Pope to migrants: Do not be robbed of hope, joy of living
By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Welcoming thousands of migrants and refugees to the Vatican for their own Year of Mercy celebration, Pope Francis urged them to resist everything that would rob them of hope and joy. “Each of you is the bearer of a history, culture and …
Year of Consecrated Life concert packs cathedral
A full house at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains Jan. 17 enjoyed a concert performance by more than 120 singers and musicians from 17 religious orders in concert to celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life declared by Pope Francis at the end of 2014. The observance will come to an …
St. Rita School for Deaf ends festival after 99 years
In a press release to local media Friday afternoon, St. Rita School for the Deaf announced that it will be ending it’s annual St. Rita Fest. The festival, which first took place in 1916, raised funds for the school. According to a history on the school website, St. Rita Fest …
Hamilton faith community strives to preserve stained glass windows
It was 1911 when 10 German-made stained glass windows were installed in what was then St. Stephen Church in Hamilton. The church building, constructed in 1853 to replace an original 1834 church, today is home to St. Julie Billiart Parish — a 1989 merger of three Hamilton parishes: St. Stephen, …
Dialogue, remembrance, peace highlighted as pope visits synagogue
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden ROME (CNS) — While the Catholic Church affirms that salvation comes through Jesus, it also recognizes that God is faithful and has not revoked his covenant with the Jewish people, Pope Francis said. Interrupted repeatedly with applause at Rome’s main synagogue Jan. 17, the …
Anglican leaders sanction Episcopalians over same-sex marriage
IMAGE: CNS photo/Toby Melville, Reuters By Simon Caldwell MANCHESTER, England (CNS) — Because of the U.S. Episcopal Church’s moves to unilaterally change canon law to allow same-sex marriage, Anglican leaders voted to suspend Episcopalians from positions representing the Anglican Communion and from participating in some Anglican bodies. Primates meeting in …
Vatican is not a ‘den of thieves,’ says top Vatican official
By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican is not “a den of thieves,” and such insinuations are an injustice to employees who are proud to serve the pope and the church, said Archbishop Angelo Becciu, a top official in the Vatican Secretariat of State. Necessary economic and administrative …
Three local priests selected ‘Missionaries of Mercy’ for Pope Francis
Pope Francis will commission 800 priests worldwide to be Missionaries of Mercy during this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, including three priests from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Two of the three are from the Athenaeum, home of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s seminary. Father Anthony Brausch, who serves as Vice Rector and Director of …
No one ‘deserves’ faith; it is a gift, pope says
By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — No one deserves faith and no one can buy it; faith is a gift that changes one’s life and allows people to recognize Jesus as the son of God with the power to forgive sins, Pope Francis said at his morning Mass. …
Politics of mercy: Pope knows ‘welcoming the stranger’ is controversial
IMAGE: CNS/EPA By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Italian comedian talking about a new Pope Francis book was not joking when he said being a minister of God’s mercy can have social and political implications. The corporal works of mercy of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked …