TOULOUSE, France (CNS) – Work crews rushed to clear mud and remove debris June 21 after a massive flood inundated sections of the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes so that tourists could return to the popular pilgrimage site. Much of the shrine complex was under water for two days as floods swamped much of […]
by Antonina Zielinska Colombia continues to work toward peace, the aisles at St. Bartholomew Church, Elmhurst, were packed full of people wanting to hear a message from Cardinal Rubén Salazar Gómez. The archbishop of Bogota, Colombia, told the mostly Colombian congregation that peace can be obtained through Christ. “We, in this church, have to ask […]
WASHINGTON (CNS) – After he ordained six new priests for the Archdiocese of Washington June 15, Washington Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl encouraged them to take up the call of the new evangelization and help transform the world. “This is the age of the new evangelization,” the cardinal said during an ordination Mass at the Basilica […]
St. Ephrem’s parish, Dyker Heights, the church of the late Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan’s baptism and childhood, was the scene for his Mass of Christian Burial on June 12. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio was the main celebrant. He was joined by 13 bishops, about 130 priests and 1,000 relatives, parishioners and friends. Msgr. Joseph P. Nagle, […]
by Dr. Patrick J. McNamara WASHINGTON (CNS) – President Barack Obama June 14 nominated Ken Hackett, retired president of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), to be U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. Obama’s announcement about Hackett came late in the day, along with his nominees for ambassador posts in Brazil, Spain, Germany, Denmark and Ethiopia. “It […]
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Ideologies and practices that destroy human life arise from false ideas of freedom without God, Pope Francis told a crowd in St. Peter’s Square, including thousands of pro-life activists from around the world. “Whenever we want to assert ourselves, when we become wrapped up in our own […]
From time to time, it is good to remind ourselves what the “Catholic” modifying our particular church really means. Quite literally, “catholic” means “universal” – or worldwide, embracing everyone. Remembering what we call ourselves – and are, in fact, commissioned to be by our Divine Founder – can be a powerful source of encouragement as […]
by Deborah Gyapong OTTAWA, Ontario (CNS) – A priest who directs the Jesuit Cultural Center in Alexandria, Egypt, has blasted Western support of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt during a visit to Parliament Hill. Jesuit Father Henri Boulad, 82, a Melkite Catholic, singled out the U.S., France and Great Britain for their support of the […]
by Doreen Abi Raad BEIRUT (CNS) – Lebanon’s Maronite Catholic patriarch and Syria’s Greek Orthodox patriarch called for the release of two Orthodox bishops kidnapped in Syria. “We demand the kidnappers and the countries concerned” to release the two bishops and the two priests kidnapped before them, and all those who have been kidnapped on […]
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – When children exhibit behavioral problems, doctors and families should consider social and psychological support and not immediately try to address the difficulty with prescription drugs, said a number of speakers at a Vatican conference. Caution should be used not only because many prescribed medications can cause serious side effects but because […]
