Vatican correspondent Stacy Meichtry writes on Wednesday about the debate on how Catholics receive Communion, and cites as an example a group not recognized by the Vatican. “Lefebvrists,” as the Vatican calls them, or members of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), as they refer to themselves, consider themselves observant Catholics who are loyal to the late Bishop Marcel Lefebvre, whom John Paul II excommunicated in 1988. Meichtry writes: Their Mass cannot be celebrated inside a Catholic Church because it follows outdated rules that were dramatically altered by the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. As a result, the Mass has become the organization’s battle cry. The debate over how Catholics receive Communion generally gets overshadowed in the media by hot-button issues. But inside the church, few topics generate more debate than the Eucharist because it cuts straight to the core of Catholic identity. In October, hundreds of Roman Catholic bishops from around the world will gather in Rome for a special synod, or assembly, dedicated to the Eucharist where they will determine who can receive Communion and under what conditions.

Jim Lockwood contributes another Catholic story, this one about nuns who promote faith-based ecology: It was 25 years ago when the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell founded Genesis Farm in Blairstown, N.J., as “a learning center for Earth studies.” The nonprofit, self-sustaining farm is largely based on the teachings of Catholic “geologian” Thomas Berry, who held that the institutions of economics, religion, education and government were failing to address global ecological problems, said founding member Sister Miriam MacGillis. Since Genesis Farm began in 1980, ecological problems-in MacGillis’ view-have gotten much worse, but the nuns’ commitment to faith-based environmentalism has increased.