Saint of the Day

One year from now, Catholics from around the world — alongside Pope Leo XIV — will gather for World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul, South Korea, from Aug. 3–8, 2027.

The announcement was made by Pope Francis at the closing Mass of World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal. Catholics from South Korea in attendance responded with happiness and excitement to the news.

This is only the second time an Asian country has hosted a World Youth Day — the last being in Manila, Philippines, in 1995 — and the first hosted in a nation where Catholicism is a minority religion.

With the date quickly approaching, South Korea is already preparing for this historic event. Here’s what you need to know:

The venues

The specific venues for the many events taking place are still being finalized by the Vatican and the WYD Seoul 2027 local organizing committee (LOC), which is led by Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seoul, with Bishop Paul Kyung-Sang Lee serving as the general coordinator. Additionally, Bishop Job Yobi Koo helps the LOC as the episcopal coordinator.

The theme

The theme of WYD 2027 is taken from the Gospel of John 16:33: “Take Courage! I Have Overcome the World.”

The program

While the schedule is still being finalized, attendees can expect an opening Mass to be celebrated by the archbishop of Seoul, morning catechesis sessions led by bishops from around the world, a papal welcome ceremony, the Way of the Cross, a pilgrimage walk to the grounds where the closing Mass will take place, Eucharistic adoration, and a prayer vigil with Pope Leo XIV as well as the closing Mass celebrated by the Holy Father.

Additionally, the youth festival will include concerts, cultural performances, and other events for the young people in attendance. Attendees will also be able to visit reconciliation park and the vocations fair.

The patron saints

The five patron saints of WYD Seoul 2027 are St. John Paul II, founder of World Youth Day; St. Andrew Kim Taegon and his companion martyrs; St. Frances Xavier Cabrini; St. Josephine Bakhita, and St. Carlo Acutis.

St. John Paul II (1920–2005) is remembered for centering much of his pastoral teaching on young people, the family, and the defense of the dignity of human life. St. Andrew Kim Taegon (1821–1846), the first Korean Catholic priest, together with his companion martyrs, represents a powerful witness of faith and courage, sealed by martyrdom at a young age.

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917) was a tireless missionary, known especially for her work on behalf of migrants and the poor. St. Josephine Bakhita (1869–1947), a former slave who became a religious sister, is a witness of hope, freedom, and faith transformed through suffering. St. Carlo Acutis (1991–2006), meanwhile, embodies the witness of holiness in the digital age and remains a model of evangelization for young people today.

The official theme song

The official theme song for WYD 2027 was released on Aug. 3. The song, “Confidite, Ego Vici Mundum” (“Take Courage! I Have Overcome the World,” in Latin), was the winning composition from 434 submissions and was written by Korean composer Francis Jiyoon Kim.

How many Catholics are in South Korea?

According to data released by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea in 2022, South Korea has approximately 6 million Catholics, which is just 11% of the total population.

A 2020 survey by a Korean research journal tracking recent religious demographic changes in the country found that now about 50% of South Koreans are nonreligious, while 32% are Protestant Christians and 16% are Buddhist.

Pray for WYD 2027

You can find the official prayer for WYD Seoul 2027 here.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

The Young Professional Catholics of Toronto (YPCT), a growing lay association of the Archdiocese of Toronto, will host its first conference on Sept. 26 at the Canada Event Centre in the greater Toronto area.

According to its website, ARISE is a full-day conference built for young professionals and Catholics from all walks of life called to be a “light and witness in their workplaces and society.”

The conference will include keynote speakers, breakout sessions, Mass, benediction, and networking opportunities. Some of the speakers set to take the stage include Sister Marie Veritas of the Sisters of Life; Father Charbel Bousamra, a Maronite priest and founder of Assumption Academy in Canada; and Father Marcin Serwin, a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate and director of Oblate Youth Canada, among others.

