CNA—Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin of the Diocese of Wenzhou in the eastern region of Zhejiang, China, was arrested by Chinese security forces on Jan. 2, according to a report by AsiaNews. During his arrest, the bishop was, according to an AsiaNews source, instructed to “take clothes for spring, summer, autumn, and winter,” indicating that his detention…
Jimmy Lai, the embattled Hong Kong Catholic democracy activist, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to all charges leveled against him in his national security trial there. Lai, the Chinese-born founder of the anti-government newspaper Apple Daily, entered a not-guilty plea to the charges of conspiring to collude with a foreign power. The 76-year-old Lai was…
CNA—The SEEK24 Catholic conference, put on by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), wrapped up this week in St. Louis, having attracted some 24,000 people for talks, workshops, and worship, including a massive session of Eucharistic adoration. As impressive as it was to have a group that size gathered to adore the Eucharistic Jesus,…
CNA—Traditionally on the feast of Epiphany, Catholics bless their homes by writing the letters C, M, and B and the numbers of the year on either side — so this year it would look like “20+C+M+B+24.” The letters stand for the tradtional names of the three Magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. They also represent the…
Dearest Brothers and Sisters, May the Lord give you Peace! Tonight’s Gospel echoes the voice of a deep feeling, which I believe we all share: “there was no room for them” (Lk. 2:7). As it was for Mary and Joseph so it seems for us today that there is no room for Christmas. For too…
CNA—Christmas is a time of reconciliation. God himself chose to become a man, coming into the world to save fallen humanity and reconcile it with himself. Christmas represents a dramatic break with conventional patterns and changes paradigms. Such is also the case of Zubair Simonson, a former Muslim who converted to Catholicism and shared his…
Saint Cardinal John Henry Newman gives us a wonderful Christmas reflection on the Shepherds, who where the first to whom the Birth of Our Saviour was announced on that history-changing night. This great saint invites you and I to echo in our hearts what drew Our Lord to these shepherds in the first place—lowliness and…
THIS is the way to fundraise for a Catholic school or parish; where parish students, priests and community are engaged and involved 200%!!! You don’t think students at St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic school and church in Beloit, Kansas, aren’t gonna remember the epic 79.6-foot basketball swisher dunk made by their parish pastor Fr.…
“We live in such a safe environment that we get disconnected from nature, and people don’t appreciate how most of the world lives,” says Michael Core, a member of the Thomas Aquinas College (TAC) President’s Council from Thousand Oaks, California. “I wanted to give an experience to a TAC graduate that would take them way…
CBN News – SOUTHERN ARMENIA – While the world focuses on Israel’s war against Hamas, an ongoing conflict threatens a tiny Christian nation at the intersection of Europe and Asia. Armenia is facing a potential genocide at the hands of its militant neighbor, Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s army is five times larger than Armenia’s. With backing from…
CNA—The funeral for Indi Gregory, the 8-month-old baby who lost her life last month after an end-of-life legal battle, was held at Nottingham Cathedral in England on Friday, Dec. 1, at 10:15 a.m. local time. More than 100 people attended the service led by Bishop Patrick McKinney of Nottingham. Ahead of the service, Indi’s white…
CNA—At a congressional hearing on Thursday, Nov. 30, members of Congress and human rights activists urged Nicaragua dictator Daniel Ortega to immediately release imprisoned Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who they said is being mistreated and possibly tortured. U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Hearing The hearing, which was held by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Global…
In his sixth pastoral letter on male spirituality, Maronite Bishop Gregory Mansour says that “fatherhood is expected of all men, whether biological, natural, or spiritual.” In the Oct. 12 letter titled “The man of God is a man for others: Some themes in men’s spirituality,” Mansour, said that there are “some worrisome trends” in the…
OMIWorld & VaticanNews—“Anna’s House” is celebrating 25 years since it was founded by Italian missionary, Fr. