Bishop Carl A. Kemme invites the faithful to celebrate the Eucharist and pray for the National Eucharistic Revival in 2024. He thanks his flock for their faith and stewardship and entrusts them to the Mother of God. (2:09)

In today's newsletter:

• Catholics finding St. Louis for SEEK24

• Pope: Satan is a seducer

• Yes, to peace, pope says, no to war

• Two East Coast states voting to legalize abortion

• Nearly 200 Christians killed in Nigeria

• Parents sue regarding 'gender transition'

Mass at SEEK23. (Credit: FOCUS SEEK23)

Catholics prepare to converge in St. Louis for SEEK24

ST. LOUIS, Mo., Dec. 28 (CNA) – More than 18,000 people from across the country have signed up to attend the SEEK24 Catholic conference, which promises to bring a vibrantly Catholic presence to downtown St. Louis starting on New Year’s Day 2024. 

Put on by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), SEEK is a roughly biannual event aimed at galvanizing young people to deepen and share their Catholic faith. The 2024 conference is set to feature world-class Catholic speakers, fellowship opportunities, numerous prayer and worship sessions including Eucharistic adoration and Mass, and family-friendly entertainment. 

The number of registrations FOCUS has received for this year’s Jan. 1–5 conference is a new record, said Curtis Martin, one of the organization’s co-founders. 

“This milestone is a testament to the work of God, drawing people from across the globe and of all ages to come and be transformed in Christ. SEEK’s growth reflects a collective passion for faith and the shared journey of becoming missionary disciples in our everyday lives,” Martin said.

“As we prepare to gather for SEEK, we echo Christ’s call to radiate light in our daily lives. Post-SEEK24, our journey leads us back to our campuses, parishes, and communities, each of us carrying a renewed flame to live as missionary disciples for Christ,” Martin concluded.

FOCUS’ 2023 gathering, also held in St. Louis, was the organization’s first fully in-person national conference since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to FOCUS’ estimate, nearly 19,000 people — students, adults, families, bishops, priests, religious sisters, and more — ultimately attended the five-day 2023 conference at the America’s Center Convention Complex in downtown St. Louis. 

Many of the speakers who headlined last year’s conference are returning for 2024, including Father Mike Schmitz, Chika Anyanwu, and Father Josh Johnson. The SEEK website currently lists nearly 120 speakers.

The conference’s organizers have stressed that although many aspects of the conference are geared toward young people, people of all ages are welcome. In particular, the organization’s “Making Missionary Disciples” track is designed to provide practical leadership training for priests, bishops, diocesan and parish staff, as well as FOCUS alumni, parishioners, and benefactors. 

Pope Francis prays in front of a Nativity scene in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican at the end of his weekly general audience Wednesday, Dec. 27. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

'The devil is a seducer,' pope says as he begins new series of talks

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The devil is sly and sneaky like a serpent and subtly entices people to sin, Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience Dec. 27.

Beginning a new series of audience talks about vices and virtues, the pope said that evil grows "when one begins to fantasize about it, to nurse it in the imagination and in thoughts, and one ends up being ensnared by its enticements."

One of the devil's first lines of attack, he said, is to go after one's pride just like the serpent who tricked Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden did.

When God told them they could eat the fruit of any tree except "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," God was not telling them they could not use their ability to reason, the pope said. Instead, God was telling them: "Recognize your limits; do not think you are the master of everything, because pride is the beginning of all evil."

God made Adam and Eve the guardians of creation but wanted "to preserve them from the presumption of omnipotence, of making themselves masters of good and evil," the pope said. "This is a horrible temptation even now. It is the most dangerous trap for the human heart."

Pope Francis told people they must "be on guard" because "the devil is a seducer."

"Never dialogue with him, because he is smarter than all of us and will make us pay for it," the pope said. "When a temptation comes, never dialogue. Close the door, close the window, close your heart," which is the only sure way to defend oneself.

"We need to ask for this grace -- that of learning how to guard our hearts" from pride and jealousy, he said.

Greeting German speakers at the audience, Pope Francis said he knows that "evil sometimes seems overwhelming," but "through the birth of his son, God has given us new hope: in the end, the power of love will overcome the power of evil. Let us spread God's love and thus illuminate the darkness of our days."

He told pilgrims from Poland that, looking back at the year that is ending, he wanted to give thanks for the generosity of so many Poles who continue to aid the victims of Russia's war on Ukraine.

