When he’s not leading a Roman university or lecturing on Thomas Aquinas, Fr. Thomas Joseph White plays banjo and resonator guitar in a bluegrass band made up entirely of Dominican friars.

When Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected as the first American pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, on May 8, 2025, history was made at the Vatican. In his first few months as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo connected with people around the world. After watching him and listening to social media, one thing is clear: Pope Leo is the best pope for Gen Z.

With Halloween right around the corner, other holidays that occur during this season are not often in the spotlight. The day after Halloween marks the celebration of one of these holidays — Dia de los Muertos.

Something I have found helpful is to remember that God wants us to be compassionate, kind and loving individuals. There is not a black-and-white distinction between good and bad, contrary to the teachings of Catholicism that many of us grew up with.

As a first-year student at Baylor, you receive a lot of advice from upperclassmen and advisers: Go to class, find a study group and say yes to every opportunity. But the piece of advice that has been most impactful to me thus far has been finding a Christian community.

The Catholic Student Association became the first Catholic organization on campus after its official charter in 2008. Now, CSA members hope to expand their influence through new member recruitment and events held on Baylor’s campus.

Overall, seeing people eye-to-eye can help you appreciate the value of their life. No more excuses of, “Oh, they don’t believe this or that.” Life is short, and we need more people who can see someone for who they are and not what they believe in.

“‘Dining with the Saints’ brings the Catholic liturgical year to life, pairing over two hundred saints’ stories with an irresistible smorgasbord of international recipes,” the cookbook’s description reads.