• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
        • Sports News
        • Official Clergy Assignments
        • Schools News
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Question Corner
          • George Weigel
          • Elizabeth Scalia
          • Michael R. Heinlein
          • Effie Caldarola
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Mark Viviano
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie & Television Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
        • Recipes
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • CR Media platforms
        • Electronic Edition
  • Advertising
  • Shop
        • Purchase Photos
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • Magazine Subscriptions
        • Archdiocesan Directory
  • CR Radio
        • CR Radio
        • Protagonistas de Fe
        • In God’s Image
  • News Tips
  • Subscribe
Kamil Cierniak lived with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a terminal illness, for 26 years. Despite the disease, he was studying in multiple departments of Krakow's universities in Poland. In 2015 Kamil was asked to become a director of the documentary on the international pilgrimage of the Order of Malta to Lourdes sanctuary. He is pictured with his cameraman as he interviews a dame of the Order of Malta on May 2, 2015 in Lourdes. Cierniak died April 18, 2020. (OSV News photo/Paulina Guzik)

Despite disability, young man directs film — in Lourdes, France

May 4, 2023
By Paulina Guzik
OSV News
Filed Under: Arts & Culture, Movie & Television Reviews

KRAKOW (OSV News) — Kamil Cierniak lived with spinal muscular atrophy, a terminal illness, for 26 years. He was fragile, he spoke with a delicate, weak voice and operated his electric wheelchair with one finger. But one thing was unbeatable in his life — his faith. It was this faith that brought him to the Sanctuary of Lourdes, France, in May 2015. Even though disabled himself, the young Polish student directed a documentary on other disabled people traveling to Lourdes for an annual May pilgrimage with the Order of Malta.

Kamil was born Aug. 28, 1993. “He was a tiny and very calm baby. We thought this is just his character,” Krystyna Cierniak, Kamil’s mother, said. She learned that her child was ill when he was 8 months old.

“I never took his disease as a cross. You can’t expect that everything will be great in your life, because that would be like hoping that someone else would get sick,” she said. “This would be unacceptable for a Christian.”

Kamil Cierniak lived with spinal muscular atrophy, a terminal illness, for 26 years. In 2015 Kamil was asked to become a director of the documentary on the international pilgrimage of the Order of Malta to Lourdes sanctuary. Cierniak died April 18, 2020. (OSV News photo/Paulina Guzik)

Krystyna did everything she could to make her son’s life as normal as possible. “He was exceptionally smart,” she said, so when the time came for him to go to college, she did not hesitate.

“He was planning to study remotely but then he saw a disabled student living in the dormitory with her mom,” she said, “and his face just lit with a smile — ‘Mom, we can do the same!'”

Given that Kamil’s older brothers were adults, Krystyna moved to the university’s dormitory with her youngest. She spent eight years living in a small dormitory room with her son, who first studied political science at the Jagiellonian University, then cognitive studies in the field of psychology, and finally philosophy at the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow, Poland.

Kamil’s passion was editorial journalism. He published a blog, sharing thoughts filled with humor about the life of a disabled student. Once he described applying for a job as a flight attendant. “There is one problem,” he wrote in a job application. “I am disabled. But thanks to this, if — God forbid — something bad starts to happen during the flight, I will be a model of calm and self-control.”

He remembers fondly one flight of his own — one to Lourdes, France, to visit the beloved Marian shrine.

In April 2015, the Pontifical University of John Paul II approached Kamil to become a director of a documentary on the pilgrimage of the disabled to Lourdes.

Every year at the beginning of May, the month traditionally devoted to Mary, national associations of the Order of Malta travel to Lourdes with disabled pilgrims to the place where the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous — a place that has become known for the medical miracles that sometimes result from an encounter with its waters.

Kamil and his cameraman friend, Jakub Stoszek, took on the challenge of producing a 30-minute documentary. As usual, Kamil traveled with his mom.

“Without the help of the Maltesers, and the support of the university, this trip would never be possible,” Krystyna said. “It had a huge impact on Kamil. I knew it, and I saw how poignant it was for him to be in this sacred place.”

Kamil’s wheelchair was too big to fit into the plane, so the airline delivered it the day after his arrival. That meant that for his first day in Lourdes, Kamil was in a hospital bed.

“Thanks to the Knights of Malta, on my hospital bed I was able to go and visit the Grotto, where the apparitions of the Virgin Mary happened. It was very meaningful to me, especially that a month before I would never think I would ever see this place on my own,” he wrote on his blog upon his return.

He continued: “On that same bed I was wheeled to Mass to the chapel of our hospital-hotel. At the end of Mass, during announcements, I was introduced as a participant of a journalistic team. Those present at Mass must have been really surprised that a reporter is actually lying on the hospital bed.”

“Well, someone needs to be the innovative one,” he quipped.

“The pilgrimage to Lourdes was for him a spiritual strengthening — a place to charge his batteries. My son had an amazing relationship with God. And he felt praying in Lourdes was an exceptional spiritual experience for him,” Krystyna said.

Kamil interviewed multiple dames and knights of the Order of Malta and the sick while producing the documentary. He told a story of the first international pilgrimage organized by the Order of Malta in 1958 (the centenary of Mary’s apparitions to Bernadette), during which women were dressed in old-fashioned nurse uniforms and men wore traditional national uniforms similar to those worn by the military. All of the participants take care of big groups of sick people that accompany them, making Lourdes a colorful mosaic of people united in prayer and service to others.

“During the international pilgrimage of the Order of Malta, Lourdes is really, really impressive,” Kamil wrote on his blog.

With his usual touch of a sense of humor, he concluded his blog post about Lourdes: “In a way, I was blessed with a miracle, as I returned to Poland without my wheelchair. Unfortunately, two days later, it made it home by bus.”

The documentary produced by Kamil was aired by Polish Television, a national public channel, during the church’s Year of Mercy in 2016.

“Kamil never complained,” his mother said. In November 2019, his father was diagnosed with brain cancer and died only a few weeks later. “It was devastating for Kamil; only a month after his dad passed away, on Christmas Eve, his condition gravely deteriorated,” she said.

Kamil spent the last three months of his life on a hospital bed, intubated and unable to breathe on his own.

“He was still cheering the hospital staff,” Krystyna said. “The ward would be full of laughter of his friends taking night shifts with him so I can sleep.”

“He would be writing with his eyes on a screen asking the nurses whether they are OK and whether they are not too tired. He always cared about others more than he cared about himself,” Krystyna remembered.

“One of the last messages he wrote to me was: ‘Mommy, put your head on the pillow and rest.'”

“One day he asked me, ‘Mom, can you please go to the store to pick up some sweets for doctors and nurses?’ It was a very brief errand and when I came back, a nurse rushed from his room and told me that my son had died,” Krystyna recalled.

“I could not believe it,” she said, “but later I learned from the doctor that kids rarely let their parents see their children’s death.”

Kamil died on April 18, 2020, the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday.

“I know Kamil is now with God, as I feel his presence with me all the time,” Krystyna said.

“He had a strength of faith that we all learned from him.”

Former astrologer rediscovers Catholic roots, will enter full communion with Church at Easter

Daniel Meloy

March 21, 2026

jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
$(‘#facebook-before-289931’).sharrre({
share: {
facebook: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘facebook’);
}
});
$(‘#twitter-before-289931’).sharrre({
share: {
twitter: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { twitter: { via: ‘CatholicReview’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘twitter’);
}
});
$(‘#pinterest-before-289931’).sharrre({
share: {
pinterest: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { pinterest: { media: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/astrologer-conversion.jpg’, description: ‘Former astrologer rediscovers Catholic roots, will enter full communion with Church at Easter’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘pinterest’);
}
});
$(‘#linkedin-before-289931’).sharrre({
share: {
linkedin: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘linkedin’);
}
});