YPCT brings together ambitious individuals navigating careers and personal growth, all while remaining rooted in shared Catholic values. Through networking events, service initiatives, and faith-centered gatherings, the group offers more than just social connection — it provides purpose and belonging as it redefines how Catholic identity can thrive among the next generation of leaders.

The group’s vice president, Kathleen Muggeridge, and Eva Bracho, one of the group’s event directors, told EWTN News in an interview that the inspiration for the conference came from a passage from the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus tells the rich young man to arise, sell his possessions, and follow him.

“Obviously not everyone can literally sell everything that they have and follow him and become like a monk or be out on the streets to serve the poor, but in their own vocational path — whether itʼs to be a father or mother of many children and to work and contribute to society — in whatever state of their life that theyʼre in, they need to arise and go and follow Our Lord,” Muggeridge said.

Bracho added that the theme of “arise” is also a “call from from spiritual slumber to intentional action. Especially, I think, in our society now, in our generation as well, itʼs really that call to live our faith fully in the world and tend to our individual God-given missions whatever that is and to become the person that God has created us to be.”

YPCT is expecting 600 to 800 attendees and while the conference is open to all Catholics, Bracho emphasized that what sets this conference apart is “that mission focus in your life. A lot of us are called to marriage and professional life. So what does that look like from a professional standpoint, which I think has not really been touched before.”

She added that she hopes attendees will leave the conference with “a sense of renewal.”

“So really remembering who God created each person to be in our identity as daughters and sons and then coming out of that and saying, ‘OK, what am I here for? What is my mission?’ And feeling the renewal of ‘Iʼm going to go forth in whatever my circumstances, my job, my life, my family, whatever that is, and be intentional about the life that Iʼm living and have that call to holiness but also have that call of like pursuing with purpose what I feel like my mission is in this life,’” Bracho said.

Muggeridge added: “The conference will be a reminder to people that Godʼs grace is in the here and now; itʼs right now, and every single moment of life that God wills us to be here is a moment where we can turn it all around. I really believe that it only takes a little bit of goodness on our part for God to do huge things.”

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

When the American Founding Fathers declared independence from the British crown 250 years ago, Catholicism represented a very small portion of the population — accounting for less than 2% of the people.

The primary hub for American Catholicism in 1776 was Maryland, which was created as a safe haven for Catholics and home to the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence: Charles Carroll of Carrollton.

Yet, more than one-third of Catholics lived outside Maryland in the late 1700s. Archbishop John Carroll — the first bishop in the United States — reported the Catholic population to the Holy See in 1785: about 15,800 in Maryland, at least 7,000 in Pennsylvania, at least 1,500 in New York, and no more than 200 in Virginia. There were a few hundred scattered elsewhere.

The primary reason for the low numbers was restrictive laws, some of which outright banned Catholicism and priests from colonies. Even in Maryland, after the 1689 Protestant Revolution, Catholics faced severe restrictions, including a ban on voting and openly celebrating Mass.

“[The laws were] definitely repressive,” said Seth Smith, a history professor at The Catholic University of America with expertise in American Catholicism.

“But Catholics in the colonies had more freedom to practice their faith than they would have in Britain,” Smith told EWTN News.

“On the books, virtually everywhere except Rhode Island and (informally) Pennsylvania, Catholics faced disenfranchisement, exclusion from office, land restrictions, and bans on public worship, Catholic schools, and priests,” he said. “These laws escalated throughout the colonial period.”

For example, Massachusetts had a law permitting executions of priests but “actual executions of priests for simply being priests essentially didnʼt happen in the 13 colonies,” Smith said.

“[These laws] had the effect of limiting Catholic migration to British North America,” he said. “… The practical reality was that there were so few Catholics that enforcement was often moot.”

Catholicism in Pennsylvania

As the Catholic hub in Maryland faced legal restrictions in the late 1600s into the 1700s, Jesuits in Maryland sought to extend their reach into the colonies and found the friendliest colony to be Pennsylvania, founded by a Quaker strong advocate for religious freedom, William Penn.

