Greg Kandra's Blog

On this Good Shepherd Sunday, which is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Leo celebrated Mass in Rome and ordained 10 new priests. Here is the full text of his homily. ~ Dear brothers and sisters, My greetings go in particular to those who were just presented for ordination to the priesthood, Read More…

The apostolic journey to Africa, which ended on Thursday, April 23, has served as a catalyst, cementing Pope Leo XIV as a recognized, powerful voice on the international stage. It has also spotlighted elements of his pontificate that were previously in the shadows. It started with an odd coincidence. The Pope got on a plane Read More…

One priest thinks he has cracked the code for vocational discernment with youth ��� young men in particular ��� and, no surprise, the framework comes straight from Jesus. Aleteia spoke with Fr. Matthew Gonzalez and received input from three men he works with — high school students who attend St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Scotch Read More…

In the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks about himself as the Good Shepherd, making a variety of parallels. In particular, he explains that his sheep will hear his voice: Whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,as the shepherd calls his Read More…

April 26 is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations in 2026. Pope Leo’s message for this World Day is his first as pontiff. He will mark the day by celebrating a Mass with the ordination of 8 men to the priesthood. Here is the full text of the Pope’s message: ~ The Interior Discovery Read More…

A new national survey of men preparing for priestly ordination in 2026 offers a detailed portrait of the experiences, backgrounds, and influences that shape vocations in the United States today. Conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University for the U.S. bishops��� Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, the Read More…

Pope Leo will celebrate the first anniversary of his election in Pompeii, as previously announced. The Friday celebrations will find him arriving around 9 am to the Shrine of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii, where he will spend time in Eucharistic adoration. The Pope will celebrate 1o:30 Mass in a plaza named for Read More…

Pope Leo sent a video message to an anniversary��event��at the Chicago-based DePaul University commemorating the 15th anniversary of his home state’s abolition of the death penalty. The message notes that “effective systems of detention can be and have been developed that protect citizens,” which is a fact at the heart of the Church’s development in Read More…

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has formally protested recent settler encroachments on Church-owned land in the Tayasir and Hamam Il-Maleh areas of the Tubas Governorate in the northern Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank, according to a statement released April 23. Representatives from the Patriarchate���s Endowment Department held a field meeting with military authorities Read More…

There is something rather intriguing, and perhaps a little telling, in the fact that nuns so often seem to top the charts when it comes to longevity, as though a life shaped by prayer, purpose, and rhythm carries with it a kind of quiet resilience. One begins to wonder whether convent life holds some gently Read More…