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USA Today
3 days ago
- General
- USA Today
Every mother thinks her son is a saint. Hers actually will be.
Every mother thinks her son is a saint. Hers actually will be. Antonia Salzano wasn't particularly religious until she saw faith through her son. Others can follow his example, she said while touring the US. Show Caption Hide Caption Pope Francis okays Carlo Acutis to become the first millennial saint Pope Francis approved the canonization of Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old who died in 2006 from leukemia. NEW YORK – Every mother thinks her son is a saint, but Antonia Salzano's is about to become a real one. Carlo Acutis was only 15 when he died of leukemia nearly two decades ago. But he had led the kind of holy life that set him apart from young people, Salzano said May 29 to a nearly full chapel at the University of Mount Saint Vincent in the Bronx. She hopes his life can inspire others to develop their faith at a time when religion, including the Catholic Church, has been waning among young people. "Each one of you is special, remember," she told hundreds of congregants, including students. "God loves you infinitely and, really, you can be the light of the world." Acutis is set to be canonized by United States-born Pope Leo XIV as the first millennial saint. Salzano, who is Italian but whose grandmother was born in New York, is touring America to spread messages about her son's life to younger audiences. She spent the afternoon of May 29 visiting Mount Saint Vincent's and Manhattan's St. Patrick's Cathedral, the seat of New York's archdiocese. That is, when she wasn't stuck in New York City's infamous traffic. Acutis' holiness was visible in his daily life, Salzano told Mount Saint Vincent's parishioners, in his devotion to attending Mass and studying the eucharist, as well as in how he treated others. Salzano, who would go on to study theology to better understand her son, said she was simply a witness to this. "Of course, I'm not a saint," she told USA TODAY after the Mass. "I only have this role." Acutis died in 2006. Ever since, people have reported miracles after praying to him, including a Costa Rican woman cured from a severe brain hemorrhage in 2022, and a Brazilian boy whose pancreatic malformation disappeared in 2013. These documented cases propelled his sainthood. In 2020, Pope Francis beatified him, giving him the title of 'Blessed.' The College of Cardinals in July 2024 voted to canonize Acutis. He was set to officially become a saint on April 27 at the Jubilee of Teenagers, but Francis' death six days earlier led to a postponement. Acutis' canonization is now expected later this year. Mount Saint Vincent's Rev. William Cain admitted to parishioners before Salzano arrived that he had had trouble writing that day's homily. 'What might be holier than a saint?' Cain, a Jesuit priest, quipped. 'The mother of the saint.' Who was Carlo Acutis? Initially a mostly nonreligious woman, Salzano acknowledged her son was special. Acutis, born in London in 1991, began saying the rosary daily at around 5-and-a-half years old. At 7, he had his first first communion. His friends looked to him for guidance and support, and he stood up to bullies who picked on students with disabilities, Catholic news outlets reported. At home, his mother said he'd reflect each night: What did I do today? How did I behave ‒ with classmates, teacher, parents? Much of this is known, Salzano said, because he took lengthy notes as a boy. He wanted to win the battle of original sin that humans are born into, she said, echoing something her son would repeat: 'All of us are born original, but many of us die as photocopies.' A computer lover, he created a website about eucharistic miracles: the bread that exemplifies the body of Christ, becoming actual flesh, which Acutis chronicled of cases in Argentina in the 1990s; or, as he described, wine turning into blood, such as in Croatia in 1411. Acutis loved video games. But to discipline himself, he limited himself to one hour per week. Also every week, he went to confession. This purified him of sins that typically weigh on people, Salzano said. From 'Blessed' to forthcoming saint Scores of clergy and laypeople clamored inside the university's chapel to take pictures with Salzano and shake her hand. Young girls who wore braids and plaid skirts – telltale signs of Catholic school attendance – cued up. So too did boys, in burgundy polos and khakis flagging their religious school bona fides. Seated toward the back of the chapel, Clare Fay, 25, donned beige Adidas Gazelles and carried a tote. 'There are still saints today,' said Fay, originally from Alabama and a recruitment associate for a Catholic education nonprofit that sends teachers to Catholic schools across the country. Salzano spoke on Ascension Day, the Christian holiday when Jesus Christ is believed to have risen to heaven. 'It's not coincidental,' Kentucky native Troy Lasley, 30, a teaching fellow in the Bronx, noted. 'We would call that providential.' Fewer younger Americans, including Catholics, describe themselves as religious, polling shows. Pope Francis sought to bring the church to the people, especially younger people disaffected by scandal and abuse. Acutis personified that effort. 'When we look at the stories of saints, we don't necessarily see ourselves. The youth don't necessarily see themselves,' said Susan Burns, president of the University of Mount Saint Vincent and a psychologist, standing near the altar. 'To have a saint who is a millennial, very much, can speak to their stories.' Seeing the mother of a saint might help people explore their faith. Salzano said her son is a sign of hope for others. At the end of her speech, Salzano gifted the university a relic containing a piece of Acutis' hair. She handed out prayer cards depicting his image to hundreds of attendees. One woman sobbed seeing Salzano. Later, she told USA TODAY her daughter was living with a brain aneurysm. Seeing the woman whose son had helped someone with a similar condition seemed like a sign from God. She prayed to Acutis for her daughter. Salzano rushed out of the chapel as more people swarmed her. A car drove her through rush hour traffic, to speak at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Across Gotham, she'd tell others about her saintly son. Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@ or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