Father Joseph Greaton, an English Catholic who moved to Maryland in 1719, was assigned to Pennsylvania, where he established the colony’s first Catholic parish in Philadelphia — Old St. Josephʼs Church, founded in 1733.

Although the colony and city tolerated Catholics legally, Greaton still took precautions because of anti-Catholic sentiment, designing the church to look more like a residential building rather than appearing outwardly like a Catholic church.

When reached for comment, the current pastor referred EWTN News to Stephen Paesani, a parishioner deeply involved in the parish, to speak about its history.

Paesani said the chapel was designed that way “so it wouldn’t draw attention to itself.” When it was created, it was the “only place in the British empire where Mass was celebrated legally and publicly” because the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly — the governing body — determined British anti-Catholic laws did not apply.

To enter the church, Paesani said, “you had to come in through the alley and go through the courtyard.” He said “if you didn’t know the church was there, you would never know.”

Catholics were a small minority in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania more broadly. Paesani said treatment of Catholics was “a mixed bag.” There were “clearly incidents of anti-Catholicism” in colonial Philadelphia, but the priests were involved in the community and generally had support from public officials, he said.

Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a Catholic Founding Father, sometimes worshipped there. Another prominent parishioner was John Barry, an Irish Catholic naval officer who fought in the American Revolution and was appointed to lead the U.S. Navy post-Revolution.

Greaton established other churches throughout Pennsylvania to serve Catholics and would travel from town to town administering the sacraments to the faithful. One parish that’s still standing is Most Blessed Sacrament in Bally, which was home to a small number of German Catholics, founded in 1741.

Michael Miller, the museum director at Most Blessed Sacrament, told EWTN News the parish only served “a few families,” with the closest being the Kuhn family. John Kuhn — a German Catholic — informed the Jesuits that land there was for sale, previously owned by Mennonites.

“[Greaton] would travel to other Mass houses [throughout Pennsylvania],” Miller said.

When asked whether the German Catholics faced discrimination, he said “not around here.” In that part of Pennsylvania, he said most people, regardless of religion, were either iron workers or farmers, and the Protestant majorities were “good neighbors.”

“There were so few Catholics in the immediate area, when they got around to building the chapel, they had Mennonite workers,” he said.

Other locations he traveled to included Ivy Mills, where Mass was celebrated in the home of Thomas Willcox in the early 1700s until Catholics established the parish of St. Thomas the Apostle. Another was the Conewago Chapel in Hanover (now the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus), established in 1730.

Catholicism outside Maryland and Pennsylvania

Outside of Maryland and Pennsylvania, Smith said “mostly what existed were scattered gentry families like the Brents in Virginia (who had ties to Maryland) and Catholics with diplomatic and mercantile roles in port cities.”

This contributed to the small number of Catholics present in New York City and Charleston, South Carolina, even though Catholicism was illegal in both cities for most of colonial times. Catholicism was only briefly legal in colonial New York when Irish Catholic Thomas Dongan was appointed governor from 1683 to 1688.

“The reason that there was any Catholic presence in these cities (or any port cities in British North America) was due to commerce,” Smith said. “Port cities pulled sailors, merchants, etc., from around the world. Some level of religious tolerance was good for business, though tolerance generally meant that Catholics could practice their faith out of sight.”

After the revolution and when the United States adopted the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which guaranteed a right to “the free exercise” of religion, Catholicism was tolerated — at least legally. This led to a greater influx of Catholic immigration in the 1800s.

In 1790, President George Washington wrote to Archbishop John Carroll while lawmakers were still in the process of adopting the Bill of Rights.

Washington assured the archbishop that Catholics would enjoy the same rights as Protestants under the new government. He said “your fellow-citizens will not forget the patriotic part which you took” in the revolutionary war and the establishment of the government. He also noted the support received from the Catholic country of France.

