Articles by Jonah McKeown
Advocates appeal for Catholic schools amid closures nationwide
Jun 17, 2020 / 14:33 pmAt least 100 Catholic elementary and high schools across the United States will not reopen for the fall semester, with many suffering from low enrollment and decreased donations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
'We Shall Overcome'
Jun 15, 2020 / 00:00 amWe share the stories of two Black Catholics on the path to sainthood.
In trying times, how can Catholics stay hopeful?
Jun 13, 2020 / 02:37 amAmid the worldwide panic surrounding coronavirus and lockdowns, as well as protests and unrest in many parts of the country in recent weeks, it can be easy for people of any faith to ask: Where is God?
‘God chose to call us’: The story of two brothers ordained Catholic priests on the same day
Jun 11, 2020 / 23:02 pmPeyton and Connor Plessala are brothers from Mobile, Alabama. They’re 18 months— one school grade— apart.
‘God is inviting us to be part of the solution’- Black Catholic priests on racism and healing
Jun 10, 2020 / 02:00 amTwo black Catholic priests— one ordained six years, the other 42— shared their thoughts with CNA this week on the sin of racism, and the importance of praying, fasting, and advocating for healing.
Catholic nuns in Hawaii shaken but hopeful after robbery
Jun 8, 2020 / 17:01 pmA community of Dominican nuns in Hawaii is shaken but hopeful after a burglar broke into their convent last week and stole a minivan that the nuns use for their ministry.
“I can’t breathe”
Jun 8, 2020 / 00:00 amThis episode features the voices of a couple Black Catholics. They tell their own stories. They come from different parts of our country and different walks of life. They share their reactions to the death of George Floyd and offering their own reflections on how we as a Church, and we as a nation, can move forward.
George Floyd’s death shows need for ‘sanctity of life’ police training, researcher says
Jun 7, 2020 / 14:54 pmA researcher who studies policing best practices told CNA this week that George Floyd’s arrest and death in Minneapolis reaffirm the need for de-escalation training and, ultimately, a culture of policing that recognizes “the sanctity of all human life.”
Minneapolis archbishop, priests join in prayerful George Floyd protest
Jun 2, 2020 / 16:38 pmMinneapolis clergy, including Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul-Minneapolis, participated in a silent walking protest Tuesday afternoon to the spot where George Floyd died in police custody last week, stopping to pray at the memorial that had been set up for him.
‘Covert White Supremacy’ tweet does not reflect Church’s values, Chicago archdiocese says
Jun 1, 2020 / 14:10 pmA chart detailing “Covert White Supremacy”— which a Chicago archdiocese office shared online amid widespread protests against racism in the city and across the country— was shared without permission and does not reflect the Church’s values, the archdiocese told CNA Monday.
Paradigm Shift
Jun 1, 2020 / 00:00 amWe share stories about major life shifts— stories of people whose lives took a dramatic and unexpected turn from what they were before— and often became better than those people could ever have imagined.
Some experts split from Fauci on Holy Communion recommendation
May 29, 2020 / 07:00 amAs dioceses across the United States start to reopen public Masses, the scientist leading the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic recommended that Catholic Churches ought not resume distribution of Holy Communion. But other medical experts told CNA there are ways that Communion can be distributed safely amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Religious freedom in jeopardy as China passes new Hong Kong ‘security laws’
May 28, 2020 / 12:25 pmA Hong Kong cardinal told CNA that changes to Hong Kong’s status in China could threaten the religious freedom of Catholics and other religious believers.
St. Augustine bishop calls for end to Florida death penalty
May 28, 2020 / 02:00 amAll of Florida’s death row inmates live in the Diocese of St. Augustine. Many are Catholic. At least twice a year St. Augustine’s Bishop Felipe Estevez goes to visit death row inmates himself.
More than just recycling
May 26, 2020 / 00:00 amWe share some stories about the things Pope Francis writes about in his encyclical about the environment.
Laudato si': Atlanta archdiocese’s sustainability efforts 5 years on
May 22, 2020 / 15:58 pmSusan Varlamoff, a retired biologist and parishioner at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, was in 2015 serving as director of the Office of Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia, when she heard that Pope Francis was working on an encyclical on the environment.
NIH head Francis Collins wins Templeton Prize for witness to faith and science
May 20, 2020 / 10:10 amA scientist on the front lines of developing a vaccine for COVID-19 today was selected as the recipient of this year’s Templeton Prize, an award recognizing his contributions to insight about religion through his work as a scientist.
Notre Dame to start fall semester early as colleges weigh in-person options
May 19, 2020 / 23:47 pmThe University of Notre Dame announced this week that students will return to campus in the fall, with the semester starting two weeks earlier than usual and no fall break in order to complete the semester by Thanksgiving.
JPII, who were you?
May 18, 2020 / 00:00 amBiographer George Weigel and a former Swiss Guard detail the legacy of St. John Paul II. An Italian mountaineer talks about the years he spent skiing and hiking with St. John Paul II. Then, we share the story of the time an Iowa farmer invited the pope to visit his state— and the pope did!
Coloradans gather final round of signatures for late-term abortion ban
May 15, 2020 / 10:01 amA coalition of volunteers in Colorado hopes to gather enough signatures in the next two weeks on a petition to put a late-term abortion ban on the November ballot – an effort complicated by restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.