Stephen Coutcher, a Rhode Island seminarian who spent the summer of 2018 teaching English in Ukraine, urged those who feel helpless about the current situation there to pray for peace.
National News
Florida Catholic Bishops Applaud State Passage of 15-Week Ban on Abortion
The Catholic bishops of Florida praised the state Legislature for passing a measure to prohibit most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Auxiliary Bishop Chappetto Retires After 50 Years in Diocese
Pope Francis on Monday morning accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Raymond F. Chappetto of Brooklyn.
U.S. Bishops’ Migration Chairman Welcomes Temporary Protected Status Designation for Ukraine, Urges Support for Refugees
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas designated Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) on March 3. In response to this designation and the growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration, Auxiliary Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville of Washington, praised the move.
Centuries-old Marian Icon Offers Solace, Protection Amid Horror of War
As Ukrainians turn to their faith amid the ongoing tragedy of Russia’s invasion of their nation, many who follow both the Orthodox and Catholic traditions will look to an unusual icon of Mary as a symbol of the solace they seek.
New Coalition, With Catholic Members, Will Push Congress on Immigration
Representatives from the business sector, faith groups and grassroots organizations that support immigration reform sent Congress a letter March 2, a day after President Biden’s first State of the Union address, urging lawmakers to act on immigration because “simply put, the system is broken.”
The Importance of ‘Just War’ Theory
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 prompted many commentators to focus on critiquing strategies and predicting side-effects like higher U.S. gas prices. Catholics were among the global voices providing broader viewpoints — such as Christ’s call for peacemaking, compassion, and justice — to help understand the evolving crisis.
Cardinal Joins Biden, and Later Archbishop Gudziak, In Praying for Ukraine
As Pope Francis and Catholics throughout the world did on Ash Wednesday, March 2, Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory prayed and expressed solidarity with the people of Ukraine as they are enduring a brutal Russian military invasion of their country.
Lent 3.0: Third Lent in Pandemic Offers Chance for Spiritual Reset, Healing
Lent, the spiritual season of prayer and sacrifice, has an extra pull to it this year because once again — and now for the third time — it will be under the cloud of the coronavirus pandemic.
Only In Print: Diocese of Brooklyn Delegation Sees Humanitarian Work at the Texas-Mexico Border
The a four-person delegation from the Diocese of Brooklyn joined an “immersion” trip to tour the collaborative work shared by Sister Norma Pimentel and Catholic Extension to help thousands of asylum seekers stuck at the U.S./Mexico border.