“May the members of your society in America, animated alone by the pure spirit of Christianity, and still conducting themselves as the faithful subjects of our free government, enjoy every temporal and spiritual felicity,” Washington wrote.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

Anti-Christian violence claimed the lives of numerous clergy, religious, and lay Catholics in Spain during the 1930s, producing one of the most extensively studied chapters in the modern history of the Church.

The memory of that religious persecution, however, has largely been constructed around its martyrs, leaving in the background those who endured the same brutality but did not receive the palm of martyrdom.

A new book by Spanish priest and theologian Monsignor Melchor Sánchez de Toca Alameda brings to light the stories of Catholics who survived the upheaval and violence of those years.

Published in Spanish by publishing house Didaskalos under the title “Los mártires que no fueron. Salvados, clandestinos, refugiados, evadidos y muertos de la persecución religiosa en España (1936–1939)” (“The Martyrs Who Were Not: Survivors, Underground Catholics, Refugees, Escapees and Victims of Religious Persecution in Spain, 1936–1939”), the book recounts the experiences of people who escaped death, lived in hiding, fled dangerous areas, or died during the Spanish Civil War under circumstances that did not meet the Church’s criteria for martyrdom.

Sánchez de Toca, a relator at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, has worked on numerous causes of martyrdom connected with the religious persecution of the 1930s.

That experience, he told ACI Prensa, inspired him to begin collecting the stories of those whose lives had received less attention.

“Those who went through the persecution and did not die in it, or who died during that period but without the grace of martyrdom, had been left somewhat in the shadows,” he said.

Would-be martyrs

The book presents a broad collection of men and women who endured the same trial as the martyrs but met a different fate.

Some escaped death through unexpected circumstances. Others remained hidden for years while sustaining a Church forced underground. Some fled the most dangerous areas, while others died during the war without their deaths being recognized as martyrdom.

“Not all saints who live through a religious persecution attain the palm of martyrdom by dying in it, and not everyone who dies during a persecution is a martyr,” Sánchez de Toca explained.

Rather than attempting an exhaustive catalog, the author selected figures who have been canonized or are currently the subjects of beatification causes, offering a different perspective on the dramatic events of the period.

Among the better-known figures are St. Maravillas of Jesus, St. Josemaría Escrivá, Blessed Álvaro del Portillo, Venerable José María García Lahiguera, Blessed Pere Tarrés, Isidoro Zorzano, and Servant of God Carmen Hidalgo, co-founder of the Oblate Sisters of Christ the Priest.

The book also features lesser-known people whose lives were marked by the persecution, including Ismael de Tomelloso, known as “the saintly militiaman”; Antonio Rivera, called “the angel of the Alcázar”; and Jesuit Father Fernando Huidobro, a chaplain to the Spanish Legion.

Those three cases initially attracted the author’s interest. Although all suffered the consequences of the war and two died from wounds or at the front, none can be considered martyrs in the strict sense.

“There were attempts to present them as martyrs, especially during the postwar period through Francoist propaganda,” Sánchez de Toca said.

They were sometimes described using a phrase common at the time, “fallen for God and for Spain.” The circumstances of their deaths, however, did not satisfy the requirements established by the Church for the recognition of martyrdom.

The underground Church

One of the book’s most distinctive sections reconstructs the daily lives of Catholics who remained in Republican-controlled territory and were forced to practice their faith clandestinely.

A chapter devoted to “the underground and the prayerful home front” recounts the experiences of courageous men and women who organized secret networks to assist priests in hiding, enable the celebration of the sacraments and keep Catholic religious practice alive.

“They created assistance networks that would not be out of place in the best spy novels,” Sánchez de Toca said.

Isidoro Zorzano, Venerable José María García Lahiguera and Mother Carmen Hidalgo organized a network of financial assistance for priests who had survived.

“They provided them with the materials needed to celebrate Mass and then redistributed Communion, taking it to homes through underground agents,” he explained.

