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“If only we all would be infected with this holy hurry to go out and walk the paths of our age with the Gospel in our hands and the Spirit in our hearts.” | Pope Francis expressed in an Oct. 15 letter to the bishop of Avila, Spain, his wish for the church to follow the lead of St. Teresa of Avila and bring the Gospel and God’s love to the world. Oct. 15 is St. Teresa’s feast day; the Avila diocese is marking the 500th anniversary of her birth. (Catholic News Service)
In the news
Log in, find peace
WASHINGTON – Amid the imposed and often fast-paced routine of everyday life, an app is giving people a reason to quiet their minds through light meditation and prayer.
PeaceQuest is an immersive 3-D app designed to take users on a spiritual journey and allow them to establish a deeper connection with God and with themselves.
Father Stephen Fichter, a research associate at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, and Kathe Carson, president of the video production company Kathe Carson Inc., created the app in December 2013. Father Fichter said their motivation came from recognizing the “constant intrusion” of technology in people’s lives. (CNS)
Saints under 30
Mysterious martyr
St. Philomena’s impact on the world was not realized until 1,500 years after her estimated death. The 1802 discovery of her remains in St. Priscilla’s catacomb in Rome kicked off a number of miraculous healings that led to Philomena’s recognition as a saint despite zero biographical information.
Philomena’s bones were discovered in a tomb that bore images indicating the person within it was a martyr named Philomena. She is said to have died around year 304 at the age of 13 or 14. In 1805 her remains were moved to Mugnano, Italy, where a shrine was established by an early devotee.
The healings that occurred at the shrine brought Philomena fame and devotion even though barely anything was known about her – in fact, some in the church community questioned the legitimacy of Philomena’s significance and her existence. But so many popes and other figures in the church have venerated Philomena that her spot in the church’s roll remains. (catholic.org, newadvent.org, www.philomena.us)
