In this 2015 file photo, Washington Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl greets parishioners at St. John Baptist de la Salle Parish in Chillum, Md. (CNS photo/Jaclyn Lippelmann, Catholic Standard)

Cardinal Wuerl urges Catholics to confront, help overcome sin of racism

Posted by - November 4, 2017

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The sin of racism must be recognized, confronted and overcome, Washington Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl said in a new pastoral letter, “The Challenge of Racism Today.” “Intolerance and racism will not go away without a concerted awareness and effort on everyone’s part. Regularly we must renew the commitment to drive it out

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Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he leads the Angelus from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square Oct. 29 at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Tony Gentile, Reuters)

God created human beings to love and be loved, pope says

Posted by - November 4, 2017

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — God’s “dream” for human beings is that they would know they are loved by him, that they would love him in return and that they would love one another, Pope Francis said. “In fact, we were created to love and be loved,” the pope said Oct. 29 before reciting the Angelus

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Father Paul Felix, pastor of Annunciation Catholic Church, blesses Tonya Killian's new rosaries outside the downtown Houston parish that sits across the street from Minute Maid Park where the Houston Astros hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2017 World Series Oct. 27. Killian, a parishioner at Mary Queen Catholic Church in Friendswood, Texas, bought the last two rosaries specially made for the 2017 World Series sold that day. (CNS photo/James Ramos, Texas Catholic Herald)

Update: After Harvey, faith fuels Houston fans; team wins World Series

Posted by - November 4, 2017

HOUSTON (CNS) — Baseball bats and rosary beads were the only thing on Tonya Killian’s mind as she walked toward Minute Maid Park for Game 3 of the 2017 World Series. A longtime Houston Astros fan and parishioner at Mary Queen Catholic Church in Friendswood, Killian was on a mission to buy rosaries custom made

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Police investigate the crime scene early Nov. 1 after a man driving a rented pickup truck ran down pedestrians and cyclists on a bike path alongside the Hudson River in New York City. The incident occurred near the World Trade Center memorial, killing at least eight and seriously injuring 11 in what the Mayor Bill de Blasio called "a particularly cowardly act of terror." (CNS photo/Andrew Kelly, Reuters)

Pope condemns ‘murderous folly’ of terrorism after attacks

Posted by - November 4, 2017

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis prayed for victims of the terrorist attack in New York, as well as victims of other terror attacks, and condemned the murder of innocent men and women in the name of God. After praying the Angelus with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square Nov. 1, the pope said he was

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Sister Anna Wray, a Dominican Sister of St. Cecilia, poses for a photo on the campus of The Catholic University of America in Washington Oct. 24. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn)

Dominican sister heard vocational call at eucharistic adoration

Posted by - November 4, 2017

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Sister Anna Wray is a big fan of eucharistic adoration. There is something about the quiet time in prayer that has spoken powerfully to her over the years making her understand God a little more and also get a clearer sense of her path in life. It’s where — as a self-described

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Faith, culture fused in a day to remember deceased loved ones

Posted by - November 4, 2017

BLUFFTON, S.C. (CNS) — When Jennifer Bermejo was growing up in Aguascalientes, Mexico, her family celebrated Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, every year. Bermejo, assistant for Hispanic ministry at St. Gregory the Great Church in Bluffton, recalls it as a fusion of culture and religion, noting that her family and neighbors

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A crucifix is seen in Pontchateau, France, Aug. 24. Pope Francis said in his homily at Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae Oct. 24 that one must truly enter into the mystery of Jesus Christ's precious gift of "loving me" so much, "he gave himself" and was crucified and died for everyone's sins. (CNS photo/Stephane Mahe, Reuters)

In the end, everyone faces God with ’empty hands,’ pope says

Posted by - October 28, 2017

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — God waits for everyone, even the worst sinner who repents only with his dying breath, Pope Francis said. “Before God, we present ourselves with empty hands,” he said, meaning that all the good works people have or haven’t done throughout their lives aren’t measured to determine entry into heaven. “A word

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A crucifix is seen in Pontchateau, France, Aug. 24. Pope Francis said in his homily at Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae Oct. 24 that one must truly enter into the mystery of Jesus Christ's precious gift of "loving me" so much, "he gave himself" and was crucified and died for everyone's sins. (CNS photo/Stephane Mahe, Reuters)

Only Jesus, in his infinite mercy, would die for sinners, pope says

Posted by - October 28, 2017

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Going to Mass regularly, praying and doing good works are not enough to make a person a good Christian, Pope Francis said. One must truly enter into the mystery of Jesus Christ’s precious gift of “loving me” so much, “he gave himself” and was crucified and died for everyone’s sins, the

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Pope Francis greets a woman in a wheelchair during an audience with catechists and people with disabilities at the Vatican Oct. 21. (CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano)

Church can’t be blind, deaf to people with special needs, pope says

Posted by - October 28, 2017

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Catholic Church must be welcoming and creative in finding ways to not let people’s physical, psychological or intellectual limitations keep them from encountering God, Pope Francis said. “The church cannot be ‘mute’ or ‘tone deaf’ when it comes to the defense and promotion of people with disabilities,” he told differently

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Volunteer Kaely Martinez, 11, assists Martha Vega with relief goods Oct. 24 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Las Marias, Puerto Rico. Vega's home was destroyed by Hurricane Maria more than one month ago. (CNS photo/Bob Roller)

Puerto Rico recovery effort shows ‘a church that walks with the poor’

Posted by - October 28, 2017

LAS MARIAS, Puerto Rico (CNS) — By joining forces to create coalitions on behalf of those who are suffering in the wake of Hurricane Maria, the Catholic Church in Puerto Rico has been fulfilling Pope Francis’ expressed wish to see “a church that walks with the poor.” At the parish level, that cooperation has been

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