By Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – In his first extensive piece of writing as pope, Pope Francis lays out a vision of the Catholic Church dedicated to evangelization in a positive key, with a focus on society’s poorest and most vulnerable, including the aged and unborn. “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”), […]
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Technology Sheds Light On Dark Catacombs
By Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Early Christian burial sites are now easier to see, both in person and via the Internet, thanks to 21st-century technology and collaboration between Google and the Vatican. “This is perhaps the sign of the joining of two extremes, remote antiquity and modernity,” said Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi Nov. […]
Blessed Sacrament Rescued
Parishioners kneel before the tabernacle containing the Blessed Sacrament after firefighters pulled it Nov. 18 from the rubble of what was St. Barbara Church in Cloverdale, Ohio. The church and rectory were destroyed Nov. 17 when a powerful tornado swept through the rural community.
Nightmare in the Philippines
Above, hundreds of survivors of Typhoon Haiyan have dinner and rest under candle light in a Redemptorist-run church where they found shelter in Tacloban, Philippines. Nearly two weeks after Super Typhoon Haiyan tore through the central Philippines, Catholic aid workers were still seeing great needs. Below, a man lights a candle Nov. 25 as he […]
Climate Change Brings An Ethical Challenge
WARSAW, Poland (CNS) – Climate change represents an “ethical challenge to civilization,” said the Vatican’s lead representative to an international conference discussing the worldwide impact of climate change. Archbishop Celestino Migliore told attendees at a Church-run conference that the Vatican would help “form consciences and ethical perspectives” on climate change in line with Catholic social […]
New Pastor as Recovery From Sandy Continues
A year after Hurricane Sandy hit Breezy Point, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio visited Blessed Trinity parish to install a new pastor and to continue to show support for the Rockaway Peninsula. “Here in Breezy, you have been people of perseverance,” he told the congregation gathered at St. Thomas More Church. “I think you know exactly […]
Filipinos Pray Homeland Recovers from Typhoon – Mass of Healing at St. Michael’s, Flushing
by Ed Wilkinson Many members of the Filipino community in the U.S. belong to helping professions, such as the medical field. But right now, it is the Filipinos themselves who are in need of help. That was the observation of Father Patrick Longalong, coordinator of the diocesan Filipino apostolate, following a Mass of healing and […]
Queen of All Saints – A Century of Welcoming the Faithful of Fort Greene/Clinton Hill (with slideshow)
by Marie Elena Giossi The sonorous sounds of bells greeted clergy, parishioners and guests as they arrived to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the dedication of Queen of All Saints Church in Fort Greene/Clinton Hill, on Sunday, Nov. 17. Adult members of the parish’s Resounding Joy Hand Bell Choir performed as ushers and parish youngsters, […]
British Photographer Captures The Spirituality of the Homeless
by Caroline Hroncich ROME (CNS) – As far as English photographer Lee Jeffries knows, Pope Francis has never seen his pictures, yet he is sure they would be to his taste. The pope is a “person of the people,” Jeffries told Catholic News Service. “And these images represent the humanity in all of us. The […]
Author Says Mafia Would Like to Harm the Pope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Crime families in Italy are not happy with Pope Francis and would hurt him if they could, said an Italian prosecutor who has spent years investigating organized crime and has written a book about the apparent Catholic devotion of mafia bosses. “I’m not sure organized crime is in a position to […]