Jonah McKeown

Jonah McKeown

Jonah McKeown is a staff writer and podcast producer for Catholic News Agency. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has worked as a writer, as a producer for public radio, and as a videographer. He is based in St. Louis.

Articles by Jonah McKeown

Mapping the Catholic Church, Healing the Earth

Oct 11, 2021 / 14:10 pm

This week on the podcast, we'll talk to Molly Burhans, a Catholic scientist and mapmaker who is using high-tech maps to make the Church more sustainable, and more effective at Her mission.

Denver cathedral vandalized with anti-Catholic slogans 

Oct 11, 2021 / 12:18 pm

The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Denver was spray-painted with anti-Catholic slogans on Sunday, the latest in a series of vandalism incidents against Catholic buildings in Colorado. 

Texas ‘heartbeat’ abortion law temporarily reinstated amid legal fight

Oct 9, 2021 / 07:49 am

A federal court on Friday evening issued a ruling allowing a Texas state law, which restricts abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, to take effect again amid an ongoing court fight.

California rolls back assisted suicide safeguards

Oct 7, 2021 / 15:10 pm

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday signed Senate Bill 380, a law that loosens several safeguarding requirements surrounding assisted suicide. The California Catholic Conference had been strongly urging opposition to the legal change.

Jersey health minister will vote against legalizing assisted suicide

Oct 6, 2021 / 15:00 pm

The health minister of the British channel island of Jersey has expressed opposition to the legalization of assisted suicide, and says he will vote against the proposal in the island’s parliament later this year.

Dr. Francis Collins, scientist and Christian, to step down as NIH head

Oct 5, 2021 / 15:00 pm

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health and an outspoken Christian, announced Tuesday that he will step down as director after serving in the role since 2009. 

Pro-lifers counter pro-abortion protests across the United States

Oct 5, 2021 / 14:56 pm

As pro-abortion rallies were held across the country last weekend in response to a Texas law regulating abortion, pro-lifers in several areas also staged protests to counter them. 

Profiles of pro-life women: A Q&A with Elizabeth Kirk

Oct 5, 2021 / 00:01 am

This December, the US Supreme Court is set to hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case that many experts say presents the most momentous test yet of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. At issue is the constitutionality of Mississippi’s 2018 law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Judge: Newark archdiocese can be held liable for McCarrick's misconduct

Oct 1, 2021 / 15:44 pm

A New Jersey federal judge ruled this week that the Archdiocese of Newark can be held financially responsible for the abuse committed by Theodore McCarrick, a disgraced former cardinal, according to one media report. 

Michigan governor vetoes funding for abortion alternatives

Oct 1, 2021 / 14:00 pm

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday line-item vetoed about $16 million worth of funding for alternatives to abortion, drawing consternation from the state’s Catholic conference. 

Learn from St Joseph’s respect for life, archbishop says

Oct 1, 2021 / 03:00 am

St. Joseph’s ‘faithful trust and courage” provide a powerful pro-life witness, a US bishop has said, marking the start of Respect Life Month in the Year of St. Joseph. 

Dutch assisted suicide campaigner arrested, accused of assisting with a suicide

Sep 30, 2021 / 14:55 pm

A campaigner for assisted suicide in the Netherlands, who is not a physician, has been detained on suspicion of involvement in an assisted suicide.

Pontifical Academy for Life honors lay Florida death row chaplain

Sep 30, 2021 / 13:00 pm

Dale Recinella, a Florida lawyer who has ministered to death row inmates for decades, was given an award honoring his service on Tuesday at the Vatican.

Queensland parliament legalizes euthanasia, assisted suicide

Sep 29, 2021 / 15:04 pm

The Australian state of Queensland has voted to become the fifth state in the country to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia. The state’s Catholic bishops had strongly advised against the legal change. 

Colorado parish church vandalized with pro-abortion graffiti

Sep 29, 2021 / 13:42 pm

A Catholic parish in Boulder, Colorado, with a memorial to aborted babies on its front lawn was desecrated with pro-abortion graffiti in the early hours of Sept. 29. 

Christian and Muslim leaders: Pope Francis' Iraq trip still bearing good fruit, but more dialogue needed

Sep 28, 2021 / 12:59 pm

Pope Francis’ March visit with Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, a prominent Shiite Muslim cleric, has already helped to foster some peace in Iraq, but religious and political leaders must continue to “invest” in dialogue if the meeting is to produce long-term positive effects, panelists said in a livestreamed discussion this week. 

'Absurd' pro-abortion laws in California highlight need for parent-child communication, policy expert says

Sep 27, 2021 / 15:25 pm

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a pair of bills Sept. 22 that relate to privacy surrounding abortion, and a policy expert commented to CNA that the laws highlight the importance of parent-child communication regarding difficult topics such as abortion. 

Some stolen items from Denver parish church recovered

Sep 27, 2021 / 14:49 pm

Several valuable items belonging to a Denver Catholic parish, including the tabernacle and vessels used for Mass, were recovered late last week, after the church was robbed nearly a month ago. 

What’s it like to be Catholic at Harvard?

Sep 27, 2021 / 12:14 pm

Harvard University’s more than 40 chaplains elected an atheist, humanist “chief chaplain” last month. We talk with one of Harvard’s Catholic chaplains about the appointment, and how the Harvard Catholic Center evangelizes a demographic that increasingly identifies as non-religious. A student and recent Harvard alum talk about living their faith on campus.

Scottish Catholics urged to oppose assisted suicide legalization

Sep 27, 2021 / 01:00 am

Scotland’s Catholic bishops are urging opposition to a measure that would legalize assisted suicide, warning that the government ought to “prevent suicide, not assist it.”