Jonah McKeown

Jonah McKeown

Jonah McKeown is a staff writer and podcast producer for Catholic News Agency. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has worked as a writer, as a producer for public radio, and as a videographer. He is based in St. Louis.

Articles by Jonah McKeown

Leader of ‘black mass’ arrested at Kansas Capitol after punching protester

Mar 28, 2025 / 17:05 pm

Catholic leaders in the state while deploring the planned sacriligious “black mass” had called for peaceful and prayerful resistance. 

Prayer and peaceful protest planned in response to ‘black mass’ in Kansas

Mar 27, 2025 / 15:50 pm

To counter the Satanic event, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, will lead a Eucharistic Holy Hour at Assumption Catholic Church.

Diocese promotes day of ‘unplugging’ from screens, devices for Lent

Mar 26, 2025 / 16:45 pm

The Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, is promoting a “Diocesan Day of Unplugging” on March 28 as a Lenten fasting discipline.

Education as a path to peace: Catholic order raises funds to restore Holy Land schools

Mar 24, 2025 / 06:00 am

The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is leading a campaign to renovate and modernize dozens of schools in the Holy Land.

Kansas City archbishop settles lawsuit against Satanist group over alleged stolen Eucharist

Mar 21, 2025 / 11:30 am

Archbishop Joseph Naumann had on March 14 filed a lawsuit in Leavenworth County District Court seeking an order to secure the safe return of the Eucharist.

UPDATE: Wichita Catholic church vandalized with hate speech; federal authorities investigating

Mar 17, 2025 / 16:10 pm

According to the Wichita Police Department, officers responded to a reported burglary at St. Patrick Parish on the morning of March 15.

Five years later: How some parishes are thriving after weathering COVID lockdowns

Mar 15, 2025 / 06:00 am

Five years ago this week, public health orders issued amid the uncertainty of the novel coronavirus turned Mass schedules across the country and the world upside down.

UPDATED: Which states protect churches from closure, 5 years after COVID lockdowns?

Mar 13, 2025 / 13:50 pm

There is now legal precedent at the federal level suggesting that states may never shut down worship entirely again.

Kansas governor says ‘black mass’ must take place outside state capitol building

Mar 12, 2025 / 18:55 pm

The organizer of the group planning the “black mass” has been telephoning the Kansas Catholic Conference to boast of his intention to “kill Jesus.”

Rodrigo Duterte, ex-Philippine president, arrested for alleged crimes against humanity

Mar 11, 2025 / 17:15 pm

The country’s bishops had long been vocal in their opposition to Duterte, including his “war on drugs,” and opposed his call to reinstate the death penalty for illegal drug use.

Indian state could introduce the death penalty for religious conversions

Mar 10, 2025 / 17:45 pm

Madhya Pradesh’s anti-conversion law had already since 2021 resulted in sentences of 10 years in jail for violators.

Kansas bishops call for prayers, plan legal response to planned ‘black mass’

Mar 7, 2025 / 16:20 pm

The Catholic Bishops of Kansas said Thursday that they are “aware of a sacrilegious event scheduled to take place later this month inside the state Capitol.”

Maryland bishops say tax deduction change could hurt charitable giving

Mar 6, 2025 / 15:35 pm

The Maryland Catholic Conference warned that the proposed change could have “unintended consequences” on charitable giving in the state. 

‘Perpetual Pilgrims’ chosen to walk 3,300 miles with the Eucharist this summer

Mar 6, 2025 / 15:05 pm

The latest iteration of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, dubbed the Drexel Route, was announced in mid-February, while the pilgrims’ biographies were posted this week.

Catholic farmers face financial uncertainty as government cuts conservation funds

Mar 6, 2025 / 06:00 am

After deep cuts to federal programs and contracts, farmers across the country face uncertainty as they await reimbursement for conservation and sustainability projects.

States amend lawsuit against federal disability protections after outcry

Mar 1, 2025 / 06:00 am

A group of state attorneys general has walked back plans to push a judge to declare unconstitutional a key federal rule that protects students with disabilities from discrimination.

Border bishops call for immigration reform, reiterate support for migrants

Feb 28, 2025 / 17:45 pm

The bishops issued the statement while participating in the biannual Tex-Mex Border Bishops meeting this week in San Antonio. 

Historic African American parish in St. Louis receives grant to restore stained glass

Feb 26, 2025 / 12:05 pm

St. Alphonsus Liguori Church was one of 30 churches in the country chosen to receive a grant this year from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.

U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear Illinois abortion ‘buffer zone’ case

Feb 24, 2025 / 13:45 pm

Coalition Life, a St. Louis pro-life group, had last summer petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the buffer law enacted by Carbondale, Illinois.

Can’t make it to Rome? Here are the U.S. locations where you can get a jubilee indulgence

Feb 24, 2025 / 07:00 am

Here’s an interactive map that shows many of the pilgrimage sites that have been designated across the U.S. for the jubilee year.