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Hello, I'm Maggie Murray of OSV News, and this is your OSV Newscast for Tuesday, August 4th, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic news of the day. Here we go. A Washington State Bishop is calling the faithful to prayer as wildfires tear through the Spokane area, forcing tens of thousands from their homes. In an August 3rd pastoral message titled Standing in Hope, Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane asked all people of goodwill to pray for neighbors who have been evacuated, lost homes, or had their lives upended by the flames. More than 65,000 people have been displaced as the Spokane Complex fires, comprising the old trails, Autumn Lane, and Fairview blazes, continue advancing amid dry, hot conditions. The fires are among 17 currently burning across Washington state. No fatalities have been reported so far, though at least one of the three Spokane Complex fires is believed to be human-caused, with a suspect arrested and charged on August 2nd. Bishop Daly offered a word of hope amid the crisis. Even amid tragedy and uncertainty, Christ remains with us, he said. May he bring comfort to those who are suffering, strength to those serving on the front lines, and peace to every anxious heart. A letter from Florida's Attorney General demanding Catholic schools change their vaccine exemption policies is drawing a sharp rebuke from a leading religious liberty scholar. Attorney General James Uthmeyer sent a letter dated July 31st to Florida's Catholic bishops, insisting Catholic schools adopt religious exemptions to vaccine requirements or risk losing access to the state's school voucher program. Uthmeyer argued Florida law requires such exemptions and warned that failure to comply could jeopardize eligibility for state educational scholarship programs. But Rick Garnett, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, told OSV News the letter reflects a misunderstanding of Americans' fundamental right to religious freedom and is a glaring and dangerous government overreach. Garnett was direct in his criticism. It is not remotely the role of a government official, even a Catholic one, to tell the bishops what to teach or how to run the church's apostolates, he said, adding that it is certainly not up to him to decide whether the Catholic bishops' reasons are legitimate. Ahead of venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen's beatification next month, Catholics across the country are picking up rosary beads for a very special cause. A Kentucky parish ministry, the Brothers and Sisters of St. Edward, is aiming to craft 1,000 World Mission Rosaries as part of a nationwide campaign led by the Pontifical Mission Societies. Organizers launched the effort May 1st, asking groups across the country to each donate at least 1,000 rosaries with a goal of collecting more than 70,000 by September 15th, enough for every pilgrim expected at Archbishop Sheen's September 24th Beatification in St. Louis. The World Mission Rosary itself was created by Sheen during his years as national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, when he urged Catholics in a 1951 radio broadcast to pray not just for themselves, but for the whole world. Each colored decade represents a different mission territory: green for Africa, blue for the Pacific Islands, white for Europe, red for the Americas, and yellow for Asia. A new report from the University of Notre Dame is offering the church concrete guidance on one of its most consequential responsibilities, discerning who is truly suited for the priesthood. The university's McGrath Institute for Church Life released the report, titled Do You Know Them to Be Worthy, in July, outlining 12 proposals for bishops, seminary rectors, and mental health professionals involved in forming future priests. Authored by Father Thomas Berg and Timothy Locke, Director of Psychological Services at St. Joseph Seminary, half the proposals call for deeper integration of psychological services into seminary formation, while others focus on supporting seminarians with autism, ADHD, and OCD, along with urgent recommendations for fostering chastity and celibacy. Father Berg told OSV News that priests successfully formed in chastity and celibacy show marks of serenity and integration. Such a priest, he said, understands the goodness and beauty of the human body, but also has discovered the beauty of being able to love others with the non-possessive love of a celibate who's living a genuine expression of fatherhood. A remarkable discovery in a Polish diocesan library is shedding new light on one of Christianity's greatest theologians. Scholars from Germany and Austria have identified two previously unknown sermons by St. Augustine within a 12th-century manuscript preserved at the Diocesan Library in Pelplin, Poland, following nearly two years of careful research. The sermons, which address Saul's encounter with the medium of Endor in the Book of Samuel, will be published in a critical edition by the end of 2026. Researchers authenticated the text through extensive philological, liturgical, and theological analysis, tracing the manuscript's journey from the Cistercian Abbey of Bad Doberan to Pelplin through medieval monastic connections. Scholars say the sermons reveal Augustine's remarkable openness to multiple faithful interpretations of difficult biblical passages. He presents several possible interpretations, refrains from making a final judgment, and allows his listeners to draw their own conclusions, said researcher Paul Neubauer. The sermons also emphasize God's mercy, suggesting Saul may have repented after hearing the prophet Samuel's words. And that's your OSV Newscast for today. I'm Maggie Murray of OSV News. Check out the show notes for direct links to the stories in this episode. Make sure to subscribe to this podcast, follow us on social media, and bookmark osvnews.com. Thanks so much for listening and God bless. This has been an OSV News production. To learn more, visit osvnews.com.