by Rhina Guidos WASHINGTON (CNS) – Each spring, the doors of the small church near Candler, close to Asheville in North Carolina, are flung open to let in the burgeoning number of congregants. Seats fill fast on or around March 24, said Edith Segovia, a parishioner of St. Joan of Arc Church. Increasingly, she sees […]
Uncategorized
Pope Visits Shrine to The Patroness of Cuba
EL COBRE, Cuba (CNS) – Entrusting people to Mary’s maternal care is a normal Catholic practice, but when Pope Benedict XVI prayed that Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre would wrap her golden mantle around the people of Cuba, it was particularly poignant. For 400 years, Cubans – believers and nonbelievers alike – have […]
The Virgin of Charity Has Been Cuba’s Patroness for 400 Years
Our Lady of Charity, also known as Our Lady of Cobre, is the patroness of Cuba. The story about how the image became Cuba’s patroness dates back to the early 17th century, when two brothers, Rodrigo and Juan de Hoyos, and their slave, Juan Moreno, set out to the Bay of Nipe in Cuba for […]
Rallies Across Nation Protest HHS Mandate
WASHINGTON (CNS) – People gathered March 23 in front of U.S. courthouses, state capitols and historic sites to support religious freedom and protest a federal mandate they say violates that freedom by requiring most religious employers to provide no-cost contraceptive coverage even it is contrary to their beliefs. All of the events, held at noon […]
Prayers for Religious Liberty
WASHINGTON (CNS) – The U.S. bishops urged Catholics and “all people of faith” across the nation to observe March 30 as a day of prayer and fasting for religious freedom and conscience protection. The bishops announced the day-long observance in a statement titled “United for Religious Freedom” that was approved by the U.S. Conference of […]
Holy Week Schedules Of Bishops in Diocese
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio Palm Sunday, April 1 – St. John the Baptist, Bedford-Stuyvesant – 11 a.m. (Bilingual) Monday, April 2 – Penance Service – Immaculate Heart of Mary, Kensington – 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 3 – Mass of Chrism, St. James Cathedral-Basilica, Downtown Brooklyn – 8 p.m. Holy Thursday, April 5 – Mass of the […]
Helpers Pray for Life at Site of New Abortuary (with slideshow)
On the eve of the feast of the Annunciation, pro-life advocates took to the streets of Jamaica to pray for the unborn outside an abortion clinic set to open Friday, March 30.
Good Friday in Carroll Gardens
Former and present parishioners will gather at Brooklyn’s oldest Italian parish, Sacred Hearts and St. Stephen Church, Carroll Gardens, to solemnly process through the streets on Good Friday, April 6, beginning at 7 p.m. While the neighborhood has seen much change since the parish’s founding by Italian immigrants in 1882, this time- honored tradition and […]
Judge Rules Against Faith-Based Groups
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Religiously based restrictions on reproductive health services for victims of human trafficking cannot be imposed by the Department of Health and Human Services, a federal judge has ruled. By delegating to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops the decision on which services to offer or not offer to trafficking victims, HHS violated […]
The Pope in Mexico
Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd gathered for his arrival at Guanajuato International Airport in Silao, Mexico, March 23. Arriving in Mexico on his second papal visit to Latin America, the pope said he came as a “pilgrim of faith, of hope, and of love,” promoting the cause of religious freedom, social progress and the […]