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

A refugee camp in Gaza houses those displaced by the war. Credit: Photo courtesy of Catholic Relief Services

Virtually no aid has reached Gaza for over 40 days, CRS says

Nov 27, 2024 / 14:05 pm

A nearly two-month blockage of supplies into parts of northern Gaza amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war is hampering the aid efforts of Catholic Relief Services.

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Investing with a clear conscience: How should Catholics manage their money?

Nov 25, 2024 / 06:00 am

In today’s complex society, it takes effort to ensure that your hard-earned money, once invested, doesn’t fund the kinds of things that Catholics abhor.

Missouri’s bishops are urging the state to forgo executing a Christopher Collings, who was convicted of the 2007 abduction, rape, torture and murder of a 9-year-old girl. Collings is scheduled to be executed on Dec. 3, 2024. Credit: Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Corrections

Missouri bishops urge state to refrain from executing convicted child-killer next month

Nov 22, 2024 / 15:05 pm

Police said Christopher Collings confessed to killing Rowan Ford after raping her on Nov. 3, 2007. The murder took place in rural Stella, Missouri. 

Shanghai Bishop Joseph Shen Bin speaks to Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin at a Vatican conference on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. Credit: Fabio Gonnella/EWTN

Chinese bishop focused on adapting faith to Communist Party ideals, Shanghai Catholics say

Nov 22, 2024 / 06:00 am

Bishop Joseph Shen Bin of Shanghai recently gave a diocesan seminar Nov. 4–6 about “Sinicization of Religion in Shanghai.”

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No, ‘AI Jesus’ isn’t actually hearing confessions: fact check

Nov 21, 2024 / 15:50 pm

Numerous news reports have said that a new artificially intelligent “Jesus” has begun taking people’s confessions at a Catholic church in Switzerland, but is it true?

St. John’s Cathedral in the Netherlands is lit up for Red Wednesday on Nov. 23, 2022. Credit: Ldhank, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Churches around the world lit up red in honor of persecuted Christians

Nov 21, 2024 / 13:05 pm

Organized by the Christian aid group Aid to the Church in Need International, “Red Week” has been taking place every November since 2016.

The Texas Supreme Court will allow the execution of Robert Roberson, who was convicted of the murder of his infant child, with the ruling coming after a legislative committee attempted in October 2024 to delay the capital sentence by subpoenaing the condemned man. Credit: Innocence Project

Texas Supreme Court allows previously-delayed execution of Robert Roberson to proceed

Nov 19, 2024 / 16:05 pm

The Texas House of Representatives Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence last month issued a subpoena for Robert Roberson to appear before the committee.

Sarah Richardson, a sidewalk counselor with Coalition Life in Carbondale, Illinois. Credit: Photo courtesy of Thomas More Society

Pro-life group asks Supreme Court to throw out abortion ‘buffer zone’ laws

Nov 19, 2024 / 09:15 am

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide whether or not it will take up the case on Nov. 22.

Before being named a commissioner, Brendan Carr was a legal adviser for the Federal Communications Commission and then served as its general counsel. Credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Brendan Carr, CUA Law graduate, tapped to lead Federal Communications Commission

Nov 18, 2024 / 17:15 pm

A graduate of Georgetown University and The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law, Brendan Carr has enjoyed bipartisan support.

A bridge over the Mississippi River near St. Louis. Credit: Checubus/Shutterstock

Missouri abortion amendment: Close vote sparks hope, Catholic leader says

Nov 18, 2024 / 07:00 am

Repeal of Missouri’s abortion amendment remains a possibility, the head of the state’s Catholic conference says.

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Senators cry foul after faith-based groups allegedly frozen out of prison program

Nov 14, 2024 / 15:40 pm

Sens. James Lankford and Gary Peters expressed concern over what they see as a lack of transparency in the Bureau of Prisons selection process for programs.

York Minster, the seat of the archbishop of York, one of the two archbishops within the Church of England. Credit: Jonah McKeown/CNA

What is the Church of England, and who are the Anglicans?

Nov 13, 2024 / 15:05 pm

Here’s what you need to know about the Church of England, the archbishop of Canterbury, and Anglicanism. 

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the primate of all England and leader of the Anglican Communion, announced his resignation on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, saying he takes “personal and institutional responsibility” for the mishandling of a number of high-profile abuse cases in the Anglican Church since taking the reigns in 2013. Credit: Marinella Bandini

Archbishop of Canterbury resigns over handling of abuse cases

Nov 12, 2024 / 13:45 pm

Though not accused of abuse himself, Archbishop Justin Welby was criticized for his response to a number of abuse cases within the church he led.

A view of the November 2024 Mountain Fire taken from Padre Serra Parish in Ventura County, California. Credit: Courtesy of Teresa Runyon

California parish serves as refuge amid damaging wildfire

Nov 11, 2024 / 17:55 pm

The blaze, dubbed the Mountain Fire, erupted last week amid high winds and dry, fire-prone conditions.

St. Joseph Church in the west-central region of Bukit Timah in Singapore. Credit: Actuall7, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Singapore priest stabbed while celebrating Mass

Nov 11, 2024 / 16:05 pm

Father Christopher Lee, a parish priest at St. Joseph Church in the Singapore region of Bukit Timah, was attacked by a knife-wielding man on Saturday.

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Austrian bishop calls antisemitic incident in Amsterdam a ‘deeply alarming sign’

Nov 8, 2024 / 17:40 pm

Following a soccer match Thursday between a Dutch and an Israeli team, at least 10 young men sought out Israeli fans, verbally and physically assaulting them.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House on July 25, 2024, in Washington, D.C. Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Catholic group urges Biden to commute federal death sentences before Trump takes office

Nov 8, 2024 / 14:25 pm

Catholic Mobilizing Network said in a Nov. 6 statement that the federal death penalty is a “broken” system that “does not deter crime or make communities safer.”

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Diocese reverses hymn ban in favor of ‘synodal’ selection of sacred music

Nov 7, 2024 / 17:30 pm

Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri, had listed a dozen contemporary hymns to be “forbidden” in the diocese.

Pro-life protestors hold signs outside the Missouri Supreme Court on Sept. 10, 2024, advocating against Amendment 3. Credit: Courtesy of Thomas More Society

Missouri abortion amendment passes, threatening to overturn pro-life protections

Nov 6, 2024 / 13:45 pm

Missourians voted to overturn the state’s near-ban on abortion and enshrine a provision guaranteeing “reproductive freedom” in the state constitution.

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Paid sick leave proposal passes in Nebraska

Nov 6, 2024 / 13:15 pm

“Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans,” Initiative 436, passed overwhelmingly, with roughly 75% voting in favor.