Crossing the front lines

Another chapter recounts the stories of Catholics who crossed the front lines through exceptionally dangerous operations.

They include Blessed Álvaro del Portillo, who crossed through the battlefront; Servant of God Tomás Alvira, who accompanied St. Josemaría Escrivá across the Pyrenees; and Venerable Sister Justa Domínguez de Vidaurreta, a superior of the Daughters of Charity who escaped Madrid after numerous difficulties and eventually settled in Pamplona.

The burden of survival

Sánchez de Toca was also struck by what is commonly known as survivor’s guilt, a psychological phenomenon experienced by many who escaped persecution.

Although a chapter devoted to the subject was removed for editorial reasons, the author said many survivors spent the rest of their lives wrestling with a troubling question: Why had they survived while so many of their companions had been killed?

“It is not always easy to answer the question: ‘Why did the Lord not want me to be a martyr when so many of my companions were killed?’” he said.

Saved at the last moment

Some of the book’s most dramatic passages recount the experiences of people who escaped what appeared to be certain death.

One of the most striking accounts concerns an Augustinian friar imprisoned in Madrid during the persecution.

According to Sánchez de Toca, the friar’s hands had already been tied and he was preparing to be transported to Paracuellos when an unknown person cut his ropes and whispered: “Turn around and go back to your cell. Don’t look back.”

The friar obeyed mechanically and survived.

“He returned to his cell and began trembling and convulsing from the post-traumatic shock so violently that several companions had to hold him down,” Sánchez de Toca recounted.

Others survived because of errors in prisoner lists or the unexpected intervention of anonymous people. Many interpreted their rescue as an act of divine providence and spent the rest of their lives wondering why they had been chosen to survive.

The author also addresses crimes committed by Nationalist forces. Father Huidobro, for example, denounced the summary executions of prisoners in complaints submitted to Gen. Francisco Franco’s headquarters.

A lesson for today

Beyond their historical value, Sánchez de Toca said he believes the biographies offer lessons of particular relevance to Christians today.

“They all lived with a clear vocation to martyrdom,” he said.

According to the author, martyrdom was part of the spiritual horizon of many Spanish Catholics even before the outbreak of the Civil War.

“This can be seen in their letters, homilies, and conversations as an expression of their willingness to give their lives for Christ if necessary,” he said.

Sánchez de Toca also highlighted the extraordinary apostolic creativity Catholics demonstrated under extreme circumstances.

“This is another enduring lesson for our time,” he concluded. “The Holy Spirit inspires apostolic creativity in the circumstances in which each person lives.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

The president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE, by its Spanish acronym), Archbishop Luis Argüello, stated that "the invasion of Ceuta is a test. Demography is a weapon," referring to the crisis in recent days caused by the massive illegal entry of migrants into the Spanish city located on the African coast — a situation Pope Leo XIV has also described as "alarming."

In an Aug. 2 message shared on X, Argüello declared: “Biopolitics is key to current global power. Life is toyed with, and people — their dreams, hunger, sexuality, and data — are exploited for the sake of profit and power.”

“Migration is part of this strategy. The invasion of Ceuta is a test. Demography is a weapon,” the prelate added. Since July 31, the Spanish city of Ceuta — located on the African coast of the Strait of Gibraltar — has been facing an extremely grave situation following the illegal entry of some 60,000 people who swam from Morocco, skirting the Tarajal breakwater.

As a result, at least 72 people are believed to have lost their lives during the crossing, though the death toll is estimated to potentially exceed 100. While it is estimated that the majority of those who crossed the border irregularly have returned to Morocco, around 5,000 people still remain on the streets of the autonomous city.

Up to 22 European Union countries have pointed to the recent mass legalization of immigrants carried out in Spain — and backed by the Catholic Church — as a contributing factor to the current migration crisis.

Meanwhile, a recent Spanish court ruling invalidated the practice of so-called “hot returns” (immediate, summary expulsions) in cases where illegal entry into the country was made by swimming, as occurred on July 31.

