Catholic Nutshell News: Saturday 4/19/25
Topics include: Sharp increase in converts, Catholic-Orthodox families' shared Easter, Hope in East of Bale, & Detroit no longer able to permit Latin Mass
“We see through new tender verdant pecan leaves”
Today's news sources are Aleteia, CRUX, Catholic News Agency, Our Sunday Visitor, National Catholic Register, Aleteia, and The Catholic Thing. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise their Catholic News Muscle)
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National Catholic Register
Dioceses see sharp increase in converts to Catholic faith
By Matthew McDonald, April 17, 2025
The Diocese of Cleveland expects 812 converts at Eastertime 2025, about 50% higher than in 2024 (542) and about 75% higher than in 2023 (465). It’s so high that the diocese had to move its Rite of Election — during which prospective converts meet with the bishop near the beginning of Lent to declare their intention to join the Church — to the city’s Public Auditorium and Conference Center. The cathedral wasn’t big enough to accommodate the nearly 3,000 attendants, including converts, sponsors, family and friends, according to Nancy Fishburn, the diocese’s executive director of communications. The Register contacted all 175 Latin Rite territorial dioceses and received comparable year-over-year figures from three dozen, showing that significant increases in converts are widespread.
Catholic News Agency
Catholic-Orthodox families celebrate a shared Easter date
By Hannah Brockhaus, April 19, 2025
Father Richard Sofatzis, a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia, also grew up in a mixed Catholic and Orthodox environment, since his father is Greek Orthodox and his mother, who died in 2017, was Catholic. “Unity between ... as John Paul II said, the two lungs of Christianity, East and West, has been something that’s been very dear to me. I’ve prayed for it many times,” Sofatzis told CNA by phone. “I guess I think it’s something we can work towards, aspire to, but it does seem at times very difficult to obtain." The Catholic and Orthodox had split in 1024; the Orthodox countries did not accept the changes to the calendar made by Pope Gregory. And so, the two churches often celebrate major feasts such as Christmas and Easter on different days. There are exceptions when occasionally the calendars align, as for Easter in 2025.
Agenzia Fides
A journey of hope in East of Bale, Ethiopia
By Agenzia Fides, April 19, 2025
"Our adventure began in March 2023, when we visited some villages in Seweyna province, bringing small quantities of essential goods to help combat the famine," said Teresa Zullo, a missionary from the Missionary Community of Villaregia. "Despite the many difficulties and limited aid, we were immediately welcomed with curiosity and sympathy by the village leaders and families. For us, this was a sign that we were on the right path: becoming neighbors and building fraternal relationships.” In June 2023, the turning point came: Seweyna's Women and Children's Office (the provincial social services office) asked for help in combating 'barmatilee' (in the Oromo language, meaning "cultural countervalues"), including female genital mutilation, which sadly affects more than 90% of the female population, and early marriage, which occurs in approximately 60% of cases.
Aleteia
The descent into hell
By Tom Hoopes, April 19, 2025
That Jesus descended into hell is a matter of Catholic dogma — we profess our belief in it every time we say the Apostles’ Creed, and the Church’s liturgy turns to it every Holy Saturday. We repeat it because it is more than just a side detail of the Passion story — it describes a reality in our lives today. God uses signs in the visible world to show us what is happening in the unseen world. Jesus describes hell in a physical way, also, as a “lake of fire.” We picture a lonely, dark, painful place deep in the earth. But this is a powerful description of a reality that isn’t geographical. “By the expression ‘He descended into hell’, the Apostles’ Creed confesses that Jesus did really die and through his death for us conquered death and the devil ‘who has the power of death,’” it says, then adds, “He opened heaven's gates for the just who had gone before him” (CCC 636)
CatholicVote
Archdiocese of Detroit no longer able to permit Latin Mass
By Grace Porto, April 16, 2025
In light of the Holy See’s directives in Traditiones Custodes, the Archdiocese of Detroit announced April 16 that its parish churches are no longer permitted to celebrate the traditional Latin Mass; however, the archbishop is working to find alternative local locations for it to be celebrated. The archdiocese explained in the announcement that in 2021. Archbishop Edward Weisenburger, who became Detroit’s archbishop in February, recently met with priests and shared several updates on celebrating the Latin Mass in the archdiocese. “The Holy See has reserved for itself the ability to allow the Traditional Latin Mass to be celebrated in parish churches,” the announcement explained. “Local bishops no longer possess the ability to permit this particular liturgy in a parish church.
