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Showing posts with label Catholic News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Catholic News. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 01, 2016

The Holy Father's Prayer Intentions For November 2016



The Holy Father’s universal prayer intention for November 2016 is: “That the countries which take in a great number of displaced persons and refugees may find support for their efforts which show solidarity”.


His intention for evangelisation is: “That within parishes, priests and lay people may collaborate in service to the community without giving in to the temptation of discouragement”. 

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Top Posts For This Week



The top posts for this week are listed below by blog name and post title. Click on the post title if you would like to read them.

Faith of the Fathers:

Saint Quote of the Day:

Daily Catholic Mass Readings:

Faith of the Fathers Report

The Pope And Church News

Church Under Attack

Saints of the Faith

Approved Apparitions

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Thursday, October 16, 2014

Reports of the Small Groups (Synod)



NOTE: In the piece below from the Vatican Information Service, please be aware that the reports from the Small Groups of the Synod, are all on one page, each in it's respective language. Therefore, if you only speak English (like me), and you want to read the other reports it would be necessary to use a translation service such as google translate to read what each language group (French, English, Spanish, and Italian) does contain.


Reports of the Small Groups

Vatican City, 16 October 2014 (VIS) – The texts of the reports by the twelve Small Groups (Gallicus A and B, French; Anglicus A, B and C, English; Italicus A, B and C, Italian; Hibericus A and B, Spanish) of the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, presented this morning during the twelfth General Congregation, may be consulted on the Holy See Press Office Bulletin web page, at:





You can find more information at: www.visnews.org
The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.
Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City


LisaGraas.com | Synod 2014: Can Sin Be Holy?

Vatican


The following excerpts are from my good friend and fellow Catholic blogger, Lisa Graas at LisaGraas.com:

At Renew America, Father James Farfaglia says that he now thinks it is a “plausible possibility” that Pope Benedict XVI was forced out by the gay lobby. I have long accepted it as a plausible possibility, but we just don’t know that for sure. Father also says “We are back to the days of the Arian heresy.” After all, we have bishops at the Vatican claiming that sin, even grave sin, can be a means of holiness.

Yesterday, I was heartened by Cardinal Napier’s remarks at the Vatican press conference. Today, I am disheartened by Archbishop Kurtz’s remarks at today’s press conference. Michael Voris refers to them as “non-answers.”

Cardinal Kasper leads the news at Catholic Herald, as I write, with his claim that a “growing majority” of Synod fathers support Communion for those divorced and remarried. My heart breaks at the suggestion. How can one blog a broken heart? How can one blog tears? One cannot. You must trust that I have both.

Sin is not a means of holiness. It is a separation from God.

Some people are arguing that no one should be denied at least the opportunity for Communion, as if some people are being denied the opportunity. The problem is that some people believe that sex is more important than salvation. Some people are not willing to abstain from sex in order to be saved by our Lord. As a celibate, divorced Catholic, I think they’re crazy to choose sex over Jesus. What is crazier, however, is that there are bishops who are siding with them.

I can only wonder if those bishops are not celibate. Why else but a failure in their own celibacy would they fail to understand that celibacy is not only possible but is spiritually transformative? If you have tasted and seen the goodness of the Lord, why would you deter people from presenting themselves in their wedding garment at His banquet?


Read more by clicking below:
LisaGraas.com | Synod 2014: Can Sin Be Holy?

Monday, September 22, 2014

Special Commission To Study Marriage Annulment Reform



Vatican City, 22 September 2014 (VIS) – The Holy See Press Office today issued the following communique:

On 27 August 2014, the Holy Father decided to institute a special Commission to study the reform of the canonical marriage annulment process.

The Commission will be chaired by Msgr. Pio Vito Pinto, dean of the tribunal of the Roman Rota, and will be composed of the following members: Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts; Msgr. Luis Francisco Ladario, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Bishop Dimitri Salachas, Apostolic Exarch of the Greek Byzantine Catholic Church; Msgrs. Maurice Monier, Leo Xavier Michael Arokiaraj and Alejandro W. Bunge, prelate auditors of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota; the Rev. Fr. Nikolaus Schoch, O.F.M., substitute promotor of Justice of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura; Fr. Konstanc Miroslav Adam, O.P., rector of the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum); Fr. Jorge Horta Espinoza, O.F.M., Dean of the Faculty of Canon Law of the Pontifical University Antonianum; and Prof. Paolo Moneta, formerly professor of Canon Law at the University of Pisa.

