Spiritual director offers best New Year resolution ever
By Marilyn Kerber, SNDdeN The recent archdiocesan Jubilee celebration gave me pause. Looming large for me was the seeming low attendance, to my way of thinking, as well as those who did not RSVP, even after a telephone call. And then there were the four who did not show. These …
Pope expresses condolences for death of former President Bush
IMAGE: CNS photo/Yuri Gripas, Reuters By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis expressed his condolences for the death of the 41st president of the United States, George H.W. Bush. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, sent a telegram to the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic …
Father Angelo Caserta turns 100 today
Father Angelo Caserta celebrates his 100th birthday today. Father Angelo was born in Piqua Ohio and attended Saint Boniface school. He was ordained on February 24, 1945. Here’s a reprint of Walt Schaefer’s Article from April 2015: Father Angelo Caserta, at 96 the oldest active priest in the Archdiocese of …
Women religious open Christmas season with German Catholic tradition
IMAGE: CNS photo/Katie Rutter By Katie Rutter FERDINAND, Ind. (CNS) — The sights and sounds of Christmas brightened the massive dome of the Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand as six Sisters of St. Benedict rang out "Silent Night" on hand bells. The gentle chimes of the season soothed the hundreds …
Cardinal tells COP24 climate needs present ‘challenge of civilization’
IMAGE: CNS photo/Kacper Pempel, Reuters By Jonathan Luxmoore The Vatican challenged countries gathered for the 24th U.N. Climate Change Conference to focus on the needs of the present and the future as it worked to take swift action. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, addressed the conference, COP24, in …
At Advent, make peace, not war, pope says at morning Mass
IMAGE: CNS photo/Vatican Media By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Advent season is a time of preparation for the coming of the prince of peace and not a time of making war with those around you, Pope Francis said. As Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of …
Ethicist: Gene-editing human embryos ‘a train wreck of a thing to do’
IMAGE: CNS photo/Reuters By Mark Pattison WASHINGTON (CNS) — The revelation in late November that a Chinese researcher had edited genes in human embryos and then implanted them in a woman was "a train wreck of a thing to do," said an ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in …
Pope leads prayers for peace in ‘tormented’ Syria
IMAGE: CNS photo/Giuseppe Lami, EPA By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Leading thousands of pilgrims in prayer, Pope Francis lit a candle in remembrance of the people of Syria, especially innocent children tormented by the country’s eight-year conflict. "May this flame of hope and many flames of hope …
Advent is time of vigilance and prayer, pope says
IMAGE: CNS photo/Giuseppe Lami, EPA By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Christians can turn Christmas into a "pagan" or "mundane" holiday by focusing on the gifts and the tree rather than on the birth of Jesus and his promise to come again, Pope Francis said. Celebrating the beginning of …
Nation mourns death of 41st president, recalls his life of public service
IMAGE: CNS photo/Rick Wilking, Reuters By Julie Asher WASHINGTON (CNS) — When he was running for re-election in 1992, President George H.W. Bush told Catholic News Service that he believed that a strong religious faith could provide "an extra shot of strength when you need it." "I don’t believe you …