covenantchurchsd 10.25.2026

 

 We call this SoNoGo - South Park-North Park-Golden Hill & Our Mission: to see the baptized who live in SoNoGo worship in SoNoGo

Covenant Presbyterian Church

What is the Evangelical Presbyterian Church?

Covenant Church at 30th & Howard  is a Christian church in the tradition of the Protestant Reformation and allied with the EPC [The Evangelical Presbyterian Church] We believe the Scriptures to be the infallible Word of God and our final authority in faith and practice, and we find the historic creeds of the early church (the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed) to be vital expressions of the most important tenets of the global church universal. When the EPC started in 1981, we determined that we would not disagree on the basic essentials of the Christian faith, but on anything that was not essential—such as the issue of ordaining women as officers or practicing charismatic gifts—we would give each other liberty. Above all, we committed ourselves to loving each other and not engaging in quarrels and strife. The result is that when we get together in our regional and national meetings, we spend most of our time in worship and fellowship and almost none in arguing with each other.

Read Highland Park UMC and Horizon Texas conference's statements on vote to leave denomination

 

On Bishop Schneider’s Homily at St. Mary Major

 

Last Saturday, on the traditional feast of St. Raphael the Archangel, Bishop Athanasius Schneider preached at the Basilica of St. Mary Major for the Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage Ad Petri Sedem. He offered the Mass for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis, whose tomb lies in that basilica. (The full English text of the homily was published here; access requires a paid subscription.) The homily is gentle in its tone and full of Marian devotion. It speaks of a mother’s sorrow and of an olive branch. It is also, I regret to say, a masterpiece of disingenuousness.

The bishop asks for “liturgical peace.” But read what kind of peace he wants. He prays for a peace “that would restore the full use, without discrimination, of the traditional form of the Roman Rite.” He asks the Regina Pacis to bring “the olive branch from the hand of the Child Jesus, heralding the coming of liturgical peace, which will ensure the full and free use of the traditional Roman Rite.” This is not a truce. It is a set of terms of surrender, offered to the Church of Rome.

The Diaconate and Women: Why It Matters Today

 

Written by Fabrizio Mastrofini

In 2026, that is, today, talking about the diaconate and about a role for women — the female diaconate — is not revolutionary. It is not a topic reserved for a handful of experts. On the contrary, it is an issue that should concern all of us.

Of course, the final decision belongs to the Pope. Perhaps the Synod of Bishops on synodality, with its ecclesial assembly in 2028, will offer some indications. But it is important that all the faithful, the People of God, be informed about the importance of knowing and studying the diaconate.

This is why two books are important, one published in the United States and one in Italy. In the United States, the book The Vatican and Women Deacons was written by Phyllis Zagano. In Italy, the book Il diaconato tra storia, esperienze e prospettive: Un ruolo per le donne is mine, published by Città Nuova, a Catholic publishing house associated with the Focolare Movement.

So, what is the importance of this issue?

Leo’s Latin America trip will go ahead as planned

Leo’s Latin America trip will go ahead as planned

The Holy See Press Office confirmed Monday that Pope Leo’s Nov. 6–17 apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru will “proceed according to the program previously published.” Papal physician Dr. Luigi Carbone said there are “no contraindications” to the trip, and the statement said the surgery confirmed the cancer was localized, with no further oncological treatment necessary. “I am looking forward to returning to the continent where I’ve experienced so many moments of my life,” Leo said. — Vatican News · National Catholic Reporter (Paulina Guzik, OSV News) · BBC · Vatican News [IT] (missionary in Cuzco)

“Leo in the Land of Francis”: What the pope’s trip means for Argentina and Peru

In a new Where Peter Is feature, Claudio Iván Remeseira previews Leo’s first trip to Latin America as pope, including his return to Peru, where he spent nearly two decades as a missionary and as bishop of Chiclayo. Remeseira looks at the coming encounter between Leo’s championing of Catholic social teaching and Argentine President Javier Milei’s politics, the legacy of Peronism, and why Pope Francis never returned to his homeland. — Where Peter Is (Claudio Iván Remeseira)

Forty years after John Paul II’s Assisi meeting, Leo sends a message for peace

Religious leaders gather in Assisi today to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1986 World Day of Prayer for Peace, closing Sant’Egidio’s Oct. 25–27 meeting. On his doctors’ advice, Leo will not attend but will send a video message; Patriarch Bartholomew will also speak. Cardinal George Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, said the meeting’s legacy is “a method,” quoting John Paul II: “Not to pray together, but to be together to pray.” — Vatican News · Vatican News [IT] (Koovakad interview) · EWTN News (Isabella Reed)

