VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Priests must be mindful that the confessional is a place where people can find forgiveness and mercy, not threats and condemnation, Pope Francis said. God “does not want to beat us and condemn us,” but rather “he always looks for a way to enter the hearts” of those who are repentant,
ROME (CNS) — If people listen to Jesus and do as he urges them, they can be certain that he will see them through even the darkest times, Pope Francis told members of a Rome parish. “Jesus always prepares us for our trials and he never leaves us alone. Never,” the pope said Feb. 25
PITTSBURGH (CNS) — He paused for a moment, then looked out at the congregation in St. Paul Cathedral. “Hi, my name is Mike and I’m an alcoholic,” he said. “Hi Mike,” many in the audience responded. For the next few minutes Mike — known to many as Father Michael Decewicz, pastor of St. Juan Diego
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis implored artists to “make the deep beauty of God’s love visible” and to create and protect areas of beauty in the world’s teeming cities. Meeting a group of musicians, actors, poets, painters, dancers, sculptors and architects Feb. 24, Pope Francis urged them to help people “discover the beauty of
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNS) — The Catholic bishops of Alaska have released a pastoral letter affirming that all Catholic moral teachings stem from the foundational belief in the dignity and sanctity of every human life. From this starting point flows the church’s emphasis on the importance of upholding marriage as between one man and one woman,
DUBLIN (CNS) — Some of the church’s best-known prelates have been lined up to expound on church teachings on the family for the ninth World Meeting of Families. On Feb. 28, organizers of the international gathering, to be held in Dublin Aug. 21-26, unveiled the preliminary program for the Pastoral Congress, Aug. 22-24. The festival
90th Anniversary of the Arrival of the Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz in Saipan March 4, 1928 will always be a reminder to the people of Saipan of God’s tender love and mercy. After the arrival of the first five Mercedarian Sisters, the sisters wrote to Mother Margarita and told her all about this special day.
Despite the announced withdrawal of the only direct flight between Saipan and Japan, Mount Carmel School is reinforcing its historic links with Japan with a number of cultural exchange programs. Earlier this year, Japanese teacher Akemi Ishikawa met with representatives from the Japan Consulate to discuss the Japanese Exchange and Teaching program, also known as
[Today, March 4, is the 90th Anniversary of the arrival of the Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz to Saipan. Sr. Mary Ann Becmer, MMB carries her account of the history into the new millennium.] Now 90 years of grace have been ours since that March 4, 1928 morning when the first Mercedarian Missionaries arrived on Saipan.
This is the third in our Lenten series on the three pillars of Praying, Fasting and Almsgiving. On the U.S. Catholic Bishop’s website there is a page dedicated to Almsgiving with a directive to seek out the local Catholic Charities for practical ideas on how to “GIVE” during Lent, so here are some of Karidat’s
