One baptism, five first Communions, and 13 confirmations marked the sacred rites that were celebrated on April 12 for the 13 St. John’s University students who had completed the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) and were fully initiated into the Church.
Love filled the air at Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians on May 24 as 15 couples united in marriage in Queens.
The number of Catholics and permanent deacons in the world rose in 2023, while the number of seminarians, priests, men and women in religious orders, and baptisms all declined, according to Vatican statistics.
At a time when the convergence of faith and social media is in the news after Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer mocked the sacrament of Communion in an Instagram video, Father Simon Teller said faith-based social media content, including that which is light-hearted, is possible if it’s done in a way that the creator believes “brings people closer to Jesus.”
To address noticeable tensions, American Catholics want Church leaders to foster unity through promoting interculturality and greater co-responsibility, and for them to better articulate Church teaching, according to the latest synod synthesis report for the American Church.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the United States in 2020, U.S. dioceses put liturgical restrictions in place, such as no longer using the Communion cup, to avoid potential germs with a shared vessel.
As many restrictions put in place at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic have been lifted, some Catholic dioceses around the country are returning, or already have returned, to offering consecrated wine in the chalice for Communion while others are waiting to do so.
U.S. President Joe Biden should consult with his bishop or parish priest about his stance on abortion, Pope Francis said, adding that the primary concern of bishops should be pastoral care.
In a wide-ranging interview with Reuters, Pope Francis addressed several hot-button topics, including his health and resignation rumors, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the recent overturning of Roe v Wade in the United States.
In itself, Friday’s announcement that Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone formally has barred House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from receiving Communion over her support for abortion rights probably shouldn’t be surprising, and it also may not be very consequential, at least in the short term.