Pope and Holy See

• [IT] Leo’s liturgical calendar for November and December. The schedule includes Mass for All Souls at Rome’s Verano Cemetery on Nov. 2, a Nov. 5 Mass for cardinals and bishops who died this year, the Nov. 6–17 Latin America trip, a Nov. 18 Mass marking the 400th anniversary of the dedication of St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Dec. 8 act of veneration of the Immaculate at the Spanish Steps. — Holy See Press Office [IT]
• Leo advances the causes of six Catholics, including a missionary bishop in Peru. At an Oct. 24 audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the pope recognized the heroic virtues of Bishop Friedrich Kaiser Depel, first prelate of Caravelí, Peru; Bishop Oreste Marengo; Focolare member Margarita Bavosi; Fathers Domenico Pogliani and Alessandro Vitetti; and Capuchin Brother Daniele of San Giovanni Rotondo, a spiritual son of St. Padre Pio. — OSV News
• Leo and King Charles exchange religious titles for the first time in 500 years. The pope has become “Papal Confrater” of the College of St. George at Windsor, a year after the king was made “royal confrater” of St. Paul Outside the Walls. The royal announcement called it a sign of “what unites rather than what separates” the Catholic Church and the Church of England. — EWTN News (Walter Sánchez Silva)
• Papal almoner begins a three-day mission to Ukraine. Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín leaves today with about 600 boxes of winter clothing, blankets, and food collected from Holy See employees, to be delivered through Church charities in Kyiv. “It has truly been a beautiful witness of the Church,” he said. — Vatican News

United States

• A second bishop regrets the White House prayer, as others explain why they went. Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines said, “I wish I had been more shrewd and less simple, like those who exploited our meeting for partisan political purposes.” Other attendees said the White House Faith Office invited them to discuss life, migrants, religious liberty, and school choice, and that the USCCB had no role. — Religion News Service (Jack Jenkins and Aleja Hertzler-McCain) · BBC · EWTN News (Tyler Arnold)
• Four in 10 U.S. Catholics say they have experienced racism. A new CARA survey of 2,401 Catholics found 39% have faced racial discrimination, including 66% of Black Catholics, and 10% within their own parish. Researcher Mark Gray said more adult faith formation correlates with a better grasp of Church teaching on racism. — OSV News (Gina Christian)

Around the World

• [IT] Sixty killed in an attack on Orthodox Christian villages in Ethiopia. Gunmen went house to house in the Arsi zone of Oromia overnight Saturday, killing residents including elderly people and children, and damaging a church. — Vatican News [IT]
• Pakistan’s Christians live under “constant threat from extremism,” says Shahbaz Bhatti’s brother. Peter Bhatti spoke ahead of Aid to the Church in Need’s new report on persecuted Christians, released today, which found conditions worsened in 10 of 18 countries studied, including Pakistan, China, and Nigeria. — Crux (Fionn Shiner)
• Jordan strikes Syria in retaliation for the church funeral attack. Jordan said it hit “terrorist organisations” in Daraa province after Friday’s shooting at a Greek Orthodox funeral in Karak; Syria said five civilians were killed and closed the border crossing. Jordanian forces have arrested suspects in the church attack. — BBC · Crux (AP)
• Gaza’s children are recovering from hunger, but doctors fear it won’t last. A MedGlobal study found acute malnutrition among children under 5 fell by half after the October 2025 ceasefire; Catholic pediatrician John Kahler describes what he saw in Rafah. — National Catholic Reporter (Camillo Barone)
• Historian named to lead Poland’s independent Church abuse commission. The Polish bishops approved the commission’s revised statutes and named Jagiellonian University professor Piotr Franaszek as chair. — The Pillar (Luke Coppen)

Liturgy and Church Life

• Catholic celibacy and married priests: A tradition often misunderstood. Lavoisier Fernandes on the history and practice of clerical celibacy in the Latin and Eastern Churches. — Where Peter Is (Lavoisier Fernandes)
• A sister and doctor brings healthcare to Nigeria’s rural communities. Sr. Dr. Margaret Ogunkuade, an obstetrician and Sister of St. Michael the Archangel, on joining medicine and religious life. — Global Sisters Report (John Chukwu)

Commentary

• Opinion: The “Spirit of Assisi” at 40. Chris Crawford says John Paul II’s 1986 gathering offers Catholics a model for being good neighbors amid rising antisemitism and Islamophobia: “The goal was to provide space for distinction,” not syncretism. — National Catholic Reporter (Chris Crawford)

Also today

• Descendants and Jesuits find a path toward healing through “What We Inherit” — Sheila Hodges, Black Catholic Messenger (via National Catholic Reporter)
• [IT] Migrants: Asylum applications fall in Europe — Vatican News. On the IDOS research center’s new report.