The bishop of Sant Feliú de Llobregat, the Dominican Xabier Gómez — speaking in his capacity as the official responsible for Migration and Interculturality for the Tarraconense Episcopal Conference — stated in a reflection that "we are not facing an ordinary migration crisis."

The “terrible and very real human drama” that unfolded has benefited neither those who took to the sea risking their lives nor the citizens of Ceuta, who “have the right to live in safety, free from alarm, and in peaceful coexistence.”

However, it has served the interests of “those who use human mobility as a tool for political pressure, those seeking to strain diplomatic relations through potential ‘hybrid threats,’ those who play on public fear, and those who turn the suffering of others and fear into electoral gain.”

After ruling out the recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling or the regulatory process as the root causes of the situation, Gómez recalled the words of Pope Leo XIV regarding the migration issue — spoken during his recent trip to Spain, which included a visit to the Canary Islands, a region that has also been heavily impacted by the mass migration phenomenon.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

A crime that deeply shocked Egypt’s Coptic community and broader public has reached its legal conclusion after the family of Father Arsanios Wadid confirmed that Egyptian authorities have executed the man convicted of murdering him.

The sentence was carried out after all stages of litigation were completed and the defendant had exhausted his available legal appeals, bringing to an end a case that lasted more than four years from the killing to the execution of the final judgment.

According to the attorney representing the priest’s family, Egyptian authorities carried out the death sentence, the most severe punishment under the country’s law, after investigators and the courts found the defendant responsible for intentional murder.

The execution followed the Egyptian Court of Cassation’s rejection of the defendant’s final appeal and its affirmation of an earlier ruling by the Alexandria Criminal Court, making the sentence final and enforceable.

The case dates back to April 7, 2022, when Wadid, a priest of the Coptic Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary and St. Paul the Apostle in Alexandria’s Karmouz-Moharam Bek district, was participating in a weekly parish gathering at one of the city’s beaches. As participants were boarding buses following the gathering, Wadid, who was wearing clerical attire and helping organize their departure, was attacked from behind and fatally stabbed.

Those present restrained the assailant and handed him over to security forces. Wadid was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Although the legal proceedings initially moved quickly, with the defendant referred to the criminal court within weeks of the killing and sentenced to death by hanging, the ruling was not final at the time and remained pending while the Court of Cassation considered his appeals.

In January 2025, the Court of Cassation rejected the defendant’s appeal and upheld the death sentence, making the judgment final. The sentence, however, was not carried out until approximately a year and a half later, making it more than four years from the killing to the execution and leaving a profound mark on the Coptic Orthodox Church and the people of Alexandria.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

For nearly four decades, a Minnesota-based pro-life organization has sought to change minds about abortion not through politics but through public education.

Mary Ann Kuharski, founder of Pro-Life Across America, said the organization began out of frustration with the growing politicization of the abortion debate and a conviction that lasting change comes from changing hearts rather than winning elections.

“I started out of frustration,” Kuharski told EWTN News. “The more I looked into it, the more I realized if we donʼt do something to change hearts, weʼre never going to save babies and moms from the devastation of abortion.”

Kuharski said she had spent years involved in political organizing before stepping away to focus on what would become a nonpartisan educational ministry. With encouragement from her husband and local pastors, she launched what she expected would be a small Minnesota organization dedicated to sharing pro-life messages through advertising.

“We said we were going to do one thing, and that is to get the truth out before the public,” she said. “What we didnʼt realize is that God would use that truth to touch hearts.”

‘Thereʼs no such thing as an unwanted baby’

Kuharskiʼs commitment to the pro-life movement is deeply personal.

She was adopted from one of Minnesotaʼs last orphanages and later became the mother of 13 children, including six mixed-race children with special needs whom she adopted.

“I came from one of the last orphanages out of Minnesota, so I have a special reason why I feel like there should never be a slogan that says thereʼs such a thing as an unwanted baby,” she said.

