A parish community less than two miles away and directly impacted by the Feb. 14 school shooting at a Broward County high school, is finding new purpose in Lent this year, according to the parish administrator.
National News
Bishops Rap Fed’s Budget
Responding to the Trump administration’s 2019 federal budget proposal, the U.S. Catholic bishops are urging for a budget that shows greater concern for “the least of these,” warning that the budget must not be balanced on the backs of the poor.
Bishop Dewane says Pope Francis Put Church’s Social Tradition ‘Front Stage’
Pope Francis has taken the rich social tradition of the Church that was championed by Pope John Paul II and “made it front stage,” says Bishop Frank Dewane. He said that while there has been a constant tradition of Catholic social activism, he believes there’s been an uptick during the Francis papacy.
Cardinal Tobin: US Bishops Should Only Support Clean DACA bill, Fears Mass Deportations
Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, is urging his fellow U.S. bishops to hold out for a clean DACA bill, rather than settle for a compromise that includes funding for the border wall.
Sydney Archdiocese to Slavery Proof Supply Lines in Effort to End Human Trafficking
Feb. 8 is declared as an international day of prayer and awareness of human trafficking. On this year’s occasion, the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia has announced a bold initiative to slavery proof its supply lines — a move that imitates a similar decision made by the Vatican in 2016.
The American Church Is ‘Virtually Silent’ on Race
The bishop who chairs the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism gave a sobering assessment of U.S. Catholics’ treatment of blacks, from the laity to the hierarchy.
Catholics Are Witnesses, And Not Social Workers
Echoing Pope Francis’ plea that the Church not become an NGO, Bishop Eusebio Elizondo kicked off the 2018 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering by urging those in attendance not to see themselves as social workers, but instead as “Catholic witnesses of Jesus’ love.”
Charity, Cheesesteaks and Lobster: Clergy Make Friendly Super Bowl Wager
Ahead of Super Bowl LII the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles, Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston and Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, placed a friendly wager on the game’s outcome.
Trump’s First State of the Union Elicits Partisan Reactions
In his first State of the Union address, President Donald Trump declared this to be a “new American moment,” in a speech he described as a bid for bipartisanship, but which elicited reactions that broke along largely predictable partisan lines – a split that also characterized immediate Catholic reaction.
Bishops Share Pro-Life Commitment, See Signs Of Hope for the Future
As Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York prepares to hand over the reins of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee to Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., both men are in agreement that the pro-life work of the bishops’ conference serves as the cornerstone of its public policy work.