A senior bishop in Syria has described how the country is “locked in a murderous stalemate” and has told how his people say farewell to one another after Sunday Mass, uncertain if they will meet again. Archbishop Samir Nassar of Damascus emphasised that the Syrian people were being “subjected to enormous pressures” with economic disaster […]
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Philly Schools Slated to Close Will Stay Open
PHILADELPHIA (CNS) – All four Philadelphia archdiocesan Catholic high schools that were recommended for closure will remain open, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said to a round of applause from those gathered at a news conference Feb 24. At the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center in Philadelphia, where he was joined by leading state legislative leaders and local […]
Salvadoran General May Be Deported
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Family and friends of four American churchwomen murdered in 1980 welcomed a Florida immigration judge’s decision that paves the way for the deportation of a former Salvadoran defense minister found to have a role in their killings. James Kazel, brother of Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel of Cleveland, said the expected deportation to […]
Bishop Says Priest Was Not ‘Fired’
BELLEVILLE, Ill. (CNS) – Bishop Edward K. Braxton of Belleville said he did not “fire” a priest from his pastorate for using his own wording in some parts of the Mass but was obligated to correct the situation as shepherd of the diocese. The bishop accepted the resignation of Father William Rowe, pastor of St. […]
Natural Family Planning Session
Married couples who wish to learn the Billings Ovulation Method of Natural Family Planning (NFP) are invited to attend an Introductory Session, sponsored by the Office of Faith Formation – Marriage Ministry, March 21, 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Immaculate Conception Center, Douglaston. The sacrament of marriage symbolizes Christ’s relationship with His Church, a relationship of […]
Calling All Married Couples Celebrating Significant Anniversaries
Calling all married couples celebrating significant anniversaries, you’re invited to a very special event. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio will honor couples marking 25, 30, 40, 50 or more years of marriage at the annual diocesan Wedding Anniversary Mass, sponsored by the Office of Faith Formation – Marriage Ministry, April 28, 11 a.m. at Our Lady of […]
Giving and Serving In a Souper Way
The NY Giants and the St. Rose of Lima Food Pantry, Rockaway Beach, were both big winners during February. Through the Souper Bowl of Caring initiative, students from St. Rose of Lima School tackled hunger by donating $265 and collecting close to 150 canned goods for the pantry, run by the parish’s St. Vincent de […]
Salvation of Economics
To cite the Madisonian “wall of separation between Church and State” as an argument to dismiss or exempt people of faith from political responsibility is at best anachronistic, at worst disingenuous. We no longer live in an era of Jeffersonian democracy, where the role of the state is limited mostly to the protection of fundamental […]
Lenten Ashes Are Call to Repentance, Humility, Pope Says at Mass
by Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service ROME (CNS) — Receiving ashes at the beginning of Lent is a call to repentance and humility and a sign that believers know that death will not have the final word in their lives, Pope Benedict XVI said. The pope’s Ash Wednesday Mass Feb. 22 was preceded by a procession […]
A Red Banner Week in Rome: Cardinals Called to Greater Service (slide show)
by Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) – When Pope Benedict XVI created 22 new cardinals from 13 countries – including three from the United States and Canada – he placed red hats on their heads and called them to lives of even greater love and service to the Church. The churchmen […]