by Carol Zimmerman WASHINGTON (CNS) – When fast-food workers across the country walked off their jobs demanding higher wages Dec. 5, their actions should have caught the attention of the nation’s Catholics, say those who stress that the call for a living wage echoes long-standing Catholic social teaching. Christine Firer Hinze, who is a theology […]
Author: settinger
Pope’s Exhortation Draws Reactions from All Sides
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”) has prompted plenty of commentary – and not exclusively from Catholic circles. “Pope Francis is a living model of the new evangelization,” said Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis. The […]
Queens Parishioners Go On Mission to Nicaragua
Father Robert Whelan, pastor of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Bayside, recently led a group of 12 missioners to Mustard Seed Communities in Managua and Diriamba, Nicaragua, for a weeklong mission of work, prayer and support. Tasks for the group consisted of clearing land of weeds, debris and stones; scraping and painting window grills […]
Pope: Sense of the Faithful Does Not Mean Majority Vote
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis said the Church must pay attention to the “sense of the faithful” (“sensus fidelium”) when exercising its teaching authority but never confuse that sense with popular opinion on matters of faith. The pope made his comments in an address to members of the International Theological Commission, a Vatican advisory […]
Spirit of Christmas
The Spirit of Christmas concert sponsored by Futures in Education at Carnegie Hall, Manhattan, drew almost 3,000 attendees. The concert featured The New York Tenors – Danny Rodriguez, Michael Amanti and Andy Cooney, with an opening act by violinist Gregory Harrington. Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, vicar for development, presented Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio with a check for […]
Senior Housing Complex Opens In Howard Beach
Ninety-six units of affordable housing for senior citizens and persons with developmental disabilities are now open in Howard Beach, thanks to the efforts of Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens and several state and city agencies that partnered with them. The building on Cross Bay Boulevard near the Belt Parkway entrance, which once served as […]
Bishop Seals Approval Of Astoria Renovations
by Ed Wilkinson The first parish established in Queens is now the first church in the diocese to house a stained-glass window honoring Pope Francis and one depicting Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio’s coat of arms. Bishop DiMarzio dedicated the colorful new windows at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Astoria, Dec. 7, as part of a […]
Focolare Movement Promotes Founder’s Sainthood Cause
by Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The head of the Focolare movement formally requested the opening of a diocesan inquiry into the life and holiness of the movement’s founder, Chiara Lubich. Maria Voce, president of Focolare, presented the request to Bishop Raffaello Martinelli of Frascati, on Dec. 7 – the anniversary of the movement’s […]
Pope Advances 13 Sainthood Causes
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis advanced the sainthood causes of 13 candidates, including the “father of Puerto Rican public education” and the Canadian founder of a religious order dedicated to helping unwed mothers. During a meeting Dec. 9 with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, the […]
A Mission for Peace – Nun Presents Alternative View of Syrian Conflict on Six-Week Speaking Tour
A 63-year-old Lebanese Carmelite nun with firsthand knowledge of the Syrian conflict spoke Dec. 6 at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, Downtown Brooklyn. Mother Agnes-Mariam of the Cross, mother superior at the Monastery and Convent of St. James the Mutilated in Qara, Syria (north of Damascus), recently went on a six-week speaking tour through the […]