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Pope Francis has named Dominican Father Steven Maekawa, a former active duty military chaplain, as the next bishop of Fairbanks, Alaska. The Vatican announced the appointment on July 11. Maekawa will take on the role of leading a diocese that spans more than 400,000 square miles, the largest diocese in the United States geographically. The 55-year-old Dominican friar has been based in Alaska since 2016, serving as the pastor of Holy Family Old Cathedral in Anchorage. Maekawa was awarded a special medal in active duty for his work as a military chaplain in the U.S. Navy Reserve, serving a tour of duty with ground troops in Afghanistan in 2004. In Fairbanks, Maekawa will succeed Bishop Chad Zielinski, whom Pope Francis appointed as the bishop of New Ulm, Minnesota, last year. The Diocese of Fairbanks has 46 Catholic parishes, only nine of which can be reached by car. The new bishop will need to use a bush plane to reach some remote Catholic parishes, including in native Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Inupiat communities.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254770/pope-francis-names-dominican-priest-and-former-military-chaplain-as-alaska-s-next-bishop
A law to shield churches from discriminatory state regulation is officially in effect in Virginia, offering state residents what the bill’s sponsor called a “spectacular win” for religious freedom in the state.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254769/new-virginia-law-offers-churches-additional-protections-against-being-shut-down
A little boy who managed to get past the crowd control barrier at World Youth Day (WYD) in Rio de Janeiro in 2013 to give an emotional embrace to Pope Francis is now a seminarian preparing for the priesthood.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254774/boy-who-got-past-security-barrier-to-embrace-pope-francis-at-wyd-2013-is-now-a-seminarian
Today, the Church celebrates Saint John Gualbert. Born wealthy in the tenth century and growing up in a life of frivolity, John experienced a powerful conversion when he had a vision of Christ on the Cross, leading him to forgive his brother’s murderer. On a plot of land east of Florence called Vallombrosa, together with men who were equally committed to a more austere and stricter following of the Rule of St. Benedict, he founded a humble monastery devoted to contemplation and prayer and care of the poor and sick. The Vallombrosan Benedictines still exist today, mainly in the region of Tuscany and Lombardy, and number a handful of monasteries.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-john-gualbert-299