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Peter Jesserer Smith

Peter Jesserer Smith

Peter Jesserer Smith is a staff reporter for the National Catholic Register. He covered Pope Francis's historic visit to the United States in 2015, and to Jerusalem and the Holy Land in 2014. He has reported on the Syrian and Iraqi refugee crisis, including from Jordan and Lebanon on an Egan Fellowship from Catholic Relief Services. Before coming on board the Register in 2013, he was a freelance writer, reporting for Catholic media outlets as the Register and Our Sunday Visitor. He is a graduate of the National Journalism Center and earned a B.A. in Philosophy at Christendom College, where he co-founded the student newspaper, The Rambler, and served as its editor. He comes originally from the Finger Lakes region of New York State.

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Fighters of the Taliban Badri 313 military unit stand guard at the airport in Kabul on September 14, 2021.

Trapped by the Taliban, Praying for Escape From Afghanistan

Afghans and Afghan-Americans have found themselves caught up in a national catastrophe due to the U.S. withdrawal of military and civilian contractors that led to the Taliban’s takeover.

Peter Jesserer Smith World September 14, 2021

The crash scene at the Pentagon is viewed from above following the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001.

20 Years Later, a Priest Remembers 9/11 at the Pentagon

Father Stephen McGraw was a newly ordained priest when the deadly attacks took place.

Peter Jesserer Smith Interviews September 8, 2021

Firefighters remove debris in search of survivors after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti and as tropical storm Grace moves over Jamaica on August 17, 2021 in Les Cayes, Haiti.

Haiti Quake’s Death & Suffering: A Cry for Solidarity From the US

Father Louis Merosne, a Haitian Catholic priest who runs the nonprofit Mission to the Beloved, speaks to the Register about the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti.

Peter Jesserer Smith Interviews August 18, 2021

Servant of God Nicholas Black Elk, daughter Lucy Black Elk and wife Anna Brings White, photographed in their home in Manderson, South Dakota, ca 1910.

Black Elk: Future Patron Saint and Model for Instituted Lay Catechists?

Nicholas Black Elk, a Lakota holy man and catechist, up for sainthood has captured the attention of Pope Francis and could be a model for bishops instituting lay catechists.

Peter Jesserer Smith World August 18, 2021

This is a portrait of St. Kateri Tekakwitha painted by Jesuit Father Claude Chauctiere, who knew her personally. He depicts St. Kateri as she would have looked in life: in Mohawk dress typical for late 17th century, along with her unique choice of a blue shawl worn over her head.

10 Amazing Things You Need to Know about St. Kateri Tekakwitha

St. Kateri Tekakwitha is one of the most amazing saints of North America, but most people have yet to meet the real St. Kateri and how she traveled the path of holiness through her own culture and times.

Peter Jesserer Smith Blogs August 16, 2021

Clockwise from left: George Looks Twice, who is responsible for initiating the canonization process for Black Elk, sits by his grandfather's grave. St. Agnes Catholic Church is in Manderson, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Reservation, where Nicholas Black Elk ministered. Knights of Columbus, along with other Lakota Catholics and descendants of Black Elk, gather for prayer around Black Elk's grave as part of their pilgrimage this month.

Knights of Columbus Lead Pilgrimage to Honor Servant of God Black Elk

The fraternal organization organized its first pilgrimage to honor the Lakota holy man and pray for the continuation of the Catholic catechist’s canonization cause.

Peter Jesserer Smith Nation July 29, 2021

Clockwise from top left: Gymnast Grace McCallum (2nd from right) lines up with teammates Kara Eaker, Sunisa Lee and Jade Carey as the U.S. gymnastic women’s team prepares to compete at an event Oct. 1, 2019, in Stuttgart, Germany; Matthew Centrowitz Jr. runs during Rio 2016; fencer Mariel Zagunis holds an American flag at the 2014 World Fencing Championships; gymnast Simone Biles waves to the crowd at the Rio games in 2016.

Catholics Reach Olympic Heights: Meet Olympians Who Carry the Torch of Faith

This summer many of those athletes whose God-given talents are on display arrive in Tokyo formed in some way by their Catholic faith or education.

Peter Jesserer Smith Nation July 22, 2021

Menachem Z. Rosensaft, the son of Auschwitz survivors and associate executive vice president and general counsel for the World Jewish Congress, is featured on the cover of his book, Poems Born in Bergen-Belsen.

Becoming God’s Sparks of Light: Poems Born in Bergen-Belsen

BOOK REVIEW: Poems Born in Bergen-Belsen by Menachem Z. Rosensaft, the Jewish son of Holocaust survivors, is a poetic journey of descent and ascent that confronts God in the very heart of the Holocaust.

Peter Jesserer Smith Blogs July 15, 2021

Venerable Father Augustus Tolton (left) alongside Father Guy Dormevil (top right) and Father Raney Johnson (bottom right).

Venerable Augustus Tolton’s Spiritual Sons: Black Catholic Priests Ordained in 2021

Three Black Catholics newly ordained to the Catholic priesthood share their vocation journeys.

Peter Jesserer Smith Features July 13, 2021

Comic Jen Fulwiler brings ‘momedy’ to the masses — with a Catholic twist.

Catholic Stand-Up Comic Jen Fulwiler on the True, the Good and the Beautifully Hilarious

The Catholic mom of six is the star of her own comedy special on Amazon Prime and is embarking on a new fall tour in 2021.

Peter Jesserer Smith Arts & Entertainment July 5, 2021

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