After 18 people were shot and killed by a gunman across multiple locations in Lewiston, Maine, late on Oct. 25, Bishop Robert Deeley of Portland, Maine, is calling for prayers for the victims of the attacks and the law enforcement officials who’ve responded.
Author: John Lavenburg
Cardinal O’Malley Calls on Boston Parishes to Step Up Amid Migrant Crisis
Cardinal Seán O’Malley of Boston is encouraging parish communities across the archdiocese to help respond to the area’s migrant influx, calling it “a major humanitarian and societal crisis that is building in the state of Massachusetts and within our archdiocese.
Oklahoma AG Sues in Effort to Block Catholic Charter School
After the attorney general of Oklahoma filed a lawsuit against the nation’s first religious charter school on grounds that its establishment violates state and federal religious liberty protections, the school has responded that the suit “twists the law of religious liberty beyond recognition.”
Court Sides With Catholic Clinic, Overturns Law Banning Abortion Reversal Hormone
A federal court in Colorado has sided with a Catholic health care clinic in its challenge to a recent state law that forbids doctors and nurses from administering a natural hormone to reverse the effects of the first step of a medically induced abortion, which the state had implemented in part because of safety concerns.
Massachusetts Catholic Charities Worry as Shelter Capacity Limits Loom
When Catholic Charities Boston president and CEO Kelley Tuthill considers new Massachusetts shelter capacity limits that go into effect next month, she said she thinks about a situation that arose on Sunday, Oct. 15, when three families showed up unannounced seeking help.
CRS Warns of ‘Unprecedented Suffering’ in Gaza if Aid Isn’t Allowed in Immediately
Following an Oct. 18 announcement from Israel and President Joe Biden that humanitarian aid will be allowed into Gaza from Egypt, the president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services is calling for the implementation of a plan to do so immediately.
Viva Arch Vegas! Sin City Gets Blessed as an Archdiocese
At a Mass celebrating Las Vegas becoming the 33rd U.S. archdiocese, Cardinal Christophe Pierre told those in attendance that the growth of Catholicism in Sin City is the outcome of synodality, that is, “women and men working together on the shared journey of faith.”
Advocates Hail Settlement With Separated Migrant Families; Decry the Practice as ‘Torture’
After the Biden administration reached a settlement with thousands of migrants who were separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border by the Trump administration, Catholic immigration advocates want people to never forget what was done to these families.
New York Legislature OKs Bill to Form a Reparations Commission
Come the start of the new year, New York state could have a commission created to consider reparations for African American residents.
Catholic Relief Services Scrambles to Help After Devastating Afghan Earthquakes
After two major earthquakes struck Afghanistan in a matter of days, the country’s Catholic Relief Services representative outlined three focuses of the organization’s current response: the safety and well-being of the CRS staff on the ground, providing immediate support to those who are displaced, and finishing an assessment of damage from the second earthquake.