His Excellency Ryan P. Jimenez, DD will begin visitation of all parishes of the diocese this weekend by conducting listening sessions with every group of each parish. “I would like to meet as many groups as possible and I wanted to listen as much as possible,” says Bishop Ryan. He will spend the whole weekend
The product of this phase of the pastoral planning process is a series of objectives which address the identified problems. Further, the objectives must be consistent with the doctrine of the Catholic Church and cultural values of the community. The most elegant plan ever developed is a waste of time, money, and effort if it
By Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Parents are charged with guarding the faith given to their children at baptism and helping them become true witnesses by example rather than just rules, Pope Francis said. By asking the church for faith for their children through the sacrament of baptism, Christian parents
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Watch out for the tempting promises and easy rewards of false gods and idols because they always lead to confusion, disappointment and even death, Pope Francis said. “We are tempted to seek even fleeting comfort, which seems to fill the emptiness of solitude and ease
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Jesus astonished people with the way he taught and interacted with others because he wasn’t aloof, domineering or hypocritical, Pope Francis said in a homily. “Jesus wasn’t allergic to people. Touching lepers, the sick did not disgust him,” whereas the Pharisees — who strolled around
By Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Magi had the courage to set out on a journey in the hope of finding something new, unlike Herod who was full of himself and unwilling to change his ways, Pope Francis said. The Wise Men who set out from the East in
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While God is the one calling people to a vocation, clergy and religious have to cooperate by being inspirational role models, keeping their doors open and giving restless young people constructive things to do, Pope Francis said. Praying for vocations and holding meetings to discuss
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — At the start of a new year, Pope Francis laid out a laundry list of suggested resolutions for religious and political leaders for making a joint commitment toward building peace. No conflict exists that is “a habit impossible to break,” the pope said, but he
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Mother’s Day came early this year at the Vatican. A number of feast days over the Advent and Christmas seasons gave Pope Francis a fresh opportunity to pay homage to the world’s mothers and insist further on how and why he wants the entire church
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Looking out over St. Peter’s Square where icicles hung from usually bubbling fountains, Pope Francis prayed for the homeless. The freeze in Rome, subzero temperatures in large parts of Europe and heavy snowfalls in many areas in early January forced the closure of roads and
