From left to right: Auxiliary Bishop of the Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region Matthew G. Elshoff, St. Monica pastor Father Lloyd Torgerson, and Corpus Christi pastor Monsignor Liam Kidney celebrate Mass at St. Monica Church with Corpus Christi’s surviving tabernacle next to the altar on Jan. 12, 2025. / Credit: Paul Escala

Seattle, Wash., Jan 14, 2025 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

A lone tabernacle that survived the blaze at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Pacific Palisades has come to epitomize hope for countless families devastated by Southern California’s sweeping wildfires. Despite flames that consumed entire buildings, the metallic container — housing the Eucharist — remained nearly untouched.

“It was covered in soot but preserved,” said Paul Escala, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. “That, to me, is a miraculous sign that even when everything is lost, Christ remains.”

At least two dozen people have died in the fires, fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds and severe drought conditions. Officials estimate thousands of homes and other structures, including churches, were destroyed or severely damaged. 

Initially, more than 100 Catholic schools throughout the archdiocese closed out of safety concerns, a figure that dropped to fewer than 20 by the following Monday, according to Escala.

Pacific Palisades and Altadena are among the hardest-hit regions. Corpus Christi Catholic Church is now reduced to rubble, and entire neighborhoods around it have been wiped out. 

St. Elizabeth School in Altadena has also seen massive disruption, prompting the archdiocese to identify “bridge locations” where displaced families can gather until rebuilding can begin.

Despite the devastation, volunteers have organized swiftly. 

Monsignor Liam Kidney reminded parishioners at a recent Mass — held at nearby St. Monica’s Church, which is sheltering the displaced community — that “the building is not the Church. We are the Church.”

Across Southern California, Catholics have turned parish halls and school gyms into makeshift donation centers. Ascension of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Andrew’s in Pasadena have collected clothing, toiletries, blankets, and toys, while Loyola High School in Los Angeles converted Caruso Hall into a relief station, offering meals, showers, and spare clothing. American Martyrs School in Manhattan Beach opened additional classroom seats to children who lost their homes. 

Donations have poured in from dioceses nationwide. “Toledo, Kansas City, Richmond; you name it,” Escala noted. “People are asking how to help, offering gift cards, trucks of supplies, or even to sponsor entire classrooms. A deacon in Missouri plans to drive donated items here himself. It’s humbling.” 

The archdiocese launched a Wildfire Victims Relief Fund, while Catholic Charities USA continues to collect donations for food, clothing, and temporary housing. Escala’s office is also finalizing a scholarship program so families who lost homes or jobs can keep their children enrolled in Catholic schools.

Some communities narrowly escaped total destruction. 

In Altadena, Deacon José Luis Díaz and parishioners at Sacred Heart Church beat back approaching flames with a single garden hose. “We barely had water pressure,” Díaz told Angelus News, the archdiocese’s media outlet, “but we did whatever we could, and it worked.” 

Elsewhere, the 83-acre Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre lost its garage, hermitage, and parts of its gardens but remained partially standing. “Our faith is tested on fire,” wrote center director Father Febin Barose on social media. “We are pilgrims of hope… We will recover and be back serving you again.”

Archbishop José Gomez underscored the spirit of resilience at a special Mass on Jan. 9 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. 

“Thousands of our neighbors have lost everything,” he said. “We are reminded how precious every life is, and how fragile. We must be instruments of compassion.”

Escala emphasized that many Catholics do not wait for instructions; they respond spontaneously with donations, shelter, and other relief. “They know what to do,” he said, “and they just do it.”

null / Credit: Freedom Studio/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jan 14, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

The Catholic bishops’ pro-life chair called for forgiveness of women who have had abortions ahead of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, reminding the faithful that “no sin is beyond God’s unfathomable mercy.”

Jan. 22 marks the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling that effectively legalized abortion nationwide in the United States. Though Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022 — leaving legal decisions about abortion to the states — its effects can still be felt across the United States.

Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called on Catholics to observe Jan. 22 as “a day of prayer and penance.”

