As migrants face a closing door to the U.S., bishops accompany them
IMAGE: CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn By Rhina Guidos EL PASO, Texas (CNS) — In anticipation of the 2019 World Day for Migrants and Refugees, a group of bishops, women religious, lay ministers and others interested in the plight of migrants spent the days prior to the Sept. 29 observance listening to …
Being elected pope doesn’t wash away one’s sins, pope says
IMAGE: CNS photo/Vatican Media By Cindy Wooden ROME (CNS) — While his responsibilities are greater and his prayer list longer, Pope Francis said he’s basically the same person he was before he was elected in 2013, so he still goes to confession every two weeks. "The mere fact that I …
Question of Faith: A Catholic Funeral for a Non-Catholic?
Q: Most of my family is Catholic, but my father is not. He is in declining health and has asked if it would be possible for his funeral to take place in a Catholic church. Is this permitted? A: The Church seeks to minister to families during times of illness …
Being Pro-Life: Understanding and Combating Domestic Violence
Gloria was 4 when her father first started physically abusing her. As a young child she often hid in her closet, afraid she might die, feeling like she was a bad person. She learned not to fight back or cry or scream too much, knowing if she did, the beatings …
Meet Father Earl Fernandes, new Pastor of St. Ignatius Loyola Parish
Father Earl Fernandes has been named Pastor of St. Ignatius Loyola in Monfort Heights. He has been a member of the Staff of the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C. for the past three and a half years. Prior to that, from 2008-2016, he was the Dean of the Athenaeum of …
Application and Evaluation Precedes Seminary Acceptance
By John Stegeman Becoming a diocesan priest is a calling that must be discerned by both the individual and a diocese If a student is accepted into seminary, he will have five to nine years of formation before priestly ordination. Even before that, however, an intensive process takes place designed …
Careful engagement with popular movements needed, former official says
IMAGE: CNS photo/Junno Arocho Esteves By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When engaging with popular movements, the Catholic Church must keep its focus on their work with the poor and not be dragged into ideological debates, a former Vatican official said. While there are many grassroot organizations that …
A day of visiting the unwelcome, and a call to give them hope
IMAGE: CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn By Rhina Guidos CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (CNS) — Up until July, 30-year-old Ingrid had a successful career as a pharmacist in her native Nicaragua. She owned a home, where she raised her two boys, ages 12 and 8, and expected to always remain in the country she so …
Calumny, slander is a ‘diabolical cancer,’ pope says
IMAGE: CNS photo/Remo Casilli, Reuters By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The act of bearing false witness to destroy someone is an attack against the body of the church, Pope Francis said. Christians who engage in calumny are like those responsible for the martyrdom of St. Stephen; they …
Solutions to save, protect forests needed ‘without delay,’ says cardinal
IMAGE: CNS photo/Bruno Kelly, Reuters By UNITED NATIONS (CNS) — At a time of increasing urbanization, the "irreplaceable importance" of forests is being "taken for granted and underestimated," the Vatican’s secretary of state said Sept. 23 at a high-level meeting at the United Nations. "We all recognize how important forests …