Leo in the Land of Francis

 

Written by Claudio Iván Remeseira

After the alarm and worldwide concern created by the unexpected news of Pope Leo’s lung cancer and the immediate surgery to remove part of the organ affected, the Vatican confirmed that the pontiff’s apostolic visit to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru — his first visit to Latin America as pope — will proceed as scheduled. The highlight of this trip, which will extend from November 6 to 17, will be Leo’s return to Peru, the nation in which he spent almost two decades of his life, first as a missionary and seminary director in the 1980s and 1990s and later as bishop of Chiclayo, from 2014 to 2023. Yet his visit to Argentina will have special significance too, not only because it is the birthplace of his predecessor, Francis, who never went back to it during his papacy, but also because it will provide the rare opportunity to witness the clash between Leo’s championing of the Church’s social teaching, along with his humanist and anti-war message, and Argentina’s current president, Javier Milei, the darling of the international right-wing populist and anti-woke movements, a brash advocate of unbridled markets, unquestioning alignment with Israel and its war against Hamas, and technological accelerationism.

Bishop Joensen says Trump meeting ‘exploited’ for politics

Archdiocese of New York will pay out $800 million in sexual abuse settlement

Archbishop Hicks said the settlement puts the archdiocese “on the verge of being able to … bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors.”

For first time in 500 years, pope and king of England bestow religious titles on each other

King Charles III was given the title royal confrater and Pope Leo XIV was given the title papal confrater.

Venezuelan opposition leader returns from exile and attends Mass at popular shrine

María Corina Machado made her first public return to Venezuelan soil at the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Shepherdess, in the city of Barquisimeto.

Bishop Joensen says Trump meeting ‘exploited’ for politics, while others clarify backstory

Bishops who attended the meeting and the prayer have stated they were invited by the White House Faith Office to discuss issues of importance to Catholics.

What makes someone a saint?

Accompanied by a communion of ordinary saints BY ISAAC VILLEGAS What makes someone a saint? BY DIANA BUTLER BASS

Finding comfort with the saints among the stars BY ANGIE KAY HONG

All Saints’ Day invites us to grieve well BY KHRISTI LAUREN ADAMS

‘Between Hurry and Heaven: Recovering Purpose and Presence in a Distracted Age’

By A. Trevor Sutton

How we relate to time can be reoriented toward redemption, says an author in a new book.

Why public health should be part of theological education

By Alejandra Salemi

Pastors don’t have to become epidemiologists or public health educators. But they do need training in how to handle health issues in ministry, whether it’s dealing with a pandemic or supporting a grieving congregant, writes a science researcher and UMC candidate for ordination.

All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day invite us to dance with hope as well as grief

By Cara Meredith

A hospital chaplain and Episcopal clergyperson reflects on a neighborhood gathering for Día de los Muertos and her own experiences of remembering the departed.

What draws some young adults to Catholicism?

By Shari Finnell

A 2026 survey points to the appeal of tradition and ritual and a search for something solid as the reasons for recent conversions to Catholicism.

White Christians have a theological and civic responsibility to oppose Christian nationalism

Q&A with Robert P. Jones

Ahead of the midterm election, Jones discusses his new book, “Backslide,” which analyzes racist and xenophobic forces at play through a large swath of white evangelicalism and what that means for the nation.

What do you pray for before an election?

Faith & Leadership asked various faith leaders from multiple backgrounds to help lead us in prayer before another watershed U.S. election.

50: Mike Lewis – Ripperger’s Legion of Problems

 

Written by Paul Fahey

Today I’m sharing a conversation I had last week with Mike Lewis about Fr. Chad Ripperger of the Archdiocese of Denver. For the past several months, Mike and I have been wanting to record a discussion about Ripperger. Mike has written several really great articles  at Where Peter Is about Ripperger over the last year or two. He is one of the few Catholic journalists who is bringing the many grave concerns about Ripperger to light. We’ve been waiting for the right time to record a conversation and then news broke this week that Ripperger was asked by Archbishop Golka to have a year long “fast” from public speaking. So we thought: Now’s the right time.

Catholic Celibacy and Married Priests: A Tradition Often Misunderstood

 

Written by Lavoisier Fernandes

Few subjects create as much confusion about the Catholic Church as priestly celibacy.

Many people assume that the Catholic Church universally forbids married priests. As a result, discussions often present celibacy as an outdated rule that the Church must either defend or abandon.

However, this common understanding is incomplete.

The Catholic Church has never been a single tradition with only one discipline regarding celibate clergy. The reality is more complex and far more interesting: while the Latin Church, which is the largest Catholic Church, ordinarily requires priests to embrace celibacy, other Catholic Churches have preserved the ancient tradition of married priests.

The issue, therefore, is not whether the Catholic Church allows married priests. It already does. The real question is why different Catholic traditions have different disciplines.