“As we prayerfully continue the essential work of restoring full legal protection of all preborn children and supporting parents facing difficult pregnancies, we also recognize our need for asking forgiveness and healing from the Lord for when we have given in to the culture of death,” he said in a USCCB press release. 

Thomas also offered a consoling message to the parents of children who died by abortion. 

“To the parents of children who have died by abortion, I am deeply sorry for your loss. Know that our Lord loves you as his daughters and sons no matter your actions,” Thomas said. “No sin is beyond his unfathomable mercy.” 

“Abortion inflicts deep and lasting wounds on society but more directly on individuals and families,” Thomas continued. “Many mothers and fathers may feel they have no choice except abortion. Some are pressured or coerced.” 

“No matter the circumstances of the abortion, we must recognize the often-silent grief of parents for their child and their despair of being worthy of the love and forgiveness of God and others.”

Thomas encouraged the faithful to turn to hope amid the jubilee year, centered on the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.” 

“Hope allows those who have been involved in abortion to turn to God and repent, confident that he will forgive and make them whole,” Thomas said. 

“This Jan. 22 and beyond, we need to be reassured that Jesus himself, who is the source of our hope, was first wounded for our offenses and suffered for every sin of ours, including abortion.”

Thomas invited families suffering from wounds due to abortion to “seek support” from the Church’s various ministries, such as the healing ministry Project Rachel. Project Rachel offers grief support after losing a child by abortion. Many other resources exist for those facing unplanned pregnancies, including local crisis pregnancy centers and maternity homes for pregnant women and women with young children. 

Thomas also invited those who are Catholic to seek out the sacrament of reconciliation. 

“Jesus greatly desires our repentant hearts and invites us into an encounter with him. For Catholics, the sacrament of reconciliation is always available for those seeking God’s forgiveness, hope, and peace.” 

The bishop called on Catholics everywhere to pray for those suffering from the wounds of abortion. 

“Please join me in praying that God will fill the hearts of mothers and fathers suffering the emotional and psychological wounds from abortion with the hope of forgiveness that only he can give,” Thomas said.

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin arrives prior to a Mass for the consecration of the church at the site of Jesus’ baptism on Jan. 10, 2025, in Al-Maghtas, Jordan. Pope Francis appointed Parolin as papal legate to consecrate the Church of the Baptism of Jesus at Al-Maghtas, also known as “Bethany Beyond the Jordan.” Parolin met with 14 Middle East pontifical representatives in Jordan on Jan. 13, 2025, to discuss challenges in the region including ongoing hostilities there. / Credit: Salah Malkawi/Getty Images

Rome Newsroom, Jan 14, 2025 / 09:35 am (CNA).

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin met with 14 Middle East pontifical representatives in Jordan on Monday to discuss challenges in the region including ongoing hostilities there.

Parolin met with the papal representatives of Bahrain, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, and Yemen.

According to a Jan. 13 statement from the Holy See, Parolin met with the religious leaders to discuss the current crises affecting the region, including the need for Christians to address the serious political and humanitarian situations affecting the countries’ populations.

“Hope was expressed that there would soon be a cessation of hostilities on all fronts and that the Middle East could be a land of peace,” the statement read.

“Christians remain an essential element of fraternal coexistence among the various religions and of the progress of the respective nations,” the statement continued.

Parolin’s meeting with the Middle East representatives comes days after his participation in the Jan. 10 consecration of the Church of the Baptism of Jesus at Al-Maghtas — the historic baptismal site of Our Lord also known as “Bethany Beyond the Jordan.”

During the Jan. 10 Mass celebration, Parolin reiterated Pope Francis’ desire for the whole Church to be closely united with Christian communities of the Middle East.

Vatican News reported the pope’s secretary of state also had a phone call with Lebanon’s new President-elect Joseph Aoun.

“His Eminence [Parolin] congratulated him on his election to the presidency of the republic and extended his best wishes, assuring him of his prayers,” Vatican News reported, quoting a Holy See Press Office statement.

Aoun, a Maronite Catholic, is the only Christian national leader in the Middle East region. Prior to his Jan. 9 election Lebanon had been without a president since October 2022.

