Dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, fish and reptiles, including two African Sulcata tortoises, gathered at St. Anne’s Church in the Archdiocese of Kuching on October 4 as the parish marked the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi with its annual blessing of animals.
A Catholic motorcycle community based at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Cawas, in Indonesia’s Central Java province, has been delivering clean water to communities struggling with a prolonged drought.
Dogs, cats and their human companions gathered at the Sto. Niño Cathedral in Calapan on October 4 for the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, with the celebration calling Catholics to recognize care for animals as part of their responsibility to protect God’s creation.
For nearly two decades, Fr. Shankar Dominic Gomes has dedicated himself to forming young minds in northern Bangladesh, convinced that education is not merely about academic success but about shaping responsible and compassionate human beings.
The Catholic Church in India is mourning the death of Bishop Devprasad Ganawa SVD, the first member of the Bhil indigenous community to be raised to the episcopate. He died on October 4, 2026, following a cardiac arrest. He was 74.
The Diocese of Thanjavur in southern India installed and commissioned 275 lay evangelizers during a special Mass at the Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Velankanni, an international Marian shrine in Tamil Nadu, on October 3.
Christians from different denominations gathered in the Indian capital on October 2 for “Pray for India 2026, Bless India,” an ecumenical program that focused on peace, reconciliation, national unity, religious harmony and the needs of vulnerable communities.
Catholic communities across Malaysia are marking the 2026 Season of Creation with a focus on water, not only as a biblical symbol of life and renewal, but as a resource increasingly threatened by pollution, waste and environmental degradation.
A Catholic parish in Bukit Peninjau, in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo, held a two-day program linking care for creation with solidarity with migrants and refugees.
For some Mangyan children in the mountain communities of southern Oriental Mindoro, going to school once meant walking for hours before reaching a classroom.
Bangladesh’s Catholic community is voicing concern over the security of churches after two incidents involving church property and religious symbols occurred within weeks of each other, raising fresh questions about the protection of minority faith communities.
For Lenoy Gomendes of Goa, western India, music began with a keyboard gifted by his father. He could not have imagined that the simple gift would lead him from college programs and television to Konkani music, tiatr, Church ministry and religious dramas that bring messages heard in church to life on stage.
The Diocese of Boac and environmental advocates on the Philippine island province of Marinduque have welcomed the release of an official government communication related to a proposed US$100 million settlement involving Barrick Gold, while calling for urgent environmental rehabilitation and greater transparency in the use of the funds.
India, marked the Season of Creation with a nature walk around their school and convent campus on October 2, learning about biodiversity and the importance of conserving water.
Eight young women began their postulancy with the Congregation of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Phan Thiet on October 1, the feast of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, marking a new stage in their journey toward religious life.
About 1,300 people, including 700 children, joined Pope Leo XIV in praying the Rosary at the Grotto of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens on October 1, asking for peace for children affected by war and violence worldwide.
A child may attend school every day and perform well academically, yet still feel, “This is not my place.” This experience lies at the heart of the doctoral research of Fr. Linferd Savio Fernandes, a priest of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman in western India.
Around 50 students and professors from Cambodia’s St. Justin School of Faith, led by Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, undertook a four-day pilgrimage to the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur and the Diocese of Penang in Malaysia from September 24 to 27, 2026, to deepen their faith and learn about interreligious harmony.
Sr. Maria Silvia Bate, OSB, a nun from Maukeli, Nagekeo, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, was officially appointed head of the Monastero Benedettino di Orte, or Benedictine Monastery of Orte, Italy, on September 27, 2026.