});

Molly Curtis was always a spiritual person, reading the Bible, studying other religious texts, finding wisdom in Buddhism and other Eastern philosophies. But while she found wisdom, she didn’t find peace.

jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
$(‘#facebook-after-289931’).sharrre({
share: {
facebook: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘facebook’);
}
});
$(‘#twitter-after-289931’).sharrre({
share: {
twitter: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { twitter: { via: ‘CatholicReview’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘twitter’);
}
});
$(‘#pinterest-after-289931’).sharrre({
share: {
pinterest: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { pinterest: { media: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/astrologer-conversion.jpg’, description: ‘Former astrologer rediscovers Catholic roots, will enter full communion with Church at Easter’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘pinterest’);
}
});
$(‘#linkedin-after-289931’).sharrre({
share: {
linkedin: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘linkedin’);
}
});

});

Continue Reading Former astrologer rediscovers Catholic roots, will enter full communion with Church at Easter

Archbishop John Hughes: A new breed of bishop for the 19th century

Russell Shaw

March 21, 2026

jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
$(‘#facebook-before-289772’).sharrre({
share: {
facebook: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘facebook’);
}
});
$(‘#twitter-before-289772’).sharrre({
share: {
twitter: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { twitter: { via: ‘CatholicReview’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘twitter’);
}
});
$(‘#pinterest-before-289772’).sharrre({
share: {
pinterest: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { pinterest: { media: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/usa-250-hughes.jpg’, description: ‘Archbishop John Hughes: A new breed of bishop for the 19th century’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘pinterest’);
}
});
$(‘#linkedin-before-289772’).sharrre({
share: {
linkedin: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘linkedin’);
}
});

});

John Hughes reigned — the word fits his style — as Archbishop of New York from December 1842 until his death in January 1864. In that time he established himself in the eyes of his fellow Americans as a Catholic bishop unlike any they’d seen up to then.

jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
$(‘#facebook-after-289772’).sharrre({
share: {
facebook: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘facebook’);
}
});
$(‘#twitter-after-289772’).sharrre({
share: {
twitter: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { twitter: { via: ‘CatholicReview’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘twitter’);
}
});
$(‘#pinterest-after-289772’).sharrre({
share: {
pinterest: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { pinterest: { media: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/usa-250-hughes.jpg’, description: ‘Archbishop John Hughes: A new breed of bishop for the 19th century’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘pinterest’);
}
});
$(‘#linkedin-after-289772’).sharrre({
share: {
linkedin: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘linkedin’);
}
});

});

Continue Reading Archbishop John Hughes: A new breed of bishop for the 19th century

Denver’s Regis University names woman as new president in historic first for Jesuit-run school

OSV News

March 21, 2026

jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
$(‘#facebook-before-289769’).sharrre({
share: {
facebook: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘facebook’);
}
});
$(‘#twitter-before-289769’).sharrre({
share: {
twitter: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { twitter: { via: ‘CatholicReview’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘twitter’);
}
});
$(‘#pinterest-before-289769’).sharrre({
share: {
pinterest: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { pinterest: { media: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/regis-president.jpg’, description: ‘Denver’s Regis University names woman as new president in historic first for Jesuit-run school’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘pinterest’);
}
});
$(‘#linkedin-before-289769’).sharrre({
share: {
linkedin: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘linkedin’);
}
});

});

The university announced March 9 that Cooper Whitehead, currently serving as vice president of student affairs at Jesuit-run Boston College, will become its 29th president on July 1.

jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
$(‘#facebook-after-289769’).sharrre({
share: {
facebook: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘facebook’);
}
});
$(‘#twitter-after-289769’).sharrre({
share: {
twitter: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { twitter: { via: ‘CatholicReview’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘twitter’);
}
});
$(‘#pinterest-after-289769’).sharrre({
share: {
pinterest: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { pinterest: { media: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/regis-president.jpg’, description: ‘Denver’s Regis University names woman as new president in historic first for Jesuit-run school’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘pinterest’);
}
});
$(‘#linkedin-after-289769’).sharrre({
share: {
linkedin: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘linkedin’);
}
});