In 2024, Pope Francis used his Dec. 1 Angelus address to invite Catholics to pray especially for peace for peoples in Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, and Syria, which have been impacted by political turmoil, violence, displacement, and inadequate access to humanitarian assistance.

During the Dec. 1 address, the pontiff also included an urgent plea for Lebanese authorities to elect a president “immediately” and promote the country’s role in the region to be an “example of peaceful coexistence between different religions” in the region.

Pope Francis greets pilgrims from his wheelchair during the Saturday jubilee audience in the Vatican’s audience hall on Jan. 11, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Madrid, Spain, Jan 14, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

“Hope,” the autobiography of Pope Francis, hit the shelves of Italian bookstores Tuesday and will be on sale starting Jan. 16 in more than 100 countries.

The book marks the first time a pope has provided a first-person narration of the episodes that have marked his entire life, in this case from his childhood in Argentina in a family of Italian immigrants to becoming the successor of St. Peter.

Published by Random House in its 320-page English edition, the book is the result of six years of work and was written with the collaboration of journalist Carlo Musso, who helped the Holy Father tell his story.

In addition to his memoirs, in the book the pope takes up issues such as war and peace, immigration, the environmental crisis, social policy, sexuality, and the future of the Catholic Church. All of this under the rubric of hope, a theme that is also being highlighted during the 2025 Jubilee.

In a recent interview, Pope Francis said the book was originally planned to be published following his death. “But since I’m not dying (he laughs), they’re afraid that it will lose relevance and they decided to do it now,” the Holy Father explained last December in a conversation with Argentine journalist Bernarda Llorente.

The pontiff, according to the excerpts released by the publishing house, begins his memoirs with an episode that marked his destiny: the sinking of the transatlantic ship Princesa Mafalda, known as the “Italian Titanic.”

His grandparents, together with his father, Mario, bought tickets to sail on the ship that left Genoa on Oct. 11, 1927, bound for Buenos Aires. However, they ultimately didn’t board the vessel because they were unable to sell their belongings in time. “That’s why I am here now; you can’t imagine how many times I have thanked Divine Providence for it,” the pontiff recounts in his autobiography.

He also brings up memories from his childhood at “531 Membrillar Street” in the Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires, as well as the friendships he forged there, including with a prostitute known as “La Parota,” who decided to change her life and leave the streets to care for the elderly.

‘Healthy irony’ as a medicine to counter narcissism

The Holy Father devotes a large amount of space in his autobiography to reflecting on the value of a sense of humor to deal with sadness and “healthy irony” as a medicine to counter narcissism.

“Irony is medicine, not only to elevate and enlighten others but also for oneself, because self-irony is a powerful tool to overcome the temptation of narcissism. Narcissists continually look in the mirror, they get all primped up, they observe themselves over and over again, but the best advice in front of a mirror is always to laugh at oneself. It will do us good,” the pope comments in the book.

Throughout its pages, the reader will even find some jokes told by the pope himself. The Italian newspaper Avvenire gave a preview of one of them:

“And they also told me one that concerns me directly, that of Pope Francis in America. It goes more or less like this: As soon as he lands at the New York airport for his apostolic trip to the United States, Pope Francis finds an enormous limousine waiting for him. He is a little embarrassed by all that pomp, but then he thinks that he hasn’t driven in ages, and never a car like that, and in short he says to himself: Well, when will I get another chance? He looks at the limousine and asks the driver: ‘Would you let me try it?’ And the driver: ‘Look, I’m really sorry, Your Holiness, but I just can’t do it, you know the procedures, the protocols…’ 

“But you know how they say the pope is when he gets something into his head; in short he insists and insists, until the guy gives in. Pope Francis then gets behind the wheel on one of those major streets and ... gets a taste for it, starts to press on the accelerator: going 50, 80, 120... Until a siren is heard and a police car pulls up alongside him and stops him. 