CRUX
Vance, top Vatican aides discussed migration & religious freedom
By Elise Ann Allen, April 19, 2025
During United States Vice President JD Vance’s first official state visit to the Vatican, he and top officials discussed a variety of issues of bilateral interest, including the hot-button topic of migration, global conflicts, and political tensions. Vance arrived in Italy Friday, April 18, meeting that same day with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and attending a Good Friday Passion service with his family in St. Peter’s Basilica. “During the cordial talks, satisfaction was expressed for the good existing bilateral relations between the Holy See and the United States of America, and the common commitment to protect the right to freedom of religion and conscience was reiterated,” the Vatican’s statement said.
The PILLAR
Parallels of Caravaggio to Netflix series Adolescence are striking
By Elizabeth Lev, April 16, 2025
Struggling through the painful yet captivating four episodes of the hit Netflix series “Adolescence,” I was struck by several parallels to the Baroque bad boy Caravaggio, especially as Rome prepares to receive an estimated million young people for the Jubilee of Adolescents beginning on April 25. “Adolescence” chronicles the events surrounding the murder of teenage Katie Leonard by her 13-year-old schoolmate Jamie Miller. A turbulent teen himself, Caravaggio would appear to have more in common with the troubled young Jamie Miller than edifying answers to the hard questions the show raises. The choice to cast Jamie as a white boy, a product of married middle-class parents, has forced conversations to sidestep the thorny questions of race and social strata, and to focus attention on this critical moment of adolescence.
The Times of Israel
AI might solve enigmas of ancient Christian scripts in Aramaic
By Rossella Tercatin, April 19, 2025
For nearly 2,000 years, Near East Christian communities have used Syriac, an Aramaic dialect, as their liturgical and cultural language. Over the centuries, they produced an extensive corpus of manuscripts that included passages from biblical texts, philosophical treatises, classical literature, and theological commentaries, whose purpose often remains obscure to modern scholars. Now, an Israeli researcher has harnessed computational technology to showcase how the scribes compiling the documents made active editorial choices, shaping the knowledge for future generations and serving a role comparable to that of the redactors of another foundational Aramaic work from Late Antiquity: the Jewish Talmud.
From CNA & Big Pulpit to Satire for 4/19/25
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — April 19, 2025
Catholic News Agency provides reliable, free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, emphasizing the words of the Holy Father and happenings of the Holy See to anyone with access to the internet.
Texas bishops hail passage of school choice bill in state Legislature - Apr 19, 2025 - By María J. Moriarty - The bill would create a $1 billion Education Savings Account program, giving eligible families up to $10,000 per student.
Rome’s ancient Colosseum hosts Way of the Cross with pope’s theme of renewal - Apr 18, 2025 - By AC Wimmer - Cardinal Baldassare Reina carried the cross on behalf of Pope Francis, who remains in recovery from pneumonia but whose spiritual presence was palpably felt through his powerful meditations.
On Good Friday, Vatican preacher says authentic intelligence is found in self-giving love - Apr 18, 2025 - By Hannah Brockhaus - Rather than an “artificial” intelligence, Christ’s death teaches us the authentic “intelligence of the cross,” which is the freedom to choose self-giving love in relationship with God and others.
The Big Pulpit
Tito Edwards Catholic blogger site: April 19, 2025
The Big Pulpit website is an intelligent news aggregator offering quality insight & analysis on the Catholic Church worldwide. Here are Chief Editor Tito Edward’s top recommendations for today.