"Let us pray with confidence that the Prince of Peace will grant us hope, love and true peace," he said.

Pope Francis reads his Christmas message from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican before giving his blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world) Dec. 25. Looking are Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli, master of papal liturgical ceremonies, and Cardinal José Tolentino Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Pope Francis on Christmas: Saying ‘yes’ to the Prince of Peace means saying ‘no’ to war

Vatican City, Dec. 25 (CNA) – On the birthday of the Prince of Peace, Pope Francis called for an end to war in the Holy Land and throughout the world as well as the arms trade that fuels it. 

Delivering his annual “urbi et orbi” Christmas blessing while seated on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope contrasted the “endless peace” that Christ brings with the work of the “prince of this world,” who “sows the seeds of death” and “plots against the Lord.” 

“So saying ‘yes’ to the Prince of Peace means saying ‘no’ to war, and this with courage: saying no to every war, to the very mindset of war, an aimless voyage, a defeat without victors, madness without excuses,” Pope Francis said to those gathered in the square at Roman noon on Dec. 25.

Instead of war and conflict, the pope reflected on Isaiah’s prophecy about a day “when a nation shall not lift up sword against nation” but instead “beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.” 

“With God’s help, let us make every effort to work for the coming of that day!” the pope said in his urbi et orbi address, which is given “to the city [of Rome] and the world” each year on Christmas, Easter, and other solemn occasions. 

Pope Francis said the coming of Christ gave mankind “the hope of being born for heaven” and lit “an undying flame” that is even still detectable “amid the deep shadows” of war covering the Holy Land today. 

“Rejoice, you who have abandoned all hope, for God offers you his outstretched hand,” the pope said. “He does not point a finger at you but offers you his little baby hand in order to set you free from your fears, to relieve you of your burdens, and to show you that, in his eyes, you are more valuable than anything else.” Continue reading here.

New Yorkers will vote on making abortion an ‘equal right’ in state’s constitution

CNA Staff, Dec. 26 – New Yorkers will be voting next November on a proposal to enshrine abortion rights into their state constitution.

The vote comes as a wave of states attempt to expand abortion access by amending their constitutions following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, which ended a U.S. constitutional right to abortion.

Ohio is the most recent state to make abortion a constitutional right, with voters in the swing state overwhelmingly voting to pass an amendment in November.

The official language that will be proposed to voters on New York’s Nov. 5, 2024, ballot has not yet been released.

But the proposed “Equal Rights Amendment” that twice passed the state Legislature would amend the constitution’s section on civil rights to make illegal “discrimination” against any person for reasons of “pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive health care and autonomy.”

The amendment would also prohibit discrimination on the basis of “ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, or sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, [and] gender expression.”

One pro-life leader in the state said that the amendment could bar any future pro-life legislation from being passed in the Legislature, such as mandatory waiting periods or required ultrasounds before chemical abortion.

“The amendment essentially allows for fully unrestricted abortion in New York,” Michele Sterlace, executive director of Feminists Choosing Life of New York, told CNA Dec. 20. Continue reading here.

Maryland 2024 referendum proposes constitutional right to abortion

CNA Staff, Dec. 27 –Ohio is the most recent state to make abortion a constitutional right, with voters in the swing state overwhelmingly voting to pass an amendment in November. 

Maryland’s proposed amendment says that “every person, as a central component of an individual’s rights to liberty and equality, has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including but not limited to the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy.”

“The state may not, directly or indirectly, deny, burden, or abridge the right unless justified by a compelling state interest achieved by the least restrictive means,” the amendment says.

The bill was overwhelmingly approved by the state House of Delegates and the Senate, both of which are controlled by Democrats.

A similar bill in 2022 proposing a referendum adding abortion protections to the constitution passed the state house 93-42 but failed in the Senate after the Senate president chose to focus on other bills expanding abortion access. 

According to MarylandMatters.org, a spokesperson for the Senate president said the 2022 bill was seen as a “response to the national politics and … what many people will think will happen,” referring to the anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe. Continue reading here.

Illuminating the Light of the World

The Christmas lights illuminated the manger scene and the tabernacle in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Wednesday, Dec. 27, before the morning Mass. For a larger version, click here or on the image. (Advance photo)

Christian villages in Nigeria reeling after Christmas attacks leave nearly 200 dead

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec. 27 (CNA) – Catholic and Nigerian leaders are demanding government action as Christian villages in the central Nigerian state of Plateau are reeling from a series of Christmas weekend attacks that left nearly 200 Christian Nigerians dead. 

Photos obtained by CNA show victims of the attacks being buried in mass graves, underscoring the scale of the bloodshed. 

“This indeed has been a gory Christmas for us,” Plateau governor Caleb Mutfwang said in a Tuesday statement that noted the attacks were “well-coordinated” and carried out using “heavy weapons.”

Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese in northern Nigeria meanwhile called on the newly elected Nigerian president Bola Tinubu to take immediate action to protect the Nigerian people, telling him: “You have no excuses before God or the people of Nigeria” and that “neither God nor history will forgive you if you fail.”

The bishop’s address, which was published by the Nigeria Catholic Network, also emphasized that “Nigerians have almost lost hope” that “a government can really and truly care for them” and that “our politicians will put our interests first and find a way to deal with the cancer of corruption.”

According to accounts by several local news sources and human rights activists, 198 Christians were killed in a series of terror attacks in 26 Christian communities in Plateau. The attacks began the night of Dec. 23 and continued through Christmas Day. Continue reading here.

Parents sue school district, allege deception in ‘gender transition’ of daughter

WASHINGTON, D.C. Newsroom, Dec. 27 (CNA) – Two parents are suing a Michigan school district alleging that their 11-year-old daughter’s middle school treated her like a boy for months and actively deceived them about their child’s “gender transition.”

The parents, Dan and Jennifer Mead, sued the Rockford Public School District this month, claiming that the school’s actions violated their First and 14th Amendment rights to exercise their religion and to make decisions about their daughter’s upbringing, education, and health care. 

The parents are represented by the legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which said this month that the parents are supported by prior Supreme Court precedent on religious and parental rights guaranteed by those constitutional amendments.

“Parents, not the government, have the right to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of their children,” ADF Senior Counsel Kate Anderson, the director of ADF’s Center for Parental Rights, said in a statement. 

“Schools should never deliberately hide vital information from parents, yet that’s exactly what the Rockford Public School District did,” Anderson said. “District employees didn’t even notify Dan and Jennifer — let alone seek their consent — before beginning to call their young daughter by a masculine name and male pronouns.”

Anderson told CNA that the parents were regularly working with school staff after their daughter was diagnosed with autism to discuss how the school could best serve her. 

Despite this regular contact, she said the school district withheld information about the school’s efforts to socially “transition” the child and that school officials actively worked to deceive the parents in conversations as well as by altering official records. Continue reading here.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Fortenberry’s March 2022 jury conviction on Dec. 26, finding that the Central District of California, where he was convicted, was the improper venue for a trial. The appellate court overturned the conviction without prejudice, which means that he can be retried in the proper venue. 

Fortenberry expressed gratitude for the decision. 

“We are gratified by the Ninth Circuit’s decision,” he said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. “Celeste [his wife] and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship.”

The appellate court decision notes that federal agents interviewed Fortenberry at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska, and interviewed his lawyer in Washington, D.C. He is accused of making false statements during the interview about allegedly receiving illegal campaign money through conduit donors in Los Angeles. 

Although the lower court claimed jurisdiction because the statements have “an effect on a federal investigation” in Los Angeles, the appellate court rejected that claim, finding that this interpretation has “no support in the Constitution, the text of the statute, or historical practice.” Continue reading here.

Catholic news briefs

Cardinal says Vatican is not moving toward accepting gay marriage

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican's affirmation that a priest can give an informal blessing to a gay couple who asks for one is not a first step toward the Catholic Church recognizing same-sex marriages, said Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. "Those who say so either have not read the text or have 'bad blood,' if you will pardon the expression. The statement clearly and ad nauseam states that these blessings are non-ritualized so that they are not interpreted as a marriage," the cardinal told the Spanish newspaper ABC in an interview published Dec. 25. The doctrinal dicastery's document, "Fiducia Supplicans" ("Supplicating Trust"), which was approved by Pope Francis, said that while the church "remains firm" in teaching that marriage is only a life-long union between a man and a woman, in certain circumstances priests can give non-sacramental, non-liturgical blessings to "couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church's perennial teaching on marriage."

Vatican to publish 'private' homilies of late Pope Benedict

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican publishing house announced it will release a book of some 130 homilies given by the late Pope Benedict XVI at private Sunday Masses -- 30 given while he was pope and more than 100 given to members of his household once he retired. The homilies were recorded and transcribed by the consecrated women, members of Memores Domini, who lived with him and ran his household, said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, president of the board of directors of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation. Announcing the publication Dec. 23, the foundation and the Vatican publishing house did not give a date for its release, but they published a homily Pope Benedict XVI had given on Dec. 22, 2013, the fourth Sunday of Advent of his first year of retirement.

Brazil nixes government funding of abortions, sex changes for minors

ACI Digital, Dec. 27 – Just prior to its Christmas recess, the National Congress of Brazil passed an amendment to the Budgetary Guidelines Law (LDO) of 2024 that prohibits the use of taxpayer funds to pay for abortions and sex-change surgeries for minors. However, the amendment is expected to be vetoed by Brazil’s socialist president, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva. The amendment stipulates that the government will not be able to promote, encourage, or finance abortions with taxpayer money except in cases authorized by law. It also says the government will not be able to promote, encourage, or finance sex-change surgeries for children and adolescents, including actions that encourage minors to choose gender options other than their biological sex and actions that entail the deconstruction, reduction, or extinction of the concept of the traditional family, which consists of father, mother, and children. Continue reading here.

The Lord’s Diner hosting open house Jan. 6 to recruit volunteers

The Lord’s Diner is hosting an open house for potential volunteers from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan. 6, in the downtown location at 520 N. Broadway in Wichita.

The Diner will return to its original full-service model using plates and silverware beginning Monday, Jan. 15. Many more volunteers are needed as a result. Potential volunteers are invited for a tour, a cup of coffee, and an explanation about the many opportunities available at the diocesan ministry to the hungry.

Want to volunteer? Click here. (See video at bottom of this newsletter.)

Grief support group starts Jan. 9

A 10-week grief support group for those who have lost a child anytime from pregnancy through adulthood will begin Tuesday, Jan. 9, at St. Catherine of Siena Parish. It is located at 3636 N. Ridge Road in Wichita.

Finding the Passion of Christ in our Story will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. for 10 Tuesdays beginning Jan. 9 in the Brides Room. The group offers healing through the sacraments, sacred scripture, and sacred tradition. The cost is $25. To register contact Mary Johnson at [email protected] or call 316-393-5472.

Fr. Marstall to lead pilgrimage to France

Fr. David Marstall, pastor of St. Anne Parish in Wichita, will be the spiritual leader for a pilgrimage Aug. 15-24 to Lourdes, Ars, and Paris. Space for the pilgrimage is limited. The deadline to register is Dec. 27. 

Those interested may contact Carl or Melanie Witte at 316-651-6032 or 316-651-3786. The cost is $4,740 per person, double occupancy; $5,780. single occupancy.

Sinulog Festival 2024 Jan. 21 at St. Francis

The Filipino-American Association of Greater Wichita is inviting the faithful of the diocese to celebrate the Feast of the Infant Jesus Sunday, Jan. 21, at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Wichita.

The Sinulog Festival 2024 will begin with a Mass at 1 p.m. in the church. Bishop Carl A. Kemme will be joined by Fathers Roger Lumbre and Jarrod Lies for the liturgy. A procession in honor of Señor Santo Niño will highlight the event. A potluck reception will be held afterward during which a cultural presentation will be made.

Halstead’s Italian dinner on Feb. 11

Sacred Heart Parish in Halstead will host its 32nd Annual Italian dinner, raffle, and auction Saturday, Feb. 10. The event is for adults 18 and older.

Seatings will take place at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. in the Sacred Heart Parish Center located at 414 Locust St. Lasagna is on the menu. "Italian" waiters will serve candlelit tables. The cost is $20 per person for the 5:30 p.m. seating and $25 per person for the 7:30 p.m. seating. Reservations are required. For reservations, call Vivian at 316-835-2816. The reservation deadline is Feb. 2. 

The Sacred Heart Altar Society is sponsoring the event. Proceeds support local charities. Those attending may not bring alcohol into the parish center.

The Lord's Diner needs your hands and your heart to serve the hundreds of brothers and sisters who eat there every evening. For information, contact Mary Claire at [email protected]. (0:35)

In his Christmas message, before giving his blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world), Pope Francis said that the world, ravaged by war, needs Jesus, the Prince of Peace. (2:50)