by Antonina Zielinska When World Youth Day pilgrims go to confession in Spain this August and kneel to kiss the stole of their confessor, they may come in contact with purple cloth hand stitched in Brooklyn. The Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará Sisters, who reside in the contemplative monastery of St. […]
The government of Ireland has asked religious congregations implicated in the 2009 Ryan Report on abuse at Irish institutions to transfer land and properties worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the state as part of a revised package to compensate victims. Education Minister Ruairi Quinn insisted that the 476 million euros ($681 million) already […]
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The last battle of the almost-grownup Harry Potter may be too scary for young viewers, but it champions the values of friendship and sacrifice, the Vatican newspaper said. “The atmosphere of the last few episodes, which had become increasingly dark and ominous, reaches its pinnacle,” said one of two reviews of […]
OXFORD, England (CNS) – Catholic church groups have joined trade unions in the European Sunday Alliance, which will campaign to protect Sundays and ensure fairer conditions for family life. “Some people say there can never be a return to work-free Sundays – but the many working together in this alliance don’t share this view,” said […]
by John Thavis VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The most amusing headline to greet Cardinal Angelo Scola’s appointment as archbishop of Milan appeared in a British newspaper: “Pro-Vatican cardinal to head Milan church.” One can pretty well assume that all of the candidates considered for this office would describe themselves as “pro-Vatican.” The Italian hierarchy is […]
Providence House celebrated the groundbreaking of its new affordable housing program, located at 275 Kosciusko St. in Brooklyn. Named the D’Addario Residence, in honor of the chair of the board of Providence House, Janet D’Addario, and her husband, Jim, it will be six-stories high with 46 units for low-income New Yorkers. The project is […]
The Dominican Women’s Congregations of Amityville, Blauvelt, Hope, Sparkill, and Caldwell, N.J., have issued a corporate statement expressing their concern that “our present immigration law is badly broken and in need of reform.” The Sisters state that the current immigration policy ignores the human situation of separated families and the oppressive living conditions that force […]
ORANGE, Calif. (CNS) – Bishop Tod D. Brown of Orange asked a group of diocesan advisers to “explore possibilities” regarding the Crystal Cathedral, once the home church of the Rev. Robert Schuller, a noted television preacher. The cathedral complex in Garden Grove was put up for auction earlier this year as part of the cathedral […]
Realizing that there are many families in his parish that are in need of food, Father Heebong Nam, pastor of Holy Spirit Church in Borough Park, approved a parish food pantry in November of 2009. At first, the pantry depended on the generous support of the parishioners. For almost a year, each Sunday morning, food […]
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) – The flag of South Sudan was raised as the Sudanese flag was lowered at the July 9 ceremony in Juba to mark the new predominantly Christian Republic of South Sudan’s independence. “It was a graceful assertion of independence, without demeaning Sudan and its president,” said Dan Griffin, adviser on […]