“Thereʼs always someone who will welcome that baby if they give them a chance for life.”

From a kitchen table to a nationwide outreach

Kuharski said the organization began in 1989 from her kitchen table with the help of her husband and another couple. With no office and no paid staff, the group purchased 42 simple black-and-white billboards across Minnesota carrying a message encouraging people to “listen to the heartbeat” of an unborn child.

Within two weeks, Kuharski said, the organization received a call that convinced her the campaign was making a difference.

“A clinic director in St. Paul called me and said, ‘I know thatʼs you behind these billboards,’” Kuharski recalled. “She told me a woman had come in scheduled for an abortion and said, ‘I canʼt stand to drive by that billboard on my way to work every day. Will you help me?’”

“Thatʼs when we realized that the Holy Spirit was behind these billboards, not us,” she said.

As requests for the campaign spread beyond Minnesota, the organization expanded nationally and eventually changed its name to Pro-Life Across America.

Now in its 37th year, the nonprofit operates in all 50 states through a nationwide educational outreach that includes more than 11,000 billboards annually, as well as thousands of radio spots, internet advertisements, and streaming television and radio ads when funding allows.

A ministry serving women — and men

While many assume pregnancy resource ministries primarily serve women, Kuharski said a significant number of calls come from men.

“Forty percent or more of the calls to our hotline are men,” she said. “Theyʼre the fathers of the baby. Theyʼre the brothers. Theyʼre the fathers of the pregnant girl.”

Some callers seek pregnancy resources, including medical care, confidential counseling, housing, and adoption information, while others are looking for healing years after abortion.

Kuharski recalled one man who contacted the organization around Christmas after years of staying away from church.

“He said, ‘I paid for two abortions years ago, and Iʼve never felt good about going back into a church,’” she said. “‘I pushed and pushed her until she got those abortions, and I havenʼt been able to have peace since.’”

The organization connected him with a pastor and a menʼs support group.

“Itʼs amazing what the truth will do to help us really relieve our consciences if we follow our conscience,” Kuharski said.

Kuharski said stories like his are common, as are calls from women who credit the organizationʼs outreach with changing the course of their lives.

One recent caller shared her gratitude three years after seeing one of the organizationʼs billboards.

“I had to call to say, ‘Thank you!’ Three years ago today, because of many circumstances, I was scheduled for an abortion. I drove by one of your billboards and read the message. Today, Iʼm on my way to church with my 3-and-a-half-year-old little girl, and I have you to thank for her!”

Kuharski said moments like these reinforce the organizationʼs belief that a simple billboard or advertisement can be the only sign of hope someone encounters during an unexpected pregnancy.

“So often a simple billboard, radio message, or ad on the internet may be the only sign of help and hope to someone experiencing an untimely pregnancy,” she said.

Continuing the mission

Today, Kuharskiʼs daughter oversees much of the organizationʼs daily operations. The ministryʼs hotline receives more than 700 calls each month from people seeking pregnancy assistance, adoption information, medical care, confidential counseling, housing, or post-abortion support.

The hotline operates around the clock and connects callers with a network of more than 3,000 pro-life agencies across the country, including Spanish-language resources.

Although the organization now has 11 employees, Kuharski said that only one works full time. She said approximately 92 cents of every donated dollar goes directly toward the ministryʼs outreach rather than administrative costs, with less than 8 cents going toward administrative expenses. The organization remains entirely donor-funded.

Despite decades of growth, Kuharski said the organizationʼs mission has remained unchanged.

“Weʼre nonpolitical and totally educational and service-oriented,” she said. “Not that I wouldnʼt want to change the laws, but I think itʼs important for us to change hearts in this country.”

She said the ministry continues to operate “like a mission,” relying entirely on public support to sustain its nationwide outreach and to ensure that those facing unexpected pregnancies can find help when they need it most.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team