National News

Living with Purpose: New Book Details Rockaway Nun’s Life, Devotion to Justice Unto Death

February 15, 2017

Eileen Markey’s new book, “A Radical Faith: The Assassination of Sister Maura” (New York: Nation Books, 2016, pp. 336), is a beautiful and eye-opening depiction of a Maryknoll Sister from the Brooklyn Diocese who was brutally murdered, assassinated really, in El Salvador on Dec. 2, 1980. There were three other American women horribly killed with her: Ita Ford, also a Maryknoll nun from Brooklyn, Jean Donovan, a laywoman missionary volunteer from Connecticut, and Dorothy Kazel, an Ursuline nun from Cleveland.

Where’s the Order on Religious Freedom?

February 15, 2017

Talk of President Donald Trump possibly signing an executive order on religious freedom – which drew both criticism and praise – has been replaced with discussion about what happened to it and what a final version, if there is one, will look like.

Posters Criticize Pope

February 8, 2017

People look at a poster expressing criticism of Pope Francis in Rome Feb. 5.

Bishops Seek Order On Religious Freedom

February 8, 2017

Saying “religious freedom in America has suffered years of unprecedented erosion,” the U.S. Catholic bishops have posted an online letter for Catholics to send to President Trump urging him to sign an executive order promoting religious freedom.

Bishops Oppose Death Penalty for Priest Killer

February 8, 2017

Saying “justice needs to be tamed by mercy,” Bishop Felipe J. Estevez of St. Augustine, Fla., and two brother bishops called for the state of Georgia to drop the death penalty in the case of accused priest killer Steven J. Murray.

Dominicans Appalled by Immigration Order

February 8, 2017

In response to President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily halting immigrants from seven terror-prone countries, the Sisters of St. Dominic, Amityville, L.I., say they were “appalled” by the action.

US Church Leaders Blast Trump’s Immigration Action

February 1, 2017

President Trump’s executive memorandum intended to restrict the entry of terrorists into the U.S. brought an outcry from Catholic leaders, who used phrases such as “devastating” and “chaotic” to describe the action that left already-approved refugees stranded at U.S. airports.

Oakland Diocese to Close Five Schools

February 1, 2017

The face of Catholic education in the Diocese of Oakland, Calif., will change with a plan that will close five schools and move seven schools into a separate network charged with bolstering the educational and faith formation experience by sharing teaching specialists and administrative services.