Among the hundreds of onlookers from several countries at the back of the square were many Catholics from mainland China, present in defiance of an order from the authorities in Beijing prohibiting not only the bishops of mainland China but also the country’s Catholics from traveling to Mongolia.

Without daily prayer and respect for the structure and unity of the church, “our strength will fail, and our pastoral work will risk becoming an empty delivery of services, a roster of duties that end up inducing only weariness and frustration,” Pope Francis said in Ulaanbaatar on Sept. 2.

A Reflection for Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time, by Valerie Schultz

“Dear, Alana” chronicles Ms. Chen’s involvement in her Boulder, Colo., Catholic community—and with therapy that seemed to use some ideas common in conversion therapy.

A Reflection for Saturday of the Twenty-First Week of Ordinary Time, by Kevin Clarke

Pilgrims take the 500-mile Camino de Santiago pondering deeply personal questions, seeking insight through the journey or simply wanting time to reflect and encounter God. With Sister Katherine, they are able to talk through their experience and its unique lessons.