Jenny and Bill Rush and other parishioners at Sts Peter and Paul Church in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, were nearly finished praying the rosary after an early morning Mass on New Year’s Day when an isolated tornado shook the church, much to their surprise. As the storm roared, the group prayed all the louder, Jenny told Catholic…
A second diocese in Sicily, where the Mafia has had a significant presence for decades, announced a temporary ban on the naming of godparents for baptisms and confirmations. In a decree that went into effect January 1, Bishop Domenico Mogavero of Mazara del Vallo said the ban would be in effect ad experimentum (on an…
For Christians in Chin and Kayah states, there were no Christmas and New Year celebrations due to fighting. They have borne the brunt of a decades-old civil war and faced oppression and persecution at the hands of the military, reported ucanews.com. On December 29, Catholics in Kayah’s Hpruso Township held a funeral for 35 civilians…
Abandoning sacredness of the family promotes irresponsibility – Bishop McKeown When a society abandons the sacredness of the family, it promotes a “lack of responsibility and maturity”, Bishop Dónal McKeown said on the feast of the Holy Family. The bishop of Derry warned that “in a secular world, preparation for Church marriages needs to be…
QR code added to sculpture to educate people about migration A life-sized bronze sculpture of migrants and refugees crowded onto a boat has stood in St’ Peter’s Square for more than two years, but just before Christmas a small QR code was placed on the boat’s stern to give onlookers information about the work. The…
Giving his traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing on Christmas Day, Pope Francis warned against the “wall of our indifference”, which is leading to “immense” tragedies being passed over in silence. Yet only those paths can lead to the resolution of conflicts and to lasting benefits for all” Speaking from the central balcony overlooking St Peter’s…
Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been described as a “warrior” inspired by his Christian faith who fought against inhumanity and apartheid in South Africa, following his death over the weekend. Irish missionary Archbishop Liam Slattery OFM told The Irish Catholic Archbishop Tutu brought “humanity to what was an inhumane situation”. “He was one of the…
Tech billionaire and Time’s 2021 Person of the Year Elon Musk has urged people to have more children, saying that low and declining birth rates are “one of the biggest risks to civilisation”. Speaking recently at a Wall Street Journal event, Mr Musk said there “are not enough people”. “I can’t emphasise this enough, there…
edited by Brandon Scott Sacramental Confession has healing abilities that priests should especially emphasise to help bring God’s love and consolation to a world damaged by two years of the coronavirus pandemic. That is the advice for confessors from Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, who stressed the urgency of their work for humanity. “In the season of…
edited by Brandon Scott Pope Francis encouraged Catholics to celebrate Christmas with a focus on Jesus Christ’s closeness, not on the consumerist, commercial aspects of the holiday. “Let’s not live a fake Christmas, please, a commercial Christmas,” the Pope advised. “Let us allow ourselves to be wrapped up in the closeness of God, this closeness…
Chai Brady