The LOOP
The Tuesday Loop - August 18, 2026
PRO-LIFE ADVOCATE MARK HOUCK JOINS CATHOLICVOTE
Mark Houck, a Catholic father of seven, has joined the CatholicVote team to advance the organization's work. CatholicVote CEO and President Kelsey Reinhardt told Zeale News that as a courageous and faithful leader, Houck represents "the epitome of CatholicVote’s mission to inspire every Catholic in America to live out the truths of our faith in public life.”
CALIFORNIA BISHOPS FIGHT CHILD MARRIAGE
California's Catholic bishops are urging state lawmakers to end child marriage in what is one of just three states with no minimum age to wed, as a bill to close the loophole heads toward a vote on the Senate floor. Because marriage is a lifelong sacrament of eternal significance, the Catholic Church requires both parties to be 18, ensuring they have the emotional maturity necessary to give informed consent.
DNC APPROVES RESOLUTION TO ABOLISH ICE
The Democratic National Committee approved a nonbinding resolution Aug. 15 urging congressional Democrats to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while also backing a separate measure calling for reforms to the agency.
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MASSACHUSETTS' PRO-ABORTION LAW SPLITS DEMOCRATS
Massachusetts’ newly signed law removing the state’s 24-week gestational limit on abortion has exposed divisions among Democratic lawmakers in the state, some of whom have described the radical pro-abortion measure as extreme and argued that it goes beyond what their constituents support.
TRUMP HONORS TEEN HERO AT WHITE HOUSE
President Donald Trump recognized 16-year-old California lifeguard Ryder Williams at the White House yesterday after the teenager rescued a 10-year-old boy from dangerous surf at a Santa Cruz, California, beach in July.
CHURCH MOBILIZES IN WAKE OF INDONESIA EARTHQUAKE
The Catholic Church in Indonesia has mobilized relief efforts after an Aug. 15 earthquake devastated communities in the country’s eastern region. Pope Leo XIV offered his support in a telegram yesterday, assuring those affected of “his spiritual solidarity and closeness to those suffering the continuing effects of this disaster, particularly for the many displaced and injured.”
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PENNSYLVANIA SEMINARY RECEIVES ANONYMOUS $1M DONATION
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Ambler, Pennsylvania, has received a $1 million anonymous gift to strengthen its endowment and support its priestly formation work.
POPE LEO: TRUE BEAUTY IS REVEALED IN LOVE
During his homily for the Aug. 15 Assumption Mass in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo urged Catholics to look beyond worldly standards of beauty, teaching that Mary’s glorification reveals the lasting beauty of a life shaped by love. True beauty, he said, "does not lie in hiding the signs of aging, but in revealing the signs of love that never end, and are even impressed on our flesh.”
RETURNING TO WORK
Getting back into a work routine after summer vacation can be challenging and downright intimidating, but these prayers suggested by Aleteia remind us to pursue sanctity in the little things — even answering emails.
CATHOLIC 101
When our thoughts are filled with doubt, despair, lust, or other temptations, we may feel like God has abandoned us. But St. Catherine of Siena's dialogues with Our Lord show us that even in these periods of darkness, Jesus often lies hidden in our innermost heart.
SAINT OF THE DAY
Saint Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, embraced Christianity later in life and used her imperial influence to serve the poor, build churches, and honor Christ’s Cross.
DAILY PSALM
"It is I who deal death and give life." (Deuteronomy 32)
DAILY READINGS
Today's Mass readings.
PRAY WITH ZEALE
Pray the Prayer of Thanksgiving by St. Thomas Aquinas with Father Andrew Thomas Kang, O.P. This new guided prayer is now available on Zeale. WATCH & PRAY
BE PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER
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