Earlier this week, the cremated remains of over 300 individuals were laid to rest in a ceremony presided over by Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing, Michigan. Some of the unclaimed remains had been kept in hospital storage for over two decades.
National News
Peace Prayers In St. Louis
Archbishop Robert J. Carlson of St. Louis, Mo., called for peace following a not guilty verdict in the trial of former St. Louis Police Officer Jason Stockley, who was charged with the fatal shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith.
California Pastor of Immigrant Parish Honored with Lumen Christi Award
Today, Greenfield in California’s Salinas Valley looks and feels different because Father Enrique Herrera believed the Catholic Church could make life better for the city’s residents. Catholic Extension has chosen Father Herrera to receive the 2017-18 Lumen Christi Award.
Pope Francis Sends Letter for Centennial Celebration of Mother Cabrini in Chicago
As the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus gather in Chicago this week to mark the centennial of the death of their founder Mother Cabrini, Pope Francis sent them hailing Cabrini as a model for our times. “The great migrations underway today need guidance filled with love and intelligence similar to what characterizes the Cabrinian charism,” he wrote.
Backlash Over Martin’s LGBT Book Prompts Speech Cancellations
Following the publication of his book on outreach to LGBT Catholics, Jesuit priest Father James Martin has been disinvited from various speaking engagements. Most recently, an invitation to speak at Theological College at the Catholic University of America has been rescinded.
Vanessa Williams Talks Faith and Redemption at Sheen Center
New York’s newly opened Sheen Center for Thought and Culture is Cardinal Dolan’s attempt to reach people of no faith through the arts. In its opening act of its second season, Broadway star Vanessa Williams spoke about her Catholic faith in between musical performances.
Caridinal Wuerl Mounts Strong Defense of ‘Amoris’ and Pope Francis
In the opening lecture for Georgetown University’s Sacred Lecture Series, Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington defended Pope Francis’s efforts to decentralize Church governance, his approach to synodality, and ‘Amoris Laetitia.’
Faith Inspired ‘Mattress Mack’ To Aid Harvey Relief Efforts
Local Houston legend Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale became a worldwide icon of generosity by opening his furniture stores to shelter Hurricane Harvey victims. He said he was inspired by his Catholic faith.
Court Says NYS Cannot Assist Someone’s Suicide
New York’s highest appeals court has unanimously ruled that the state’s ban on physician-assisted suicide is constitutional, granting a major victory to opponents of the practice.
Fears of Anti-Catholic Bias Rise On Both Left and Right
In a judicial nominee hearing last week, Senator Diane Feinstein questioned whether the nominee’s adherence to Catholic teaching should prevent her from a federal appointment. Less than twenty-four hours later, former White House strategist Steve Bannon lambasted the Catholic bishops for their support for DACA. Some have wondered if the two incidents indicate an uptick in anti-Catholic bias in the United States.