done with love,” he emphasized.

After the Angelus, Pope Francis asked for prayers for Valencia, a region in southeast Spain that was hit by devastating flash flooding on Oct. 29. Caused by a torrential downpour, the worst flooding the country has seen in decades has killed at least 214 people, while dozens are still missing, according to authorities.

The pope also praised the Italian group “Emergency,” which promotes Article 11 of the Italian Constitution and says: “Italy rejects war as an instrument of aggression against the freedom of other peoples and as a means for the settlement of international disputes.”

“May this principle be implemented all over the world: May war be banished and issues be addressed through law and negotiations. Let weapons be silenced and space be made for dialogue. Let us pray for tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, and South Sudan,” Francis said.

Vatican’s anime-style mascot Luce goes viral on internet with Catholic memes, fan art

The Vatican on Oct. 28, 2024, unveiled the official mascot for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year: “Luce,” which is Italian for “light.” / Credit: Simone Legno/tokidoki/Vatican Media

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 3, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The Vatican introduced an anime-style mascot named Luce to represent Catholic pilgrims in the 2025 Jubilee year on Monday, Oct. 28 — and within a week, the character has already become a viral internet sensation.

In less than seven days, hundreds of memes and fan art renditions of Luce (pronounced Lu-Chay) popped up on social media websites such as Facebook, X, Reddit, and TikTok and have been circulating the platforms. 

The character has become particularly popular with Catholic meme accounts and groups but also has a presence in non-Catholic spaces, such as with amateur anime artists, Protestant meme accounts, and some secular and political meme accounts. It has also inspired Halloween costumes and the creation of a cryptocurrency called Luce Token, which has a market capitalization that has surpassed $50 million.

Luce’s symbolism

Luce, which is Italian for “light,” is a blue-haired mascot who wears a rosary around her neck and a yellow raincoat that is meant to symbolize journeying through life’s storms and reflect the color of the Vatican flag. She wears green muddy boots that represent a long and difficult journey and carries a staff meant to symbolize the pilgrimage toward eternity.

The Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization commissioned the creation of the character, which was designed by Italian artist Simone Legno, who owns the company tokidoki, which creates products with Japanese-inspired designs. Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the Vatican’s chief organizer for the jubilee, unveiled the mascot during a news conference. 

Many of the Luce-inspired memes invoke Christian messages of prayer and warding off the devil. One popular meme, which parodies a famous scene from “The Shining,” shows Luce use her staff to break a hole into a wooden door and stick her face through the hole as the devil cowers in the corner. Some others depict Luce kneeling in prayer.

Several Luce memes spreading around the internet also invoke pro-life messages, such as one that depicts Luce saving a baby from a Planned Parenthood abortion facility. Some memes have put Luce side by side with Crusaders.

Father Matthew P. Schneider, LC, a Catholic priest with a large social media following, has embraced the mascot, creating threads on X with more than 70 of his favorite fan art renditions of Luce. Some of the amateur artists are Catholic, but dozens of amateur anime artists who normally produce secular art have also jumped on the trend. 

“I like Luce, the mascot for the holy year 2025,” Schneider said on X. “The images seem like a good Christian adaptation of modern culture or inculturation.” 

Catholic Answers’ seal of approval?

Thomas Graf, the social media manager for Catholic Answers, wrote in an article on Thursday that he worried at first that the character would be a failed attempt to “try to make Church cool and relevant.” However, he notes it was ultimately embraced by some Catholics within all age groups.

“Luce is undeniably adorable,” Graf wrote. “Maybe you disagree, but I have to hand it to the creators: They nailed the look of childlike faith and innocence. And the pilgrimage symbols embedded in her character — muddy boots, Camino de Santiago shells in her eyes, pilgrim’s cross, and World Mission rosary — are subtle. Nothing evokes the overbearing ‘Jesus is COOL, kids!!’ lunkheadedness of, say, VBS mascots.”

Christians who are not Catholic have also jumped on the Luce thread to create their own versions of the character. 

One post in the Anglicanism subreddit developed an Anglican version of Luce with symbolism that represents their own denomination. Lutherans on Facebook and X have done the same, making Lutheran versions of Luce and claiming she converted — prompting strong responses from Catholics reclaiming the character. Some Orthodox Christians have made similar posts.

“Been seeing a ton of ‘I’m not Catholic, but Luce is so cute’ posts — THIS IS HOW WE WIN,” one Twitter user said.

Not all Catholics are fans

In spite of the Luce success on social media, not all Catholics are fans of the character. 

Traditionalist Catholic theologian Peter Kwasniewski wrote on X that “even if Luce is not ‘evil,’ the fact that she’s kitschy, cutesy, cringey, merchy, and childish is already offensive to the religion of the Logos.”

Kwasniewski also criticized Legno, the artist who designed the character, calling him “a moral degenerate.” Legno’s company tokidoki has promoted homosexual pride and has partnered with one company to produce sex toys.

Edward Feser, a Catholic philosopher and professor at Pasadena City College, also criticized the character on X: “Infantilizing the young with a dumbed down version of Catholicism does them a disservice.”

Some traditionalist-minded Catholics, such as The Daily Wire host Michael Knowles, have been supportive of Luce.

“I attend the Traditional Latin Mass,” Knowles wrote on X. “I wear bowties. I read old books. I smoke cigars. I’m married with three kids under 4. I’m what they call a ‘trad.’ And I stan [am a fan of] Luce.”

The Vatican intends to keep moving forward with the mascot. Luce made an appearance at the Lucca Comics and Games convention in Tuscany, Italy, this past weekend and will also appear at the Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, next year.