IMAGE: CNS photo/Debbie Hill By Judith Sudilovsky JERUSALEM (CNS) — Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, U.S. Army veteran Rocio Villanueva fell onto the stone of the unction where tradition holds that Jesus was laid out after his crucifixion and touched her head to the smoothed surface. Injured during …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Sister Margaret Ann By Rhina Guidos WASHINGTON (CNS) — She inspired many when she rolled up the sleeves of her habit to clean up after Hurricane Irma with a chainsaw. After the local police department posted a video Sept. 12 on Twitter of Carmelite Sister Margaret Ann …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Christine Bordelon, The Clarion Herald By Christine Bordelon BEAUMONT, Texas (CNS) — Hope. That’s what 50-plus volunteers from a Louisiana Catholic parish offered to those devastated by Hurricane Harvey as part of a pre-dawn caravan of six 18-wheelers with donated supplies to Texas Sept. 9. “We are so …

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope Francis personally greeted new bishops from Florida and Texas Sept. 14, he “looked concerned” and asked how the dioceses and their people were after major hurricanes and rainstorms struck, one of the bishops said. Bishop William A. Wack of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida, …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Sister Margaret Ann By Rhina Guidos WASHINGTON (CNS) — In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, Carmelite Sister Margaret Ann Laechelin saw a motorist struggling to navigate a road obstructed by a fallen tree and worried for the safety of others. “The road was blocked and we couldn’t …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Jim Davis By Jim Davis KISSIMMEE, Fla. (CNS) — The best way to cope with something like Hurricane Irma: Get ahead of it. That simple wisdom kept the turnout light at St. Rose of Lima Church Sept. 12, a day after the storm roared through Kissimmee, a town …

IMAGE: CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — One day after his release from captivity, Salesian Father Tom Uzhunnalil met with Pope Francis. According to the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, the pope welcomed Father Uzhunnalil at his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae, Sept. 13. Arriving before …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Chris Wattie, Reuters By WASHINGTON (CNS) — The U.S. bishops’ Executive Committee Sept. 12 prayed for “the safety and care of human life” after two catastrophic hurricanes and urged Catholics around the country to offer their prayers as well as financial support and volunteer help as they can. …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Colombia’s long and arduous path toward reconciliation and a lasting peace after nearly half a century of war is a sign of hope for all Christians, Pope Francis said. Speaking to pilgrims Sept. 13 at his weekly general audience, …

By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Indian Salesian Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was abducted by Islamic State militants in Yemen and held captive for more than a year, was freed. According to Oman’s state-run news agency ONA, Father Uzhunnalil was “rescued” by Oman authorities “in coordination with the …