Just before 8 a.m. March 22, nine people gathered outside St. Olaf Parish in downtown Minneapolis in a garden dedicated to St. Francis to pray that saint’s famous prayer: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”
National News
Holy Water Fonts Adapt to Pandemic Times
Holy water fonts have remained dry since churches in Brooklyn and Queens reopened on May 26, due to health and safety measures. However, companies and entrepreneurs have gotten creative while expressing their faith by building touch-free holy water font dispensers.
‘We Are Here for the Unborn,’ Activist Says at Gift of Life Walk
Speakers at the 2021 International Gift of Life Walk-NYC, March 25, called attention to the statistic that more than 62 million babies disappeared via abortion since 1973, the year Roe v. Wade determined that abortion was a constitutionally protected “right.”
New Staten Island Ferry Will Bear Name of a Revered Catholic Activist
Already a servant of God, Dorothy Day has long been revered by Catholics for her social activism. Now, with the announcement that a new Staten Island ferry will bear her name, thousands of ferry patrons will also recognize her name on a daily basis.
Asian-American Bishop Says No Shortcut to Ending Racism in US
Bishop Oscar Solis of Salt Lake City gets the sense that people want to “shortcut” the result of eliminating and eradicating racism, and don’t put in the effort necessary to create change.
Virginia Becomes the First Southern State to Abolish the Death Penalty
Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia signed a bill on Wednesday that officially ended the death penalty in Virginia. Twenty-two states have banned the death penalty before, but Virginia becomes the first one in the South to abolish capital punishment.
Denver Archbishop Calls for ‘Conversion of Hearts’ After Boulder Shooting
Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver, Colorado, said “senseless acts of violence” have become far too common in the country and his state.
Boulder, Colorado, Police Officer First to Die in Mass Shooting Called Hero
Officer Eric Talley, an 11-year veteran of the Boulder Police Department, was the first to arrive at the scene of a mass shooting at a King Soopers grocery store the afternoon of March 22 and the first of 10 to be killed at the store.
Catholic Leaders Speak Out Against Violence Targeting Asian Americans
In the days following the March 16 shootings in Atlanta that left eight people dead, including six Asian American women, protests and vigils took place around the country remembering the victims and calling for an end to a growing wave of anti-Asian racism and violence.
Three Young Catholic Women Make History by Becoming Eagle Scouts
Rachel and Mara Snyder, and Madeline “Maddie” Mullin are part of history, becoming part of the inaugural group of young women to become Eagle Scouts in the Boy Scouts of America.