“A young policeman approaches the tinted window, the slightly intimidated pope rolls it down and the man turns pale. ‘Excuse me a minute,’ he says, and goes back to his car to call the station. ‘Chief... I think I have a problem.’ And the chief says, ‘What problem?’ ‘Well, I stopped a car for speeding... but there’s a really important guy in it.’ ‘How important? Is he the mayor?’ ‘No, chief, more than the mayor...’ ‘And who is more than the mayor? The governor?’ ‘No, more...’ ‘But is he the president?’ ‘More, I think...’ ‘And who could possibly be more important than the president?’ ‘Look, chief, I don’t know exactly who he is, but I’ll just tell you that the pope is his chauffeur!’”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Aerial view from Flores Island, Indonesia. / Credit: Livre Partida/Shutterstock

Rome Newsroom, Jan 14, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Indonesian Archbishop Paulus Budi Kleden, SVD, has spoken out against government-backed geothermal projects in Flores, the country’s most Catholic island located in East Nusa Tenggara.

According to UCA News, Indonesia’s Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry designated Flores a “geothermal spot” in 2017, identifying 16 project sites on the island in spite of strong opposition from local villagers.

“After hearing testimonies from several people, from Sokoria and Mataloko, and discussions with several priests, I have decided to reject geothermal projects in three vicariates,” Kleden said in a Jan. 10 video message.

Kleden, who became archbishop of Ende in August 2024, said residents have complained of the depletion of water springs in Sokoria and hot mud eruptions in Mataloko, UCA News reported.   

Kleden is the first Indonesian archbishop to speak out publicly against the government’s energy plans in Flores, insisting that the projects have triggered a life-threatening “ecological disaster” on the island.

In addition to encouraging priests in the Ende Archdiocese to take a stand against the social and environmental harm caused by mining activities, Kleden said local residents should be encouraged to seek appropriate legal advice to protect their land.

The Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Commission (JPIC) of the Franciscans and Divine Word congregations — who are both active and outspoken about mining in Flores — welcomed moves by the Indonesian government to protect environmental activists in September 2024 following violent 2023 protests in Poco Leok that involved Catholic student activists and Indigenous communities calling for the protection of customary land in Flores.

Father Simon Suban Tukan, JPIC coordinator for the Society of the Divine Word in West Flores, told UCA News that the new law is important to protect the rights of environmental activists who feel threatened by a “government agenda that emphasizes investment.” 

Besides religious institutions, international organizations have also responded to the mounting local opposition against geothermal plans in Flores. In October 2023, the World Bank canceled its financial support for one project on the island.

The Amerigo Vespucci Italian naval ship. / Credit: Superchilum, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, Jan 13, 2025 / 17:15 pm (CNA).

The Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian naval ship named after the 15th-century explorer that inspired the name “America,” has been designated a 2025 Jubilee church.

Archbishop Santo Marcianò of the Military Ordinariate of Italy officially designated the ship as a jubilee church for 2025, according to a Jan. 9 statement from the ship’s press office.

He explained that the ship’s chaplain, Don Mauro Medaglini, “will have the task of accompanying the sailors in this precious time of the jubilee. During its long navigation, the Vespucci has always had the presence of several chaplains who have alternated, silently but very effectively, accompanying the spiritual life of the crew, and they will do so in a particular way in this year of the Jubilee of Hope.”

The ship, which dates back to 1931, has been touring the world as a cultural ambassador for Italy since July 2023. During its journey, the Amerigo Vespucci has stopped in places including Los Angeles; Tokyo; Mumbai, India; Doha, Qatar; and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, among others. 

Despite not having a designated chapel onboard, the ship’s chaplain is able to celebrate Mass on the quarterdeck, a structure raised above the deck, when weather permits, or in an atrium inside.

The statement said that the Amerigo Vespucci will be a jubilee site “for sacred pilgrimages and for pious visits among its missions at sea.”

“The church that lives among the military also wants to establish signs during the jubilee year that express that hope that the church and the world await from God, and which God entrusts to the military world,” Marcianò said on the designation. “These certainly include the sacred jubilee sites, through which our military can attain the spiritual benefits originating from the jubilee indulgence.”

One way Catholics can obtain a plenary indulgence during the jubilee year is by making a pilgrimage to their cathedral or to another church or shrine selected by the local bishop. Other ways include making a pilgrimage to Rome, praying in certain churches in Rome, performing works of mercy, fasting from social media, and volunteering.

Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario Murillo (left) and her husband, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega / Credit: Inti Ocon/AFP via Getty Images

ACI Prensa Staff, Jan 13, 2025 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

The new year has seen the Nicaraguan dictatorship cancel the legal personhood of 15 nonprofit organizations, adding to the more than 5,400 nongovernmental organizations shut down since 2018 by the regime of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and “co-president,” Rosario Murillo.

The official government newspaper La Gaceta announced on Jan. 8 the “voluntary dissolution” of 11 of these organizations, including Save the Children and the Dominican Nuns Foundation of Nicaragua.

According to its website, Save the Children has been working in the Central American country since 1986. “Save the Children’s work in Nicaragua centers on four program areas: education, health and nutrition, child rights governance, and child protection in addition to having the ability to respond to potential humanitarian situations,” the organization indicated, adding that it had 46 people working in Managua and Matagalpa.

Also among the 11 organizations that were “voluntarily dissolved” are the Ebenezer Christian Missionary Foundation, the Fundamental Baptist Church Association of Matagalpa, and the Help for Nicaragua Foundation.

Four of the 15 organizations were canceled “for failing to comply with their obligations”: the Nicaraguan House of Spirituality, Culture, History, Anthropology, Archaeology, and Art Foundation; the Comprehensive Services Association for Women; the Christ Is Coming Pentecost Ministry Foundation; and the Río Prinzapolka Foundation.

The decision to cancel the 15 organizations was made known through two ministerial agreements approved by the minister of the interior, María Amelia Coronel Kinloch.

In 2024, the dictatorship canceled approximately 1,700 nonprofit organizations. On Aug. 19 of last year alone, the dictatorship closed a total of 1,500 organizations, of which 678 were Christian, including Catholic and evangelical entities.

In its 2025 global report, the evangelical organization International Christian Concern charged that the dictatorship has used the Ministry of the Interior to persecute “hundreds of churches, aid groups, and other religious organizations” and had closed down 315 religious organizations in 2023.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Devout Catholic and pro-life advocate Congressman Chris Smith will be honored at the 2025 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast held in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 28. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the office of Rep. Chris Smith

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 13, 2025 / 15:20 pm (CNA).

Devout Catholic and pro-life advocate Congressman Chris Smith will be honored at this year’s National Catholic Prayer Breakfast held in Washington, D.C.

The New Jersey representative will receive the organization’s annual Christifideles Laici Award at the 20th National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 28. Previous recipients of the award include religious freedom advocate Jimmy Lai; legal scholar Helen M. Alvaré; attorney and policy expert Mary Rice Hasson; and former U.S. Attorney General William Barr.

The Christifideles Laici Award was founded in 2019 by the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast to highlight the “good works” of those in service of the Church, according to the organization’s website. The award itself is an original work commissioned by the organization from the classical artist Isaac Dell and is inscribed with the words “In Honor and Gratitude for Fidelity to the Church, Exemplary Selfless and Steadfast Service in the Lord’s Vinyard.”

Smith is currently in his 22nd term in the U.S. House of Representatives for New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District, serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and has been a tireless defender of those suffering from religious persecution and human trafficking.

A staunch advocate of the pro-life cause, Smith is among the confirmed speakers at the March for Life this year along with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Live Action Founder Lila Rose.

Late last year, Smith told CNA in an interview following a Mass celebrated in the U.S. Capitol that he and his wife, Marie, share a particular devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and that his office “places all of our pro-life and human rights work under her mantle.” 

“I do a lot on the human rights issue,” he said at the time, “and every bit of it, we turn to her and pray, you know, and ask her for guidance.” 

Smith told CNA he has a life-sized replica of the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe hanging in his office. “I’m amazed at how many people I meet — because I meet with diplomats all the time because of my human rights work and my committee assignments — they always take note of [the tilma].”

“I find there’s such devotion, particularly with the Latin Americans who come in — they look at [the tilma] and it’s instant,” he said. “And so this is, of course, a celebration of her, [and] the whole story of Juan Diego, and the whole story of, you know, 8 to 9 million people converting from human sacrifice and worshipping gods is such an amazing story of conversion and repair of souls.”

