by Peter Finney Jr. (CNS) – Fine print contained in the Affordable Care Act has weakened conscience protections for physicians who oppose abortion, sterilization or other medical practices on religious or moral grounds, a doctor and ethicist told the American Academy of Fertility Care Professionals. Dr. John Brehany, executive director and ethicist of the Catholic […]
National News
Syro-Malabar Rite Will Conducts DC Pilgrimage D.C. Shrine
Father Joseph Palackal, C.M.I., will lead a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C., on Sept. 7-8. A solemn High Mass in the Syro-Malabar Rite will be sung by a 100-member choir at the Mass. The music was composed by Father Palackal and George Thaila. For more information, contact Deacon Arthur […]
Black Catholic Clergy Elect New Leadership
CHICAGO (CNS) – Father Kenneth Taylor, a priest of the Indianapolis Archdiocese, and Precious Blood Father Clarence Williams, who is currently stationed in the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, were elected president and vice president, respectively, of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus. Elections took place at the organization’s meeting in Chicago, held during the July […]
K. of C. Sets Another Record for Donations
SAN ANTONIO (CNS) – Saying “our order is stronger today than ever before, and the best is yet to come,” Supreme Knight Carl Anderson delivered an annual report that chronicled the record-setting activity of the Knights of Columbus at the organization’s 131st annual convention. For the 13th consecutive year, Knights’ charitable contributions have grown. While […]
Car Accident’s ‘Mystery’ Priest Comes Forward
by Jennifer Brinker ST. LOUIS (CNS) – The identity of a “mystery” priest who prayed with a young woman at the scene of an accident in central Missouri has been solved. The Diocese of Jefferson City, Mo., has identified the priest as Father Patrick Dowling, a native of Kilkenny, Ireland, who is currently serving in […]
Boomers Generation is Coming of Age
Volunteering Keeps People Young at Heart by Liz O’Connor (CNS) – Retirees form the core of volunteer programs across the U.S., offering important services especially to the elderly – some of whom are younger than the volunteers. In the Diocese of Syracuse, N.Y., for example, where Donna Nash coordinates Catholic Charities services for the […]
LI Sister Celebrates 60 Years as Missionary
A native of Long Island, Sister Martina Schaefer, M.M.S., will celebrate her 60th Jubilee on Aug. 15 at a Mass and reception at the Medical Mission Sisters’ North American Headquarters in Philadelphia. The former Helen Ann Schaefer, Sister Martina entered Medical Mission Sisters in 1950 at the age of 20. She earned her R.N. at […]
Racism Again Is Topic Of Discussion in US
by Patricia Zapor WASHINGTON (CNS) – Despite weeks of testimony and evidence and 17 months of national debate about what factors led to the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla., at the end of the trial July 13, it became apparent that broader issues would not go away with the verdict of […]
Catholics at Gettysburg Battle Remembered, 150 Years Later
by Lou Baldwin PHILADELPHIA (CNS) – They were Poles, Austrians, Germans, Czechs, Italians, Irish – especially Irish – and they had one thing in common. They were Catholics, many of them new immigrants but loyal Americans. Seven score and 10 years ago, as President Abraham Lincoln might say, many of them participated in the crucial […]
Give Us Liberty
by Carol Zimmerman WASHINGTON (CNS) – The final rules issued June 28 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services implementing its mandate that employers provide coverage of contraceptives “will require more careful analysis,” New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan said in a statement. The cardinal, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, […]