The Star
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
From two popes to journos
WORLD Press Freedom Day came and went on May 3. Weren't we all so preoccupied with one thing or another so significant that the day passed us by? Two popes have some reminders. 'In our different roles and services, never give in to mediocrity. The church must face the challenges posed by the times. "In the same way, communication and journalism do not exist outside of time and history. "Saint Augustine reminds us of this when he said, 'Let us live well, and the times will be good. We are the times.'' – Pope Leo XIV's address to the media on May 12, 2025. Mark that word: mediocrity. Only four days into his papacy, Pope Leo XIV, 69, the first United States-born and Augustinian pope, found time to meet with members of the international media – not only to acknowledge their special coverage and backbreaking work that lasted from Holy Week to the death and funeral of Pope Francis, and then keeping vigil while the conclave to elect the new pope was going on – but, more importantly, to deliver a message so distinctly written for the media. The first words newly elected Pope Leo XIV exclaimed on the balcony facing thousands at St. Peter's Square were greetings of peace. 'Peace be to all of you,' Jesus' own words after His resurrection. The new pope's first words to members of the international media were also about peace. 'In the Sermon on the Mount,' he began, 'Jesus proclaimed: 'Blessed are the peacemakers' (Matthew 5:9). This is a Beatitude that challenges all of us, but it is particularly relevant to you, calling each one of you to strive for a different kind of communication ... we must say 'no' to the war of words and images, we must reject the paradigm of war.' While I was reading the full text of his address (a little more than 800 words, the length of an Inquirer column piece), I imagined him writing it himself in the dead of night, aware that he would be facing communicators, storytellers, and truth-tellers of different stripes who, like him, have come from the trenches. It was therefore not a surprise when in his second paragraph, he expressed 'the church's solidarity with journalists who are imprisoned for seeking and reporting the truth, while also asking for their release.' I thought of 26-year-old journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who has been languishing in a Tacloban City detention cell for five years now, facing terrorism charges. 'The church recognises in these witnesses – I am thinking of those who report on war even at the cost of their lives – the courage of those who defend dignity, justice and the right of people to be informed, because only informed individuals can make free choices. "The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations, and the international community calls on all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and the press.' The new pope stressed that 'communication is not only the transmission of information, it is also the creation of a culture, of human and digital environments that become spaces for dialogue and discussion.' He noted the 'immense potential' of artificial intelligence, which, he said, 'nevertheless requires responsibility and discernment in order to ensure that it can be used for the good of all so that it can benefit all of humanity.' Pope Leo XIV did not miss out on Pope Francis' own message for this year's World Day of Social Communications: 'Let us disarm communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism, and even hatred, let us free it from aggression. "We do not need loud, forceful communication but rather communication that is capable of listening and of gathering the voices of the weak who have no voice.' When Pope Francis honoured two veteran Vatican journalists in 2021, he gave the exhortation 'Listen, deepen, tell.' 'Your mission is to explain the world,' he said, 'to make it less dark, to make those who live there fear it less and look at others with greater awareness and also with more confidence ... "It is difficult to think, meditate, deepen, stop to collect ideas and to study the contexts and precedents of a news item. The risk, you know well, is that of letting oneself be crushed by the news instead of being able to make sense of it. 'This is why I encourage you to preserve and cultivate that sense of mission, which is at the origin of your choice. "And I do it with three verbs that I think can characterise good journalism: listen, deepen, tell.' For truth-tellers, here's one from St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D): 'The truth is like a lion; you don't have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.' I hear a leonine roar. Mabuhay si (Long live) Pope Leo XIV at si +Pope Francis! — Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
GM Chris Drury takes blame for Rangers mess after firing coach Peter Laviolette: ‘It starts with me'