We All Killed Him – Kennedy Hall at Crisis Magazine
Young People Are Converting to Catholicism En Masse – New York Post
This Easter, the Church Is Rising from the Grave – Sebastian Morello at Euro Conservative
Good Friday, Good news, and the Young – Peter Wolfgang at Catholic Culture
Babylon Bee’s Satire News
Pontius Pilate Sure Glad That Whole ‘Jesus’ Ordeal Is Done With
By Scripture Staff, March 30, 2024
After a difficult week subduing mobs and navigating political landmines, Governor Pontius Pilate was relieved on Saturday to finally have the whole "Jesus of Nazareth" ordeal over and done with for good. "Whew, glad that's behind me," said Pilate as he washed his hands once more. "I'm sure this will all blow over in a week or so. I was starting to worry this 'Jesus' episode might end up really coming back to haunt me." Though Pilate disagreed with the decision to crucify Jesus, he readily admitted that Jesus' death helped avoid a stain on his governorship that could make its way into the history books. "I really dodged a stone there," said Pilate. However, Pontius Pilate's wife began rehearsing the "I told you so" speech she would repeat every day for the next few millennia.
Nutshell reflections for 4/19/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection - AUDIO & VIDEO - April 19, 2025
Holy Saturday the Easter Vigil - Holy Night of Easter
Word on Fire
‘Being dead with the dead God’
By Dr. Richard Clements, April 19, 2025
Darkness. Dust. Silence. Solitude. Passivity. Powerlessness. Joylessness. The deprivation of all strength and vitality. To be, but to “be” in such a condition as to be deprived of everything but being itself. To be, but to “be” as if one were not. Such are the descriptions of the realm of the dead (Sheol/Hades) in the Old Testament, and such was the realm to which Jesus went on Holy Saturday. During his earthly life, Jesus had been in solidarity with the living; on Holy Saturday, he entered into solidarity with the dead, so that he might forge a path for his fellow human beings out of the realm of death and into eternal life with God the Father.
The Catholic Thing
The world has a far stronger influence than the Church
By David G Bonagura, Jr., April 19, 2025
Today, with multitudes of Catholics uncatechized, unchurched, and inundated by anti-religious messaging, questions about the faith have a certain cast. First, they often begin, “How do we know that...?” The formulation suggests not disbelief or hostility, but puzzlement and fear. It’s as if they want to believe, yet, like Thomas on Easter Sunday, they want an empirical guarantee. This refusal to trust — whether God or others — is the pox of Modernity that has destroyed faith in God and faith in reason. Modernity promised individual freedom; it instead brought paralysis and depression. Catholics do not realize this, but the world has a far stronger influence than the Church on how most of us perceive the faith.
Bishop Barron
Fear of death broods over us like a cloud
By Bishop Robert Barron, April 19, 2025
We know that God’s deepest intention for us is life, and life to the full. He wants death not to have the final word; he wants a renewal of the heavens and the earth.
Therefore, we have to stop living in the intellectual and spiritual space of death. We have to stop living intellectually in a world dominated by death and the fear of death. We have to adjust our attitudes to respond properly to what God really intends for us and the world. Though we rarely admit it, we live in a death-haunted space. The fear of death broods over us like a cloud and conditions all of our thoughts and actions. What if we believed, deep down, that death did not have the final word? Would we live in such fear, in such a cramped spiritual space?
First Things
Are the ‘Tech Bros’ worse than ‘Queer Theorists’?
By Carl R. Trueman, April 17, 2025
Last week, two signs of our times passed across my desk. First, a colleague drew my attention to the forthcoming volume A Queer Lectionary: (Im)proper Readings from the Margins—Year A. This is scarcely the first book to attempt to connect queer theory to the Christian life positively, but the task seems a rather hopeless one. In the wider world, queer theory may well have had its day. On the same day, a student alerted me to the claims that a genetic tech company had brought the ‘dire wolf’ back from extinction. The significance of this venture lies not so much in resurrecting extinct species, but in the godlike power it grants human beings. The role of the so-called Tech Bros in the current political climate is very disturbing. The abolition of man comes in many forms. But the potential chaos presented by what is happening in the technological sphere is just as significant
Image of Pecans by tseiu from Pixabay
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