By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — The Vatican unveiled the Nativity scene and lit the Christmas tree with energy-saving lights in St. Peter’s Square during a late afternoon ceremony Dec. 5. The 85-foot-tall spruce tree came from the forests of the Veneto region in northeast Italy and another 20 smaller trees were […]
Call me ‘Father’: Pontiff’s priestly vocation is his favorite gift
By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — In Caravaggio’s painting of Matthew, the sinful tax collector being called by Jesus to “Follow me,” Pope Francis sees the same unexpected, grace-filled moment found in his own call to the priesthood. A 17-year-old Argentine student headed to a school picnic on Sept. 21, 1953, the […]
Pope Francis returns part of relic of Jesus’ crib to Holy Land
By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — As Advent approached, Pope Francis gave a small fragment of Jesus’ crib back to Catholics in the Holy Land. In Bethelehem, West Bank, Franciscan Father Rami Asakrieh of St. Catherine Church welcomed the relic’s return and called it “a great blessing.” “This is more blessings for […]
Archbishop Sheen’s beatification is postponed
By Catholic News Service PEORIA, Ill. — Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria said Dec. 3 Vatican officials have told him that the upcoming beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen has been postponed. A news release from the Diocese of Peoria said it was informed Dec. 2 that Vatican had decided to postpone the Dec. […]
Indonesia to deploy 160,000 for church safety at Christmas
By Catholic News Service JAKARTA, Indonesia — Nearly 160,000 security personnel will be deployed to try to make Christmas and New Year celebrations in Indonesia safe, reported ucanews.org. This is an increase from last year, when nearly 90,000 security personnel guarded about 50,000 churches across the country. An official of the National Police Traffic Corps […]
Advent matters
By Deacon Greg Kandra Catholic News Service Christmas is still weeks away, and already we’re exhausted. We’ve heard too much Mariah, endured too much tinsel, watched too many Hallmark specials, been bombarded with too many ads for champagne and candy and cars. The calendar is out of whack. Black Friday actually began on a Monday, […]
Laura Kelly Fanucci: Love, even around the family table
FAITH AT HOME Religion and politics. The two subjects you’re supposed to avoid in polite conversation. Except that the holiday season is when faith and family collide. Feasts like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s bring moments ripe for conversation with relatives — for better or for worse. What can we do when talking about our […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: Did Judas receive Communion? Can I child be refused for baptism?
QUESTION CORNER Q: At the Last Supper, Jesus told the apostles to take his body and his blood. But Christ knew that Judas was in a state of serious sin. So how could he have let him receive? (Alexandria, Louisiana) A: Scripture scholars indicate that there is room for debate as to whether Judas was […]
Greg Erlandson: Advent: Can we do it?
AMID THE FRAY How is your supply of Christmas cheer doing these days? Mine is in rather short supply. Every year around this time I grouse about the Christmas ads in September and the Christmas music in October, the carefully crafted marketing intended to prompt a Pavlovian response of debt-fueled consumerism. William Wordsworth wrote, “The […]
Teen spends final days reaching out to vulnerable, poor on city streets
By Christina Gray Catholic News Service SAN FRANCISCO — When 19-year-old Nicholas Peters of San Carlos understood that his life would not be a long one, he decided to spend the days that might be left to him ministering to the forgotten and the hopeless on the streets of San Francisco. “Nicholas’ biggest mission was […]
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