Peter Laviolette is out as New York Rangers coach. But the man who fired him, general manager Chris Drury, is well aware that Laviolette is not solely to blame for one of the most disappointing seasons in Rangers history. 'Leading into the season, given the success we had the last few years, we had high expectations. Quite simply, we fell short across the board,' Drury told reporters Saturday. 'Nobody here takes it lightly. We know our fans are frustrated and they deserve a better season than this. It starts with me. I need to do a better job and give the staff and players the opportunity to succeed.' Advertisement This couldn't have been easy for Drury. He has tremendous respect for Laviolette, whom he hired two years ago to replace Gerard Gallant. Laviolette led the Rangers to franchise records for wins (55) and points (114) in 2023-24, when they won the Presidents' Trophy and reached the Eastern Conference Final. On Saturday, Drury praised Laviolette's Hall of Fame worthy resume, that includes a Stanley Cup championship with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and 846 career wins, more than any United States-born coach in NHL history and seventh overall all-time. 'I don't have a Hall of Fame vote, but I'm pretty sure he's going to be a Hall of Fame coach someday,' he said. But that wasn't enough to save Laviolette's job after the Rangers imploded this season, becoming only the fourth team to win the Presidents' Trophy one season and fail to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs the next. The Rangers (39-36-7) were a dysfunctional team on and off the ice this season, and it appeared late in the campaign, Laviolette had run out of answers about how to turn things around. Advertisement 'While ultimately I made the decision a new voice was needed behind the bench, everyone here — players, management, staff — needs to take ownership of this season, and will be having direct, honest conversations during exit meetings on Monday about what our expectations are for the summer and moving forward, getting ready for next season,' Drury explained. Related: Return of J.T. Miller highlighted slew of Rangers trades during 2024-25 season Chris Drury's goal is to make sure Rangers 'back in the playoffs next year' Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports Drury was asked specifically if there was a communication issue between Laviolette and the players — several of whom, including Calvin de Haan most recently, spoke out angrily about playing time. The GM didn;t dismiss the notion, but appeared to support his former coach in this area. Advertisement 'I know for a fact 'Lavi' is really big on communication and communicated to his players throughout his two years here. Where they stood and why they were out or why they were in or what their role was or wasn't,' Drury said. 'Communication is a priority. Being a former player myself, I always liked to know where I stood and we always try to do that with players every single day.' How about a culture issue with the Rangers? It sure appeared there were an inordinate amount of no-shows this season and a distinct inability to dig down and find ways to win and overcome issues, unlike the resilient 2023-24 squad. 'We're going to be looking at everything. Whether it's the specific question you ask or other things that have come up along the way this year that we've already begun to look at and looked at during the year,' Drury stated. 'Unfortunately, we do have extra time with not being in the playoffs to look at a lot of things this offseason and, again, try and make sure we're back in the playoffs next year.' Drury wouldn't address his job status nor his recent conversations with owner James Dolan. But it appears that he's remaining on the job and set to make his third coaching hire in four years. Advertisement As for that next coach, Drury said he wouldn't rule out bringing in a first-timer at the NHL level. To that end, it's been reported that assistants Michael Peca and Dan Muse will have the opportunity to interview for the vacancy. University of Denver coach David Carle, who's also had much success guiding the United States to consecutive gold medals at the World Junior Championships in 2024 and 2025 where he coached Rangers prospects Gabe Perreault and Drew Fortecsue, could also be an option. Mike Sullivan, Rick Tocchet, Joel Quenneville and John Tortorella are among the well-known current and former NHL coaches who may be considered. There's a lot of work to be done with the roster, as well, including major decision on the Rangers futures of Chris Kreider and K'Andre Miller, for example. 'I can tell you my focus is on doing what I think is right to make this organization better. We're obviously all frustrated and disappointed with how things ended and not being in the playoffs. My focus is on doing everything I can do make sure we're a playoff team next year.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Houston Catholics attend special Mass to pray for Pope Leo XIV
The Brief A special Mass was held on Monday for Houston Catholics to pray for Pope Leo XIV. The Mass was organized by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Those who attended Mass shared excitement and hopes for the new pope. HOUSTON - On Monday, many people gathered at the Co - Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Downtown Houston for a special Mass to pray for Pope Leo XIV. A crowd of Catholics took time out of their day to hear Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez share a message praying for the new pope, but also sharing how they can help carry out his mission and the mission of the church. The archbishop also thanked Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, archbishop emeritus of Galveston-Houston, who was one of the cardinal electors participating in the papal conclave which elected Pope Leo XIV. What they're saying Many of those who were present Monday shared their excitement and hopes for the new pope. "The