Impact of National Eucharistic Revival, US Aid to Cuba, Vatican on Surrogacy, and More

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Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for Jan. 15, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

Read the stories in this episode:

• The National Eucharistic Revival -- a three-year initiative to renew belief in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, following a marked decline in belief among U.S. Catholics -- has rekindled both faith and outreach, although several challenges remain in extending those results to those not already in the pews.
• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Jan. 14 that the first in a series of direct humanitarian shipments to Cuba "in close partnership with the Catholic Church" would take place the same day and on Jan. 16, as the island recovers from Hurricane Melissa. 
• The Vatican’s top diplomat is renewing calls for a global ban on surrogacy, warning that the practice violates human dignity by turning children and women into commodities.
• Millions of Venezuelans took part in the annual Jan. 14 procession honoring the "Divina Pastora," or "Divine Shepherdess," in Barquisimeto, one of the country's largest and most beloved religious events -- which carried added weight, coming days after the reported U.S. capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
• The Augustinians, Pope Leo XIV's religious order, have elected Father Tom McCarthy as prior provincial for their Midwest province, a position the pope held from 1999-2001.