The work of the Special Commission will begin as soon as possible and will focus on the preparation of a proposal for the reform of the marriage annulment process, seeking to simplify and streamline the procedure, while safeguarding the principle of the indissoluble nature of marriage”.


You can find more information at: www.visnews.org
The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.
Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City



Wednesday, July 30, 2014

LGBT foundation aims to counter Vatican family synod :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)



The following excerpts are from Catholic News Agency (CNA):

An LGBT activist foundation headed by a former Obama White House staffer gave a $200,000 grant to a dissenting Catholic coalition to target the upcoming Synod on the Family and World Youth Day.

The Michigan-based Arcus Foundation gave the 2014 grant to Dignity USA “to support pro-LGBT faith advocates to influence and counter the narrative of the Catholic Church and its ultra-conservative affiliates.”

The effort will build advocacy and visibility in connection with two special events, the Synod of the Family and World Youth Day,” the foundation said on its website.

An extraordinary bishops' synod will meet in Rome this Oct. 5-19 to address pastoral challenges related to the family. The synod has been the subject of significant media coverage and speculation.

On June 26, synod organizers released the synod's preparatory document, a broad-ranging document which among other topics summarized Catholic teaching on homosexuality. It discussed the bishops' desire to consider the pastoral response to homosexuality, to Catholics in homosexual relationships, and to any children raised under those unions.

That same day, Dignity USA president Marianne Duddy-Burke attacked the document, claiming it showed “a rigid adherence to existing teaching.” The organization's statement charged that the document “shows no openness to change in hurtful teachings.”

Dignity USA has also been active in protests against Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco's participation in the March for Marriage, a movement intended to support marriage as a union of one man and one woman.

The Arcus Foundation's March 2014 grant announcement said the Dignity USA funding was for the Equally Blessed Coalition, which includes Dignity USA, Call To Action, Fortunate Families, and New Ways Ministry.

All of the groups have a history of promoting the rejection of Catholic teaching. In 2010 and 2011 New Ways Ministry, which has also received Arcus Foundation funding, drew a response from leading U.S. bishops who said the organization does not adhere to Catholic teaching.


Read more by clicking below:
LGBT foundation aims to counter Vatican family synod :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)



Wednesday, July 09, 2014

Iraqi Christians Flee Violence, Fear End of Long History



The following excerpts are from AINA.org:

The violence in Iraq is hastening the end of nearly 2,000 years of Christianity there as the few remaining faithful flee Islamic State militants, archbishops from Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk said on Wednesday.

War and sectarian conflict have shrunk Iraq's Christian population to about 400,000 from 1.5 million before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, and now even those who stayed are leaving for Turkey, Lebanon and western Europe, the prelates said on a visit to Brussels seeking European Union help to protect their flocks.

The three - Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako, Syrian Catholic Archbishop of Mosul Yohanna Petros Mouche and Kirkuk's Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Youssif Mirkis - are all Eastern Catholics whose churches have their own traditional liturgy but are loyal to the pope in Rome.

"The next days will be very bad. If the situation does not change, Christians will be left with just a symbolic presence in Iraq," said Sako, who is based in Baghdad. "If they leave, their history is finished."

Read more by clicking below:
Iraqi Christians Flee Violence, Fear End of Long History



Friday, May 30, 2014

Novena to the Holy Spirit - Pentecost Novena PRAYERS


The website "Pray More Novenas" is being joined by thousands of Catholics from around the world in praying the Novena To The Holy Spirit for Pentecost.

We are also joining them, and invite you to join us as well, You may click the link below to be taken to "Pray More Novenas", where you will find the prayers for the novena, as well as a place at the bottom of their page to add your own prayer intentions.