day before, I did pray with my friend," Tao Truong said. "We prayed to the Lord that they give us a United States-born [pope] and, second, we saw the pope's history. He is so religious, he has loved God since he was little." "When they announced he was American everybody screamed, 'USA, USA.' It's good to have the first pope from here," said Mark Nuar. Many Catholics also told us they are excited about the work of Pope Leo and how his work will impact the church. "It touched me alot because of what Leo is going to be doing for the world," said Ernest Duran." Now that we have an American pope, he's going to be opening doors." "Wanted to come and pray for him and for peace," said Litinia McDonald. "It's very exciting, actually; in elementary school, I went to St. Leo the Great, so I was excited for that part. But he is very into the culture now, and social media, so he is up-to-date with what is going on. So I'm excited about him being a part of the new generation." "Everybody wants peace, so we pray to the lord that peace coming soon," Truong said. What's next Many Catholics at Mass on Monday also said they are excited to watch the pope's inaugural Mass on Sunday, May 18, at 10 a.m. The Source Information in this article came from FOX 26 reporting at the Co - Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, including interviews with those who attended the mass.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Rangers coach seeks NHL job, wants ‘opportunity to show people last year wasn't on him'
Peter Laviolette has remained quiet publicly since he was fired as coach of the New York Rangers after they missed Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. That doesn't mean Laviolette isn't working behind the scenes to possibly land another head coaching job in the NHL. In fact, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman stated on the lates 32 Thoughts podcast Monday that Laviolette is quite motivated to erase the stain on his resume from the dismal 2024-25 season with the Rangers. Advertisement 'He wanted to show people that last year wasn't on him, and it was bigger than just coaching,' Friedman explained. 'He would have the desire to prove it and show it and Laviolette does have the reputation as the turnaround master. His teams in the first year do extremely well. But he'd definitely got that mentality and the word on that is out there.' Outside of Mike Keenan, who the Stanley Cup in his only season as Rangers coach in 1993-94, no other coach in franchise history fared better in their first season than Laviolette. He guided the Rangers to franchise records in wins (55) and points (114), and they won the Presidents' Trophy in 2023-24. This past season was a complete trainwreck. And Laviolette is correct, it wasn't all his fault. Behind the scenes soap opera drama bled on to the ice. The Rangers (39-36-7) missed the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, and were often an unwatchable and unlikeable team with little fight and far too many no-shows. General manager Chris Drury took blame for his role in the unsightly season. But at the end of the day, Drury received a contract extension, Laviolette was fired and Mike Sullivan was brought in as the new coach. Advertisement So, Laviolette seeks another job. He's the winningest United States-born coach in NHL history, and ranks seventh all-time with 846 wins. Laviolette coached the Carolina Hurricanes to the 2006 Stanley Cup championship and reached the Final with two other teams in his career. There's reason to believe that a seventh head coaching job is out there somewhere for Laviolette, either now or after the next round of firings. Out of the remaining six vacancies, the Philadelphia Flyers are likely not an option, since Laviolette's 'been there, done that' already. The Pittsburgh Penguins reportedly are seeking a younger coach, perhaps a first timer. That leaves the Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks and Seattle Kraken. Laviolette's already been linked to the Canucks job, recently vacated by Rick Tocchet. The most appealing job likely was the Anaheim Ducks vacancy. But that was just filled by Joel Quenneville, in his return to the NHL coaching ranks. Advertisement Related: Why Rangers long offseason might be blessing in disguise for Adam Fox Peter Laviolette not only former Rangers coach looking for NHL job Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images Friedman pointed out that Gerard Gallant has let it be known he'd like to get back into the coaching game in the NHL. It's not believed he's gotten much traction in interviews since the Rangers fired him after the 2022-23 season. 'Gerard Gallant interviewed in Toronto when [Craig] Berube got the job (last offseason), but that was more a courtesy interview. It was always Berube's job to lose,' Friedman shared. 'I don't know if he's been in any of these particular interviews this year, but I have heard he is eager to prove same thing (as Laviolette), when he was let go by the Rangers it wasn't only about him. And he wants an opportunity to show people that, and we'll see if he gets an opportunity to speak to teams about that.' Advertisement Gallant was 99-46-19 in two seasons as Rangers coach. He was the 2017-18 Jack Adams Award winner as NHL coach of the year with the Vegas Golden Knights and has a .576 points percentage in 705 NHL games coach with four teams. David Quinn, fired as Rangers coach in 2021 and let go by the San Jose Sharks in 2024, remains under contract with the Penguins, where he was an assistant under Sullivan last season. One would think he could be a candidate there or at some of the other openings around the League. John Tortorella, Rangers coach from 2009-13, also is unemployed after the Flyers fired him late this season. Related Headlines