});

Continue Reading Denver’s Regis University names woman as new president in historic first for Jesuit-run school

America at 250: Celebrating both a birthday and a history of religious liberty

Kimberly Heatherington

March 21, 2026

jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
$(‘#facebook-before-289688’).sharrre({
share: {
facebook: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘facebook’);
}
});
$(‘#twitter-before-289688’).sharrre({
share: {
twitter: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { twitter: { via: ‘CatholicReview’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘twitter’);
}
});
$(‘#pinterest-before-289688’).sharrre({
share: {
pinterest: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { pinterest: { media: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-250-soldiers-pray.jpg’, description: ‘America at 250: Celebrating both a birthday and a history of religious liberty’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘pinterest’);
}
});
$(‘#linkedin-before-289688’).sharrre({
share: {
linkedin: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘linkedin’);
}
});

});

As the United States indulges in a star-spangled celebration of its 250th birthday, a cornerstone of historical significance that stands out is religious freedom, and unlike for many other nations, it is a unique founding principle of this nation.

jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
$(‘#facebook-after-289688’).sharrre({
share: {
facebook: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘facebook’);
}
});
$(‘#twitter-after-289688’).sharrre({
share: {
twitter: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { twitter: { via: ‘CatholicReview’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘twitter’);
}
});
$(‘#pinterest-after-289688’).sharrre({
share: {
pinterest: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { pinterest: { media: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-250-soldiers-pray.jpg’, description: ‘America at 250: Celebrating both a birthday and a history of religious liberty’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘pinterest’);
}
});
$(‘#linkedin-after-289688’).sharrre({
share: {
linkedin: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘linkedin’);
}
});

});

Continue Reading America at 250: Celebrating both a birthday and a history of religious liberty

Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem remains closed

Barb Fraze

March 20, 2026

jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
$(‘#facebook-before-290019’).sharrre({
share: {
facebook: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘facebook’);
}
});
$(‘#twitter-before-290019’).sharrre({
share: {
twitter: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { twitter: { via: ‘CatholicReview’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘twitter’);
}
});
$(‘#pinterest-before-290019’).sharrre({
share: {
pinterest: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { pinterest: { media: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/sepulcher-doors.jpg’, description: ‘Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem remains closed’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘pinterest’);
}
});
$(‘#linkedin-before-290019’).sharrre({
share: {
linkedin: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘linkedin’);
}
});

});

Israeli authorities closed Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher as part of wider closures for security concerns, beginning Feb. 28, when Israel and the United States launched attacks against Iran.

jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
$(‘#facebook-after-290019’).sharrre({
share: {
facebook: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘facebook’);
}
});
$(‘#twitter-after-290019’).sharrre({
share: {
twitter: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { twitter: { via: ‘CatholicReview’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘twitter’);
}
});
$(‘#pinterest-after-290019’).sharrre({
share: {
pinterest: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { pinterest: { media: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/sepulcher-doors.jpg’, description: ‘Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem remains closed’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘pinterest’);
}
});
$(‘#linkedin-after-290019’).sharrre({
share: {
linkedin: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘linkedin’);
}
});

});

Continue Reading Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem remains closed

Childhood classmates from the United States reunite with Pope Leo

Carol Glatz

March 20, 2026

jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
$(‘#facebook-before-290016’).sharrre({
share: {
facebook: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘facebook’);
}
});
$(‘#twitter-before-290016’).sharrre({
share: {
twitter: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { twitter: { via: ‘CatholicReview’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘twitter’);
}
});
$(‘#pinterest-before-290016’).sharrre({
share: {
pinterest: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { pinterest: { media: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/leo-classmates.jpg’, description: ‘Childhood classmates from the United States reunite with Pope Leo’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘pinterest’);
}
});
$(‘#linkedin-before-290016’).sharrre({
share: {
linkedin: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘linkedin’);
}
});

