Pope Francis called again for “an immediate cease-fire on all fronts” in the Middle East, urging leaders to “pursue the paths of diplomacy and dialogue to achieve peace.”
The March for Life Education and Defense Fund Oct. 10 unveiled the theme for its upcoming event: “Every Life: Why We March.”
Pope Francis will welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy back to the Vatican Oct. 11, four months after their last meeting, the Vatican press office announced.
Most people claim they want unity, but usually they mean they want others to unite around their own point of view, which gives rise to conflict, Pope Francis said.
After more than four decades of priesthood, 33 of the years serving in the Diocese of Dallas, Father Eduardo González is retiring from parish service, leaving behind strong bonds of fraternity and robust spiritual roots.
Just as the nation’s founders relied on God’s providence, so too must all those serving in the U.S. legal profession and government today depend on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, said the homilist during the 72nd annual Red Mass Oct. 6 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington.
Selected from different regions and international Catholic movements active around the world, 20 young people will advise the Vatican on topics related to the pastoral care of young people as well as other issues.
The rosary as we have it today developed over many centuries. As early as the 2nd or 3rd century, monks in the desert used knotted ropes as they prayed. The rosary itself became known as “The Poor Man’s Breviary.” Since most people couldn’t read or pray the 150 Psalms of the Bible as was done in monasteries, the practice of substituting an Our Father and later a Hail Mary for each of the Psalms gradually grew up. Mysteries were added later still, focal points for reflecting on the key events in the life of Jesus and Mary, from the Annunciation to the Crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.
As fighting in the Middle East intensified and spread, Pope Francis turned to Mary, begging her to “intercede for our world in danger.”
After Jesus’ Resurrection, the last chapter of John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus revealed Himself to His disciples as they were fishing. The disciples had been fishing all night and had caught nothing, but Jesus came into their midst and asked them to try once more: “Cast the net over the right side of the boat, and you will find something.” The disciples trusted Christ and put their effort behind that trust, and they filled their nets that day. It is with this same confidence that we embark again on our shared mission to promote priestly and religious vocations.