U.S. bishops approve plan for youth, young adult ministry

By Kate Quiñones CNA Staff, Jun 19, 2024 / 11:15 am The U.S. bishops approved a new pastoral framework for youth and young adult outreach, titled “Listen, Teach, Send,” following their spring meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, last week. The framework was approved on Monday, passing with 188 in favor, four against, …
‘American Spartacus’: Honoring a Black Catholic Civil War hero on Juneteenth

By Peter Jesserer Smith National Catholic Register, Jun 19, 2024 / 04:00 am Juneteenth is a federal holiday recognizing the liberation of Black Americans and marking the conclusion of the U.S. Civil War. On June 19, 1865, enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, saw the Union Army, which included regiments of …
U.S. bishop applauds Biden’s move to allow undocumented spouses pathway to citizenship

By Gigi Duncan Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 18, 2024 / 17:30 pm The head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday praised the Biden administration’s new plan to offer a pathway to citizenship for undocumented spouses and …
Juneteenth: Life of Father Augustus Tolton, the son of slaves, reads like a novel

By Joyce Duriga CHICAGO (CNS) — The life of Father Augustus Tolton already reads like a novel, but now it is illustrated in full color in a new graphic book produced in partnership with Liturgy Training Publications in Chicago and Editions du Signe in France. Father Tolton’s story — that …
Obituary: Deacon Leonard (Len) Parker

Deacon Leonard (Len) Parker, a deacon of the Archdiocese, died on June 13, 2024 at the age of 75. Deacon Len was ordained by Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on September 29, 2001. He served the Archdiocese as a permanent deacon for twenty-two years. Upon his ordination, …
St John the Baptist, Middletown

Father Aloysius Gerdes was not expected to recover from surgery during St. John the Baptist Church’s construction, but he said he’d be back for another 20 years—and he was! Pastor for 46 years until his death in 1942, Father Gerdes presided over 488 marriages, 688 funerals and 2,080 baptisms. 1872 …
The Body and Life According to the Spirit

Note: This article is part of an ongoing series on Pope St. John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” (TOB). In his effort to show us the true meaning of “purity of heart,” Pope St. John Paul II meditated on Christ’s words in the gospels before pondering St. Paul’s teaching. …
Leading Together

by Lisa Fletcher It takes a village to raise a Family—of Parishes. The head of that village is the pastor, who, through the Beacons of Light transition, was given the responsibility of care and leadership of his parishes. As Father Martin Fox, pastor of St. John Paul II Family of …
Men’s group at Ave Maria University aims to form selfless husbands and loving fathers

By Francesca Pollio Fenton CNA Staff, Jun 16, 2024 / 06:00 am A men’s group on the campus of Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida, is equipping young men with the tools necessary to become selfless husbands and loving fathers. The St. Joseph’s Men’s Group is made up of roughly …