Harold "Hal" Brown passed on May 6th, 2026 Harold (Hal) K. Brown has left a significant mark on almost every program and person he encountered during his many years at San Diego State University. As the first Black administrator at SDSU, Brown was a groundbreaker, activist, educator, role model, mentor and friend to many in the SDSU community and underserved members of the San Diego community. Hal was a member of Christ United Presbyterian Church in South Park.
May 7, 2026 — the day before Pope Leo XIV's first anniversary as Pope — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio walked into the Vatican for a private 45-minute meeting with the first American Pope in history. The meeting came days after President Trump attacked Leo personally, falsely claiming the Pope was "okay with Iran having nuclear weapons." What was said? What was agreed? What does it mean for the Church, for the war in Iran, and for the relationship between Washington and the Vatican? In this video, we break it all down — with the official Vatican statement, the State Department readout, and a Catholic reading of what this moment really means. Plus: the one gift the Pope gave Rubio that said everything.
(ZENIT News /Rome, 05.04.2026).- On April 23, on the flight back from Africa to Rome, Pope Leo XIV responded to a question from journalist Verena Stefanie Shälter of ARD Rundfunk, regarding Cardinal Reinhard Marx’s decision, Archbishop of Munich-Freising, to grant permission to bless same-sex couples in his diocese. The Holy Father was emphatic: «The Holy See has made it clear that we do not agree with the formalized blessing of couples — in this case, homosexual couples, as you asked — or of couples in irregular situations, beyond what Pope Francis has specifically permitted by saying that all people receive a blessing.» On the morning of Monday, April 4, ZENIT’s Editorial Director published on social media X the text to which the Holy Father alluded, a text previously unknown: a letter from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith addressed to German Bishop Stephan Ackermann (and through him to the German Episcopate). Cardinal Fernández signed the letter, dated November 18, 2024, and it makes things clear: the Vatican’s NO to the ritualization of blessings and to giving the impression of legitimizing such unions. Below is the English translation of the letter, now also available in its Italian original on the Dicastery’s Website. Cardinal Fernández’s response to a question from Victoria Cardiel of EWTN was made public because the Pope himself referred to it in the press conference mentioned at the beginning. * * *
History is repeating itself. On July 1, 2026, the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) intends to consecrate new bishops in Écône, Switzerland, in defiance of Pope Leo XIV. This is the same place where SSPX founder Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrated four bishops on June 30, 1988, in defiance of Pope St. John Paul II’s explicit admonitions. The Code of Canon Law could not be plainer about what such an act is. Canon 1013 reads: “No Bishop is permitted to consecrate anyone as Bishop, unless it is first established that a pontifical mandate has been issued.” Canon 1387 attaches the penalty: “Both the Bishop who, without a pontifical mandate, consecrates a person a Bishop, and the one who receives the consecration from him, incur a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.” The penalty is automatic.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican amid tensions between the pontiff and U.S. President Donald Trump. However, Rubio, the United States’ top diplomat, has dismissed suggestions that repairing ties is the main purpose of the visit. Rubio is also scheduled to hold talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome. DW’s Ben Fajzullin spoke with Meghan Clark, professor of theology and religious studies at St. John’s University.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican amid tensions between the pontiff and U.S. President Donald Trump. However, Rubio, the United States’ top diplomat, has dismissed suggestions that repairing ties is the main purpose of the visit. Rubio is also scheduled to hold talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome. DW’s Ben Fajzullin spoke with Meghan Clark, professor of theology and religious studies at St. John’s University.
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Southern Baptist membership declines for 19th consecutive year*
AL.com: The Southern
Baptist Convention reported this week that membership fell for the 19th
year in a row, down to about 12.33 million U.S. members in 2025, but it
remains the largest Protestant denomination in America.
Trust in health and wellness influencers
Pew Research Center:
Some 40% of U.S. adults say they ever get health and wellness
information from social media influencers or podcasts.
Themes of peace and human dignity have been central to Pope Leo as he marks his first year in office
The Conversation: In
an age where power is concentrated in the hands of a few, the pope has
urged Christians to make a “radical choice in favor of the weakest.”
Three women sit for Israeli Rabbinate’s exam, amid growing recognition for Orthodox Jewish women’s religious leadership
The Conversation:
Three women sat for an exam administered by Israel’s Rabbinate, the
latest sign of growing recognition for women’s religious leadership
within Orthodox Judaism.
Death penalty abolitionists at work in Ohio and Tennessee
Baptist News Global:
More than 500 faith leaders signed a May 4 letter to the Ohio General
Assembly pleading with lawmakers to strike down the state’s capital
punishment system altogether.
We call this SoNoGo - South Park-North Park-Golden Hill & Our Mission: to see the baptized who live in SoNoGo worship in SoNoGo
Father Gregory Ashe was the founding pastor of St. Patrick’s parish, beginning in 1921 and serving until 1925 when he was replaced by Father Thomas Healy, the parish’s second pastor, and first Augustinian. Father Ashe eventually returned to Buffalo, New York to serve in parish work. He died there in 1934. Father Healy served as pastor of St. Patrick’s for a year and a half, after which he returned to Pennsylvania. He died a short time later in January 1927 at the age of 54. Both Fathers Ashe and Healy were born in Ireland. The 1920s were good to San Diego and the community of North Park. Businesses were thriving, new arrivals spurred development, and optimism was high. Under Father Daley’s guidance, the parish decided to commit to the construction of a magnificent structure, Romanesque in style, using the best architecture and artistry available. Frank Hope was contracted as the architect and the M.H. Golden company did the construction. The contract was signed on October 15th, 1928, and work began almost immediately. Amazingly, the church, the present structure, was finished by Easter Sunday, 1929, in just about six months, but it wasn’t dedicated until September 1929. The cost of the structure was $37,000, and with all the interior additions the cost of the project was around $60,000. Father Daley and the parishioners of St. Patrick’s were justifiably proud of their accomplishments. The next step would be the construction of a school, and it probably would have gone forward but for one obstacle: the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression.
We call this SoNoGo - South Park-North Park-Golden Hill & Our Mission: to see the baptized who live in SoNoGo worship in SoNoGo
Father Gregory Ashe was the founding pastor of St. Patrick’s parish, beginning in 1921 and serving until 1925 when he was replaced by Father Thomas Healy, the parish’s second pastor, and first Augustinian. Father Ashe eventually returned to Buffalo, New York to serve in parish work. He died there in 1934. Father Healy served as pastor of St. Patrick’s for a year and a half, after which he returned to Pennsylvania. He died a short time later in January 1927 at the age of 54. Both Fathers Ashe and Healy were born in Ireland. The 1920s were good to San Diego and the community of North Park. Businesses were thriving, new arrivals spurred development, and optimism was high. Under Father Daley’s guidance, the parish decided to commit to the construction of a magnificent structure, Romanesque in style, using the best architecture and artistry available. Frank Hope was contracted as the architect and the M.H. Golden company did the construction. The contract was signed on October 15th, 1928, and work began almost immediately. Amazingly, the church, the present structure, was finished by Easter Sunday, 1929, in just about six months, but it wasn’t dedicated until September 1929. The cost of the structure was $37,000, and with all the interior additions the cost of the project was around $60,000. Father Daley and the parishioners of St. Patrick’s were justifiably proud of their accomplishments. The next step would be the construction of a school, and it probably would have gone forward but for one obstacle: the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression.