});

Pope Leo XIV, who graduated from the lower school of St. Mary of the Assumption on the city’s South Side in 1969, greeted and reminisced with 10 of his 82 former classmates after the general audience in St. Peter’s Square March 18.

jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
$(‘#facebook-after-290016’).sharrre({
share: {
facebook: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘facebook’);
}
});
$(‘#twitter-after-290016’).sharrre({
share: {
twitter: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { twitter: { via: ‘CatholicReview’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘twitter’);
}
});
$(‘#pinterest-after-290016’).sharrre({
share: {
pinterest: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { pinterest: { media: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/leo-classmates.jpg’, description: ‘Childhood classmates from the United States reunite with Pope Leo’ } },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘pinterest’);
}
});
$(‘#linkedin-after-290016’).sharrre({
share: {
linkedin: true
},
urlCurl: ‘https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php’,
enableHover: false,
enableTracking: true,
disableCount: true,
buttons: { },
click: function(api, options){
api.simulateClick();
api.openPopup(‘linkedin’);
}
});

});

Continue Reading Childhood classmates from the United States reunite with Pope Leo

Copyright © 2023 OSV News

Print Print

Primary Sidebar

Paulina Guzik

View all posts from this author

For the latest news delivered twice a week via email or text message, sign up to receive our free enewsletter.

| MOST POPULAR |

  • At Maryland conference, more than 800 Catholic men challenged to build ‘heroic friendships’
  • Setting a table for St. Joseph’s Day
  • Loyola University Maryland honors Archbishop Lori with Andrew White Medal
  • New rule affecting visas seen as ‘positive step’ by foreign-born priests
  • Trump issues presidential messages for feast of St. Joseph, St. Patrick’s Day

| CURRENT EDITION |

| Vatican News |

Childhood classmates from the United States reunite with Pope Leo

Pope Leo XIV meets Spanish royals at Vatican, renewing crown’s historic bond with Basilica of St. Mary Major

Pope Leo XIV calls bishops to Rome to discuss marriage and family in October

Communion of faithful, not just clergy, shares role in safeguarding faith, pope says

Vatican appeals court declares partial mistrial in Cardinal Becciu trial

| Catholic Review Radio |

| Movie & Television Reviews |

Movie Review: ‘Reminders of Him’

Movie Review: ‘Project Hail Mary’

Home viewing roundup: What’s available to stream and what’s on horizon

‘The Optimist’ tells story of Holocaust survivor helped by Catholic family

St. Patrick’s Day celebration twist: Catholic Irish actress brings pro-life message to Oscars stage

| En español |

Católicos de Baltimore llevan la voz de los migrantes al Capitolio de los Estados Unidos

Una Ministra Laica al Servicio del Pueblo

¿Estamos los padres hispanos abiertos a que nuestros hijos sigan el llamado de Dios?

¿Es posible ser joven, inmigrante y un líder de fe hoy en día?

Los queridos pesebres muestran el verdadero significado de la Navidad

Footer

Our Vision

Real Life. Real Faith. 

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • Former astrologer rediscovers Catholic roots, will enter full communion with Church at Easter
  • Archbishop John Hughes: A new breed of bishop for the 19th century
  • Denver’s Regis University names woman as new president in historic first for Jesuit-run school
  • America at 250: Celebrating both a birthday and a history of religious liberty
  • Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem remains closed
  • Childhood classmates from the United States reunite with Pope Leo
  • Pope Leo XIV meets Spanish royals at Vatican, renewing crown’s historic bond with Basilica of St. Mary Major
  • Loyola University Maryland receives $3 million to boost internships, support faculty formation
  • Loyola University Maryland honors Archbishop Lori with Andrew White Medal

Search

Membership

Catholic Media Assocation

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2026 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED