Roberto Leo, a senior firefighter, places a wreath of flowers on a Marian statue near the Spanish Steps in Rome Dec. 8, 2025, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez) 3 Months After Shooting, Minneapolis Church Is Restored for Worship MINNEAPOLIS (OSV News) – On a cold, winte ry day, with the congregation gathered around Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Auxiliary Bishops Kevin T. Kenney and Michael Izen outside the main doors of Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, the rite of reparation began on Saturday, December 6, that restored the space for worship. The special Mass was held more than three months after an August 27 shooting during an all-school Mass killed two students – 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski – and injured 18 students and three adults. The suspected shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene, police said. Archbishop Hebda prayed outside the church, with temperatures in the low 20s. Accompanied by chanting of the Litany of the Saints, servers entered the church carrying incense, the cross and candles, followed by the bishops, vested in purple, deacons, and priests of the archdiocese in white vestments, other liturgical ministers, and all the assembly. The parish asked that the media not be allowed inside for the Mass. Materials prepared for the rite said that Archbishop Hebda and Father Dennis Zehren, pastor of Annunciation, sprinkled the altar and sanctuary, the church walls, and the congregation with the holy water. After the readings and Archbishop Hebda’s homily, the altar was prepared for the celebration of the Eucharist, and the Mass proceeded. U.S. Bishops Award More Than $7 Million to Home Missions WASHINGTON, D.C. (OSV News) – Dozens of “home mission dioceses” across the nation have received much-needed financial support, provided by the generosity of U.S. Catholics through an annual collection. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced on Monday, December 1, that 69 mission dioceses and Eastern Catholic eparchies have been awarded a collective total of more than $7.8 million in grants. The 2025-26 allocations – which ranged from $10,000 to approximately $145,000 – were determined by the USCCB’s Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions, which met earlier in the fall to review grant applications. The awarded funds were made possible through the USCCB’s annual Catholic Home Missions appeal. The collection, taken up in many dioceses and parishes on the last weekend in April, was established in 1998 to strengthen U.S.-based mission dioceses. Bishop Chad W. Zielinski of New Ulm, Minnesota, who chairs the USCCB home missions subcommittee, said in a statement that parishioners contributing to the appeal “bring faith, hope, and love where it is most needed,” regardless of the amount of their gift.” The donations “have a profound, positive impact on Catholics who face poverty or the isolation of being a small, minority faith,” he said. Louisiana Bishop Suspends Mass Obligation Amid ICE Crackdowns BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (OSV News) – Amid immigration detention sweeps in Louisiana – part of an ongoing nationwide campaign by the Trump administration – Bishop Michael G. Duca of Baton Rouge has issued a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass for those concerned for their safety. The dispensation, announced in a December 4 statement posted to the diocese’s website, applies to Sundays and holy days of obligation and remains “valid until the individual Catholic determines it is safe to attend Mass again or this dispensation is revoked or amended.” The bishop, who issued his decision “with a heavy heart,” said that “many of the faithful genuinely fear immigration enforcement action” and urged prayer and reflection in lieu of Mass attendance. Bishop Alberto Rojas of San Bernardino, California, issued a similar dispensation on July 8, and the Diocese of Nashville also provided guidance in May on Mass obligations during immigration raids. “National security and the protection of human dignity are not incompatible,” said Bishop Duca. “We must advocate for a just solution to this difficult situation in our country.” Catholic social teaching on immigration balances three interrelated principles – the right of persons to migrate in order to sustain their lives and those of their families, the right of a country to regulate its borders and control immigration, and a nation’s duty to regulate its borders with justice and mercy. Papal Commission Votes Against Ordaining Women Deacons VATICAN CITY (CNS) – A commission set up by Pope Francis to study women deacons has voted against the possibility of ordaining women deacons while also supporting more study on the issue. It also expressed hope that women’s access to other ministries would be expanded. Pope Francis established the Study Commission on the Female Diaconate in 2020 as a follow-up to a previous group that studied the history of women deacons in the New Testament and the early Christian communities. The Vatican published the synthesis, including the results of votes the commission members took on eight different statements or “theses.” One proposition that showed members split exactly down the middle was: “The masculinity of Christ, and therefore the masculinity of those who receive Holy Orders, is not accidental but is an integral part of sacramental identity, preserving the divine order of salvation in Christ. To alter this reality would not be a simple adjustment of ministry but a rupture of the nuptial meaning of salvation.” When this statement was put to a vote among 10 members in February, it received five votes in favor, confirming its current form, while the other five members voted to remove it. A statement that received six votes against, two for, and two abstaining was: “The undersigned is in favor of the institution in the Church of the female diaconate as understood as the third degree of holy orders.” USCCB’s Racial Justice Chair Discourages ‘Dehumanizing Language’ After Trump Somali Comments WASHINGTON, D.C. (OSV News) – The chair of the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation on Friday, December 5, praised “the rich gifts that neighbors from diverse cultures bring to our communities.” While Bishop Garcia’s statement did not name President Donald Trump, it came after Trump took aim at Somali immigrants during comments at a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, December 2, calling them “garbage.” Trump’s comments sparked controversy and were met with criticism by those who argued the language was dehumanizing or that his use of a vulgar term was unbecoming for a president. In his statement, Bishop Daniel E. Garcia of Austin, Texas said: “As Catholics, we believe that every person is beloved by God and created in his image. Each child of God has value and dignity.” He added: “Language that denigrates a person or community based on his or her ethnicity or country of origin is incompatible with this truth. … I call on all – public officials, community leaders, and individuals – to refrain from denigrating and dehumanizing language. May we recognize the rich gifts that neighbors from diverse cultures bring to our communities.” More Than 11 Million Have Visited Notre Dame in Paris Since Its Reopening PARIS (OSV News) – One year after reopening following the devastating 2019 fire, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is marking a major milestone: more than 11 million people have visited since last December, a number that is well above pre-fire levels. Rector Monsignor Olivier Ribadeau Dumas said the past year has been “extremely rich,” as the cathedral’s team worked to “relearn” how to welcome tens of thousands of daily visitors while preserving an atmosphere of prayer. Notre Dame has also become an emerging pilgrimage destination, hosting 650 pilgrimages. A highlight for many is the crown of thorns, now displayed every Friday, after firefighters famously saved it during the 2019 blaze. Visitors are also discovering the cathedral’s newly restored chapels, from the Virgin of Guadalupe to Our Lady of Czestochowa. Monsignor Ribadeau Dumas said the goal is simple: “Everyone should be able to say, ‘This is our Notre Dame.’” The post News Briefs: December 14, 2025 appeared first on Today's Catholic. ...read more read less