Novena to the Holy Spirit - Pentecost Novena PRAYERS



Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Notre Dame won't recognize 'traditional marriage' student club | Fox News


The following excerpts are from FoxNews.com:
  • A student group at the University of Notre Dame advocating traditional marriage has been denied official recognition as a campus club at the iconic Catholic institution, although members vow to appeal the decision.
  • The group, Students for Child-Oriented Policy (SCOP), was rejected in an April 30 letter from the university’s Student Activities Office to Tiernan Kane, the club’s proposed president. The decision was based on a recommendation by the university’s Club Coordination Council, a division of student government, that found the club’s mission “closely mirrored” that of other undergraduate student clubs at the 12,000-student university.
  • “In evaluating a proposal, approval is based on several things,” read the letter to Kane. “We consider the general purpose of a club, uniqueness to campus, proposed activities, a clear constitution, a strong understanding of budget planning, projected membership, opportunity for membership, among other things.”
  • Due to the perceived duplicative mission of the group, SCOP’s proposal was rejected, according to the letter, which did not reference other university-recognized groups.
  • “As such, the Club Coordination Council felt there was not a need for another similar-type club,” the letter continued. “You are encouraged to contact the Club Coordination Council’s Social Service Division to learn about collaborating with the existing clubs working toward your mutual goals.”
  • SCOP, which was founded in January, is comprised of Notre Dame undergraduate and graduate students focused on the debate about marriage in Indiana, where the school is based, according to its Facebook profile, which had 69 members as of Tuesday.
  • The group seeks to unite a network of students across The Hoosier State in favor of “child-oriented policies,” according to its organizers.
  • “We reject the view that the young have agreed to redefine marriage,” the group’s Facebook page continues. “Rather, we think that they have not explored the meaning and importance of marriage.”
  • Messages seeking comment from Kane and other SCOP students were not returned early Tuesday.
  • Kane told The Cardinal Newman Society he believes Notre Dame should take the lead on marriage, much like it did in publicly voicing its support for the Dream Act and other controversial topics.

Read more by clicking below:



Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Time To End Communion In The Hand



For many years now, there has been a point of contention among Catholics as to whether Holy Communion should be received on the tongue, or in the hand.

There have been many disagreements, with some insisting communion should only be received on the tongue. They feel it is both irreverent and disrespectful to Our Lord for our hands to touch His body.

Others have said that this is nonsense and that these people are just hold overs from the "old days". They say that as long as we make a "throne" with our hands to receive the Body of the Lord, we are showing proper respect.

Then the "tongue only" folks point out that it would be too easy for someone to sneak off with the host for it to be used in some profane ritual.

I have to say, that I totally and completely agree with those who say that communion should only be received on the tongue. I think that the reception of Holy Communion in the hand should not just be discouraged, but banned outright in all Catholic Dioceses.

No, I am not calling anyone heretics...Vatican II modernists...or anything else.

After seeing how upset we all became with a Harvard University Club sponsoring a Satanic Black Mass, and the planned use of a host in that sacrilegious act , it became apparent to me, that only allowing reception on the tongue is the only way that should be allowed for any Catholic to receive the Body of Our Lord.

[Granted, in the case of the Harvard University Club, there were several conflicting statements as to whether or not the Satanists were actually in possession of a consecrated host. First they said they had a consecrated host....then they had a host, but it was not consecrated...then they didn't have a host at all, but planned to use bread. I think it best to assume that they did in fact have a consecrated host, and even knowing it was consecrated, they (the Satanists) would proclaim it as not being consecrated anyway, since they deny that transubstantiation takes place, and therefore deny the Body of Christ.]

If a priest, or EMHC (Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion) places a consecrated host in the hand of any communicant, it is far too easy for that communicant to pretend to have consumed the host, and then transport it elsewhere for their own nefarious purposes. We have all read about or heard of priests stopping communicants from leaving a parish with a host that had been placed in a pocket or purse instead of being consummed.

In any case, the fact remains that it would be much more difficult for anyone to remove a host from their mouth, when that host had been placed on the tongue by the priest or EMHC. It seems to me, that the action of the communicants owns saliva upon the host, would render it unsuitable for transporting, even if that was what the recipient had in mind.

Let me say here, by my own decision, beginning with my own first communion, I have always received on the tongue and not in the hand. No one told me to receive that way. No one forced me to receive that way. It was my decision, and mine only. I felt, and still do feel, it is the only proper way to receive the Body of Our Lord.

