USA 250

A Catholic nun accompanies a family of asylum seekers inside immigration court on Aug. 1, 2025, in New York. (AP/Olga Fedorova)

As US turns 250, Catholic nuns reaffirm values of justice that shaped their ministry

By Dan Stockman

Some 191 congregations and 343 individual sisters in leadership signed a Declaration of Commitment and delivered it to Capitol Hill.

A person carries an American flag at the Great American State Fair, Tuesday, June 30, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

We ask Catholic leaders: What's your hope for America at 250?

By NCR Staff

"What is your hope for America at 250?" Read responses from political leaders (including two former speakers of the House), leaders in ministry, Catholic activism, and Catholic colleges and universities.

Kyle Jenks, a professional interpreter of late U.S. President James Madison, holds a copy of the Declaration of Independence while leading a tour in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 1, 2026. (OSV News/Reuters/Hannah Beier)
Columns

This July 4, let's realign with the nation we were founded to be

By Nancy Sylvester

Who are we becoming as a nation? Are we threatening the very values that make us who we are?