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

New priest blesses his sister, a nun: 'It's been a real privilege and a joy'

Jun 7, 2021 / 16:00 pm

It is customary for a newly-ordained priest to impart a first blessing. For Father Matthew Breslin, who was ordained May 29, his first blessing was especially poignant, as he bestowed it on Sr. Mary Strength of Martyrs, his natural sister.

Perpetual adoration chapel will be a 'spiritual gamechanger' for New York City, priest says

Jun 5, 2021 / 06:01 am

A perpetual adoration chapel slated to open next spring will bring spiritual healing and revitalization to Manhattan, according to a Dominican priest overseeing the project. 

Hong Kong advocacy organization condemns China's refusal to allow commemoration of Tiananmen Square protests

Jun 3, 2021 / 17:01 pm

An organization aiming to support the democratic movement and religious freedom in Hong Kong spoke out on Thursday against China’s continued refusal to allow Hong Kongers to hold a candlelight vigil on the 32nd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Nuns producing Communion hosts adapt, as pandemic decimates industry

Jun 2, 2021 / 13:00 pm

A community of Benedictine nuns known for inventing and distributing low-gluten Communion hosts has seen their business decimated by the pandemic, as the widespread suspension of public Masses last year led to a drop in demand for hosts nationwide. 

Michigan high school valedictorian allowed to reference Jesus in graduation speech

Jun 1, 2021 / 13:30 pm

A Michigan high school valedictorian will be allowed to reference her Christian faith in her upcoming graduation speech, after being advised by her school principal to omit religious references in her address. 

Los Angeles clergy celebrate Mass for unaccompanied migrant children

May 26, 2021 / 19:03 pm

Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles have been celebrating Masses this month for hundreds of unaccompanied migrant children housed in large temporary shelters. 

Proposed change to brain death laws draws criticism from some doctors, ethicists

May 18, 2021 / 16:18 pm

A proposed change to U.S. law concerning the determination of brain death has drawn criticism from a group of doctors, lawyers, and philosophers, who say that the proposed changes, among other things, could lead to incorrect diagnoses of brain death in patients who are in fact still alive. 

New EWTN documentary on Bl. Carlo Acutis available to watch for free

May 7, 2021 / 11:00 am

A new documentary about Blessed Carlo Acutis, the first millennial to be beatified by the Catholic Church, is available to watch for free this month.

Illinois bishops urge support for school choice measure, while Nebraska bill fails

May 5, 2021 / 11:00 am

Illinois bishops are urging Catholics in the state to support a scholarship program funded by donations with tax credit incentives - tax credits that the governor intends to cut. 

Former altar boy buys Akron church: ‘I’ll make sure it’s still taken care of’

May 4, 2021 / 10:24 am

A former altar boy with close family ties to a former Catholic parish in Akron, Ohio, now has a different connection to the church’s edifice: he owns it. 

New online course aims to foster devotion to St. Joseph

May 3, 2021 / 16:00 pm

A new online course to be offered by the Archdiocese of Denver this summer will aim to teach lessons from St. Joseph, in honor of the ongoing Year of St. Joseph. 

Owensboro priest's faculties reinstated by CDF 

Apr 29, 2021 / 20:01 pm

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has reinstated the faculties of a priest of the Diocese of Owensboro despite two allegations of sexual abuse of a minor that the diocesan review board deemed “substantiated” in 2019.  

What Catholics should know about brain death 

Apr 22, 2021 / 04:01 am

While the moment of human conception— the beginning of life— is well-understood and observed from a scientific standpoint, the exact moment of death can be harder to pin down.

Former Cincinnati auxiliary bishop’s role with Catholic school undetermined, as parents express concerns

Apr 16, 2021 / 14:11 pm

Parents at St. John the Baptist School in Hamilton County, Ohio expressed concern this week about former Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Binzer, who resigned and apologized last year after failing to report concerns about a priest to the archbishop, being assigned to pastor two churches associated with the school. 

Arkansas gender-transition ban praised for protecting kids

Apr 8, 2021 / 21:19 pm

The legislature of Arkansas on April 6 overrode a veto from the governor of a bill outlawing gender-transition procedures, including surgeries and hormone treatments, for minors in the state. 

Utah to require fathers to pay for half of pregnancy costs

Apr 6, 2021 / 18:19 pm

A new law in Utah will require fathers to pay for half of the mother’s cost of pregnancy, making Utah the first state to mandate prenatal child support from the father. 

Bishop Paprocki explores link between physical and spiritual fitness in new book

Apr 5, 2021 / 04:16 am

Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois doesn’t generally introduce himself as a runner. His first love is hockey, which, at nearly 70 years old, he still plays regularly. He even coaches the goalkeepers at a local Catholic high school. 

The next hundred years of St. John Paul II’s legacy

Apr 2, 2021 / 13:00 pm

Pope St. John Paul II— who would have turned 100 years old May 18— was a man of great humility, whose nearly 27-year pontificate nevertheless left a lasting impression on the Catholic Church and the world, according to his biographer and others who knew the man.

Ever ancient, ever new

Mar 29, 2021 / 19:36 pm

In celebration of Holy Week, CNA's Senior Rome Correspondent Hannah Brockhaus explores a few of the Church's earliest pilgrimage traditions in Rome— and how they are celebrated today. Then, Producer Jonah McKeown talks with an expert in sacred music about some of the hymns you won't hear at Easter Mass this year, and why.

Eric Talley funeral: Catholic father of seven ‘died a hero’

Mar 29, 2021 / 14:18 pm

A funeral Mass was held Monday in Denver for Officer Eric Talley, a Catholic father of seven who was killed while responding to last week’s mass shooting at a grocery store in Boulder, CO.