I do hope, that after this blatant disregard for the Catholic faith by some students at Harvard University, that bishops in the United States, and around the world, will put an end to receiving Holy Communion in the hand.

© Gary Stephen Smith and Faith of the Fathers, 2014.

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Gary Stephen Smith and Faith of the Fathers with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.



Monday, May 05, 2014

Vatican's doctrinal official gives blunt warning to LCWR : News Headlines - Catholic Culture



The following excerpts are from Catholic World News:

  • At a meeting with representatives of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), the prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith rebuked the group for giving a top award to a dissident theologian, and pointedly reminded the American women religious that the LCWR is “a canonical entity dependent on the Holy See,” and must comply with Vatican-mandated plans for reform.
  • Cardinal Gerhard Müller said that the decision by the LCWR to confer its Outstanding Leadership Award on Sister Elizabeth Johnson, whose writings have drawn a caution from the US bishops’ committee on doctrine, can be “seen as a rather open provocation” in light of the Vatican’s call for reform of the American group.
  • Under the terms of the reform ordered by the Vatican in 2012, Cardinal Müller reminded the LCWR, the speakers at LCWR meetings should be cleared by the Vatican’s delegate supervising the reform process, Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle. But Archbishop Sartain was informed about the award for Sister Johnson “only after the decision had been made,” the cardinal observed, in an apparent violation of the Vatican’s directives.

Read more by clicking below:
Vatican's doctrinal official gives blunt warning to LCWR : News Headlines - Catholic Culture

Video shows Islamic extremist threatening to sell abducted Nigerian schoolgirls | Fox News

The following excerpts are from Fox News:

  • An Islamic extremist leader has threatened to sell the 276 teenage girls his terror group abducted from a school in northeast Nigeria three weeks ago.
  • In a videotape screened by the Associated Press Monday, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau claimed responsibility for the April 15 kidnappings for the first time. He also threatened to attack more schools and take additional girls.
  • "I abducted your girls," said the leader of Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sinful."
  • He described the girls as "slaves" and said "By Allah, I will sell them in the marketplace." The hour-long video starts with fighters lofting automatic rifles and shooting in the air as they chant "Allahu akbar!" or "God is great."

Read more by clicking below:
Video shows Islamic extremist threatening to sell abducted Nigerian schoolgirls | Fox News

Thursday, May 01, 2014

Maltese bishop opposes 'melting' bodies as alternative to creation : News Headlines - Catholic Culture

The following excerpts are from Catholic World News:

  • In Malta, Bishop Charles Scicluna has voiced his opposition to a proposal to “melt” human corpses, as an alternative to burial or cremation.
  • “I don’t think that this is in line with the Church’s views on respecting the body,” said Bishop Scicluna, an auxiliary of the Malta diocese. He said that he would consult with others, noting that his opinion was not a formal ruling of the Church.
  • The proposal under discussion would use a chemical process to remove tissue from human bones....

Read more by clicking below:
Maltese bishop opposes 'melting' bodies as alternative to creation : News Headlines - Catholic Culture



Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Pope Francis' Prayer Intentions For May 2014



Vatican City, 30 April 2014 (VIS) – Pope Francis' universal prayer intention for May is: “That the media may be instruments in the service of truth and peace”.

His intention for evangelisation is: “That Mary, Star of Evangelisation, may guide the Church in proclaiming Christ to all nations”.


You can find more information at: www.visnews.org
The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.

Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City



Wednesday, February 26, 2014

From The Dignitatis Humanae Institute: Nigeria's Islamic militants: a cancer that risks metastasising (and the world turns away)

Note:The following is a press release from The Dignitatis Humanae Institute



Rome, 26 February 2014

As the Christian community of Nigeria suffers two large-scale terror attacks in the course of a week, Luca Volontè, Chairman of the Dignitatis Humanae Institute, spoke of his outrage at the disregard displayed by Western governments:

"For four years, Boko Haram has conducted a campaign of mass slaughter and wanton destruction. Like a cancer, their reach and influence has been allowed to spread unchecked, the number of innocents dead now ranges in the thousands, the extent of property and communities destroyed incalculable. While European officials rush to Kiev to take undeserved credit for the hard-won liberty of Ukraine's people, they seemingly ignore the suffering of those in Nigeria.