The New York State Capitol in Albany, New York. / Credit: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, Jan 13, 2025 / 14:50 pm (CNA).

New York’s Catholic bishops are supporting a proposal from Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul to increase the state’s child tax credit — an effort to address New York’s stubbornly high child poverty rate, which has exceeded the national average for over a decade.

In an announcement last week, Hochul proposed an annual tax credit of up to $1,000 per child under age 4 and up to $500 per child from 4 through 16, roughly doubling the average credit disbursed by the state to families from $472 to $943. The existing state credit provides up to $330 per child.

Kristen Curran, director of government relations for the New York State Catholic Conference, expressed support on behalf of the state’s Catholic bishops for the proposal, saying it would provide “important relief” to an estimated 1.6 million families.

“For more than 20 years, the New York State Catholic Conference has championed the issue of child tax credits. This initiative is a powerful way to walk with moms in need, support working families, and help lift children out of poverty,” Curran said in a Jan. 7 statement.

“Working class families will be better positioned to navigate the cost-of-living crisis and provide for their children. It is critical that the child tax credit apply to babies, starting at birth. We are glad to see that coverage as part of this proposal.”

In 2022, the latest year figures are available, the child poverty rate in New York was nearly 19% — a figure that exceeds the national average and has since 2011. The figure is also at least six percentage points higher than any state it borders and ranks New York in the top 10 nationwide for child poverty, according to the state comptroller. 

Curran urged lawmakers to pass the increased child tax credit, framing it as a vital step toward strengthening the community and state.

“Now more than ever, it is imperative that we address the affordability crisis to help parents as they raise their children. We urge all lawmakers to support this initiative,” she concluded.

“When we join together to lift up the most vulnerable, we are strengthened as a community and as a state. The governor can count on the strong support of the New York State Catholic Conference for this pro-family proposal.”

At the federal level, the current child tax credit allows parents and guardians to claim their dependent children on their tax forms, granting a tax break of up to $2,000. Up to $1,600 of that credit may be “refundable,” meaning taxpayers can receive cash payments for the credit.

A bipartisan effort to increase the tax credit from the current refundable amount of $1,600 to $2,000 per child in 2025 failed to pass the Senate in August. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has been a staunch advocate for the bill’s passage, sending a message ahead of the vote encouraging the faithful to urge senators to vote in favor of the measure.

The 2021 American Rescue Plan briefly expanded the credit to $3,600 and made it fully refundable; that law also allowed parents to claim half of the refundable sum in advance monthly payments. Those new rules expired after that year.

The Dominican House of Studies has a bell in its Washington, D.C., priory for the first time in 120 years. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Dominican House of Studies

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 13, 2025 / 14:20 pm (CNA).

The Priory of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., celebrated an exciting new addition this past weekend.

One hundred and 20 years after its founding in 1905, the Dominican House of Studies finally has a bell for its tower.

The friars celebrated the blessing of their new bell on Sunday morning in the Academic Courtyard of the priory. A Mass for the Baptism of the Lord followed the blessing, according to the priory’s website.

The roughly 980-pound bell was cast in 1929 in Watervliet, New York, by the Meneely Bell Foundry, according to Father Gregory Schnakenberg, OP, and is set to be installed in the coming weeks.

“Whether friars thought it unnecessary (we do live across the street from one of the most beautiful bell carillons in America) or we simply lacked the resources, today we dedicated our new bell,” Father Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP, wrote in a post on Instagram. 

Briscoe also revealed in the post that the new bell has been named after St. Gabriel and is inscribed with the words “I sing to the honor of St. Gabriel the Archangel, who announced the Word of God to the Immaculate Virgin Mary.”

“During the blessing ceremony, Father Gregory pointed out that we need the bell today more than ever, to call us out of our distractions and summon us to prayer and contemplation,” Briscoe recalled, adding: “I couldn’t agree more! Bells are evangelizers, calling us all to the joy and hope that the Gospel alone brings.”

The Dominican House of Studies’ next major project will be the restoration of its St. Catherine of Siena and St. Rose of Lima altars, which are both located in the main chapel.