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Catholic Extension Lumen Christi Nominees, New Bishops in Washington, Polish Marian Mosaic Unveiled in Vatican Gardens and a Rosary Fit for the Pope

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0:00 | 6:05

Thanks for listening! Let us know what you think. God bless!

Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for July 10, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

Read the stories in this episode:

  1. Catholic Extension Society announced 46 nominees on June 24th for its 2026-2027 Lumen Christi Award, honoring individuals and groups across the country whose spiritual care and self-sacrifice reflect the light of Christ, with finalists to be named this summer and a $100,000 national honoree selected in the fall.
  2. Cardinal Robert McElroy ordained Bishop Gary Studniewski and Bishop Robert Boxie III as new auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Washington on Monday, telling roughly 2,500 people gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception that "the face of God smiles upon this archdiocese with intense love."
  3. A new mosaic of Our Lady of Gietrzwałd was unveiled in the Vatican Gardens on June 30th, with Polish Church leaders framing it as both a symbol of deepening Poland-Holy See ties and a renewed invitation for Pope Leo XIV to visit the shrine ahead of the 150th anniversary of its 1877 apparitions in 2027.
  4. Through Seton Hall Preparatory School's Spectrum Big Brothers program, students build weekly friendships with autistic peers at Academy360 Upper School, embodying what one program director called Pope Francis' vision of a "culture of encounter" from the encyclical "Fratelli Tutti."
  5. A Chicago White Sox-themed rosary handcrafted by Indiana hobbyist Kevin Workman reached Pope Leo XIV — an avid White Sox fan — on June 24th through former catcher A.J. Pierzynski, leaving Workman "in tears" over what he called "the biggest thing that's ever happened in my little world."
SPEAKER_00

Hello, I'm Maggie Murray of OSV News, and this is your OSV Newscast for Friday, July 10th, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic News of the Day. Here we go. The Catholic Extension Society has just unveiled a remarkable snapshot of quiet heroism across the American church. The Chicago-based organization announced 46 nominees on June 24th for its 2026-2027 Lumen Christie Award, its highest honor, with nominees hailing from Alaska and Oregon to Florida, Puerto Rico, and everywhere in between. Since 1978, the award has recognized individuals, groups, or institutions who radiate and reveal the light of Christ in the communities they serve, with each diocese bishop nominating one honoree. Father Jack Wall, president of Catholic Extension Society, said the collective stories of spiritual care and self-sacrifice should make us all proud to be Catholic. From this year's 46 nominees, a group of finalists will be named later this summer, with each finalist receiving $15,000. A single national honoree will then be selected in the fall and awarded $100,000. The full list of nominees is available on Catholic Extension's website, a testament to the everyday sanctity happening in parishes and missions across the country. Cardinal Robert McElroy told a packed basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Tuesday that the face of God smiles upon this archdiocese with intense love as he presided over the episcopal ordinations of Bishop Gary Studenievsky and Bishop Robert Boxy III. About 2,500 people filled the basilica for the nearly three-hour bilingual liturgy, including family, friends, the faithful from across the archdiocese, members of religious orders, and representatives of other faith traditions. Both new bishops promised to guard the deposit of faith pure and entire and to serve as good shepherds who seek out those who stray and gather them into the Lord's fold. Cardinal McElroy served as the principal consecrator and main celebrant of the Mass. The ordinations mark a significant moment of renewal and leadership for one of the largest and most prominent archdiocese in the country. A new piece of Polish Catholic heritage now has a permanent home in Rome. On June 30th, a mosaic of Our Lady of Gietzerwald was unveiled in the Vatican Gardens, with Polish church leaders calling it a symbol of deepening ties between Poland and the Holy See. Cardinal Pietro Perelin and Archbishop Tadeusz Voja, president of the Polish Bishops' Conference, presided over the ceremony, held ahead of the 150th anniversary of the Gietzerwald apparitions in 2027. Archbishop Voija described the mosaic as a heartfelt invitation for Pope Leo XIV to visit the shrine, often called the Polish Lords. The site commemorates apparitions from 1877, in which the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared roughly 160 times to two young girls, speaking to them in Polish during a period when the nation's language and identity were under threat. Church leaders hope the upcoming anniversary will renew Marian devotion and draw pilgrims from around the world to the sanctuary. Jack Aker, a recent graduate, said the highlight of his senior year was the friendship he built with David, an autistic student he met through the school's Spectrum Big Brothers program. Every Tuesday during the fall and spring semesters, Seton Hall prep students traveled to Academy 360 Upper School in Livingston to spend two hours building friendships through games, baking, and shared activities with teens and young adults on the autism spectrum. The program, launched in 2007, reflects what Vincent McMahon, the school's director for social justice and service programs, described as the church's mission outlined in Pope Francis's 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tuti, a call for a culture of encounter that dares to imagine a humanity built on social friendship and universal fraternity. For students like Acre, that theology becomes real through laughter, music, and simple weekly moments of connection. The 65-year-old human resources manager from New Haven, Indiana, has been crafting rosaries for seven years, originally giving them away at his parish, St. Peter's, in Fort Wayne. Weeks ago, the group Catholic Athletes for Christ commissioned Workman to create a Chicago White Sox-themed rosary specifically intended for Pope Leo XIV, an avid White Sox fan. On June 24th, the finished rosary reached the Vatican through former White Sox catcher A.J. Prozinski, who also gifted the Pope the baseball from the final out of Game One of the 2005 World Series. Workman told OSV News he was in tears when he learned his handiwork had reached the Holy Father. This is the biggest thing that has ever happened in my little world, he said, a small but touching reminder of faith woven into everyday craftsmanship.com. Thanks so much for listening and God bless. This has been an OSV News production. To learn more, visit osvnews.com.

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