As has repeatedly been made clear by Nigerian officials, the domestic security and military services lack the expertise to conduct an effective counter-insurgency campaign. As it was in Mali, it is our duty to give our full support to the besieged communities and make available any means that they so require."

Last week saw Boko Haram (which means "Western education is a sin") conduct two attacks on predominantly Christian towns - Bama and Igze - the latter of which had only been attacked three weeks previously. With the use of sophisticated military hardware, the Islamist attackers destroyed public buildings, burned Churches and killed over one hundred people in each attack. The savagery and scale of the raids further demonstrates the inability of Nigeria's security forces to prevent the murderous campaign of Boko Haram, despite a State of Emergency already being in place.

In a statement unlikely to give much solace to the besieged population of Nigeria, US Ambassador James Entwistle pointed the finger to underlying social causes for the rise of Islamist terrorism, including the 'lack of employment opportunity' and 'the education system.' Luca Volontè retorted:

"Given their expressed desire to enforce an Islamic state upon all, ruled by Sharia Law in its entirety; I doubt that tinkering with the nations' employment opportunities or the education system is likely to convince Boko Haram to give up its weapons. Rather than blaming a suffering society for the intent of their attackers, it is imperative that all unequivocally reject the agenda of Boko Haram. As we have seen in Sri Lanka, with the right conviction and the necessary means, terror groups can be suppressed and the rule of law restored."


The Dignitatis Humanae Instituteaims to uphold human dignity based on the anthropological truth that man is born in the image and likeness of God and therefore has an innate human dignity of infinite worth to be upheld. The Institute promotes this understanding by supporting Christians in public life, assisting them to present effective and coherent responses to increasing efforts to silence the Christian voice in the public square.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Pope Francis' Apostolic Letter


Read the full text of Pope Francis' Apostolic Letter issued Motu proprio, “Fidelis et dispensator Prudens” here http://bit.ly/1cgxMov


Friday, February 21, 2014

Better Late Than Never....I Suppose


Yesterday was not a productive day for me, blog wise.

The state is installing guard rails along the highway near where I live, and the local phone company had marked for them where the phone lines are buried.

Apparently they either didn't pay any attention or didn't care. They cut the phone lines, and there was no telephone nor internet service for the several thousand residents of my area.


I hate that this happened, but it was out of my control. I especially like to always post the Mass Readings the night before if possible.

So please excuse the delay.

Oh, and I am still in need of your prayers for my personal situation.

Thank you, and God Bless you all!

Monday, February 10, 2014

New poll underlines divisions among Catholics : News Headlines - Catholic Culture

The following excerpts are from CWN:
  • A new survey of Catholics, conducted by the Spanish-language Univision network, has shown sharp differences among self-identified Catholics, and widespread dissent from Church teachings.
  • The poll showed that Catholics in developing countries were more likely than their European and American counterparts to accept Church teachings on controversial issues such as homosexuality and contraception. The poll found, for example, that 99% of African respondents oppose same-sex marriage, while in the US only 40% do. Only 30% of the Catholics in Europe accept the Church teaching that women cannot be ordained to the priesthood, while in Africa 80% accept it.

Read more by clicking below:

Monday, January 27, 2014

Teresa's March - Aleteia

The following is an article from the diary of  Teresa Graas, a 15 year old home schooled student from Kentucky, who attended the March For Life in Washington, D.C. Teresa is the daughter of my good friend and fellow Catholic blogger Lisa Graas. I am not including any excerpts, just the link that is below the photo:

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Former sedevacantist nuns form new religious community in California : News Headlines - Catholic Culture


The following excerpts are from Catholic World News Headlines:

  • A new women’s religious community, the Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa, has taken root in northern California with the approval of Bishop Robert Vasa.
  • The community, led by a formerly sedevacantist nun, emphasizes fidelity to the papacy, Eucharistic adoration, Marian devotion, and liturgical worship in both the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Roman liturgy. The sisters’ apostolate includes Catholic education and catechesis.

Read more by clicking below:
Former sedevacantist nuns form new religious community in California : News Headlines - Catholic Culture