The LOOP
The Wednesday Loop - August 6, 2025
HOLY MASS AT ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ
The Archdiocese of Miami has secured the right to celebrate Mass and provide pastoral care at Florida’s remote detention facility for illegal immigrants, "Alligator Alcatraz." The archdiocese celebrated its first Mass there over the weekend.
TEXAS GUV ORDERS ARREST OF FUGITIVE DEM LAWMAKERS
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott yesterday ordered state police to arrest more than 50 Democratic lawmakers who left the state a day earlier in an attempt to block a Republican-led congressional redistricting plan. The Texas House voted 85-6 earlier that day to authorize civil arrest warrants for the absent Democrats.
ADMIN NIXES PLAN TO REFUSE DISASTER FUNDS OVER ISRAEL BOYCOTTS
The Trump administration reversed a policy that would have denied disaster relief funds to states and cities boycotting Israeli companies, scrubbing the requirement from its website Monday evening amid widespread public backlash.
HOUSE SUBPOENAS CLINTONS, OTHERS IN EPSTEIN PROBE
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., issued multiple subpoenas yesterday, demanding testimony related to Jeffrey Epstein from Bill and Hillary Clinton, the Department of Justice, and eight former law enforcement officials.
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HUNDREDS OF FAITHFUL SINGLE CATHOLICS TO MEET IN COLORADO
Single Catholics of all ages are invited to Denver August 22-24 for a weekend of faith, fellowship, and formation, with pre/post events: hiking, ziplining, tours, concerts, and Jubilee pilgrimage visits. The event includes Mass with Archbishop Aquila, dynamic speakers, a comedy show, a dance, and more. Virtual tickets also available. Discount code: LOOP.
CATHOLICS ARE RECLAIMING THE QUINCEANERA
Endow has announced the launch of "Quinceañera Created for God | Creada para Dios," a bilingual eight-to-10-week formation program designed to spiritually prepare young women for their Quinceañeras. The cultural rite of passage, deeply rooted in Latin American Catholic tradition, is now often treated as a mere party. Not anymore!
JOBS NUMBERS FALL SHORT, TRUMP FIRES HEAD STATISTICIAN
The US added 73,000 jobs in July, falling short of economists’ projections of more than 100,000, and the unemployment rate edged up from 4.1% to 4.2%, the Labor Department reported Aug. 1. Trump responded to the report by firing Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, whom he accused of inflating jobs numbers to an “all-time high” to favor Democrats ahead of the 2024 election.
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POPE LEO MOURNS US ATOMIC BOMBINGS OF JAPAN
In a message on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, Pope Leo expressed his closeness to survivors and reiterated calls for nations to reject nuclear weapons and pursue longstanding peace.
POPE: NO ALGORITHM CAN REPLACE TRUE ENCOUNTER
In a message at the 36th Youth Festival in Medjugorje, Pope Leo told pilgrims to remember that Christians are a pilgrim people that must walk together toward the Lord. "Remember: no algorithm can ever substitute an embrace, a glance, a true encounter, neither with God, nor our friends, nor our family," the Holy Father said.
BONUS NEWS
Here are the stories we couldn’t fit in today’s LOOP: • A Mother Teresa exhibit has inspired Jubilee pilgrims in Rome. • Pope Leo sent a special video greeting to the Knights of Columbus this week! • Released on bail, two nuns in India are still facing heavy restrictions on their freedom.
DIRECT COMMUNICATION + PEACE
Our culture prefers peace, as in, it considers conflict and disagreement to be mean or hateful. So how do we communicate directly and honestly without being taken the wrong way? Here are some thoughts and helpful tips.
CATHOLIC 101
The term “white space,” used often in art and design, means empty space, such as a stretch of wall with nothing on it. An Irish pub, for example, has zero white space. White space is needed in your spiritual life as well as your home and office. Here’s what that looks like.
SAINT OF THE DAY
Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Transfiguration, commemorating when Jesus revealed His divinity to three of His closest disciples by means of a miraculous and supernatural light.
DAILY PSALM
"The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth." (Psalm 97:1)
DAILY READINGS
Today's Mass readings.
A TEEN AMERICAN SAINT?
Six years after he gave his life to protect classmates during a school shooting, the Church has begun investigating whether this Colorado teen's extraordinary act of self-sacrifice may one day lead to sainthood.