by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – As uncertainty reigned in Ukraine and Russian troops appeared to have control of the Crimean peninsula, Pope Francis again asked the world’s Christians to pray for Ukraine and urged the parties involved in the conflict to engage in dialogue. “I ask you again to pray for Ukraine, which […]
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Citizenship Drive – Diocesan Migration Services to Assist Legal Permanent Residents
by Ed Wilkinson The diocese has unveiled a new program that will assist qualified permanent residents to become citizens of the U.S. At a press conference held March 2 outside Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Corona, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio was joined by local politicians, including U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, in making the announcement. The program, […]
Ukrainians Pray for Independence
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The three months of protests in Ukraine, that ended with government snipers killing dozens of people, strengthened the commitment to democracy of many Ukrainians, but also left the country vulnerable to further violence and division, said the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. “The danger that our neighbor (Russia) will provoke […]
Seton Trust Advances Catholic Education
Various programs in Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens are being made possible by grants from the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Trust. Three of these initiatives are: the CTB Online Reporting System, the Performing Arts Residency Program and Option C. CTB Online Reporting is an enhanced system which allows principals and teachers to analyze their […]
Venezuela – Can Church Mediate the Peace?
by Barbara J. Fraser LIMA, Peru (CNS) – As protests in Venezuela continued, with flare-ups of violence, the country’s Catholic leaders urged dialogue and respect for the demonstrators’ human rights. “We have called for the social and political leaders to engage in deep, sincere dialogue” to address the country’s serious problems, including high rates of […]
Divorced, Remarried on The Minds of Cardinals
by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Opening a two-day meeting of the world’s cardinals, Pope Francis said the Church’s pastoral approach to helping couples must be “intelligent, courageous and full of love” because the family today is “looked down upon and mistreated.” “Our reflection must keep before us the beauty of the family and […]
Pope Tells New Cardinals To Be Servants, Not Royalty
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – On a feast day commemorating the authority Jesus gave to St. Peter and His successors – the popes – Pope Francis created 19 new cardinals in the presence of retired Pope Benedict XVI. To the great surprise of most people present, the retired pope entered St. Peter’s […]
Queens Native Marks 70th Year in Maryknoll
Sister Helen Dorothy Phillips, M.M., photo library manager for Maryknoll Sisters and missioner-educator to Bolivia, celebrated 70 years with Maryknoll Sisters at a Mass for Maryknoll Sisters marking 60, 70 and 75 years with the congregation on Sunday, Feb. 9, at Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossinning, N.Y. Seven Sisters celebrated 70 years; six marked 60 years; […]
Hiring Freeze at the Vatican
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Vatican announced an immediate end to new hires, wage-increases and overtime in an effort to cut costs and offset budget shortfalls. Pope Francis, with input from the Vatican’s central accounting office, also determined that volunteers could be used to help provide the labor needed to make up for the hiring […]
Laity Will Have Something to Say About Vatican Finances
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – In a move reflecting both his drive to reform the Vatican bureaucracy and his oft-stated desire to include laypeople in the leadership of the Church, Pope Francis established a new panel – to include almost as many lay members as clerics – to oversee the finances of the Holy See and […]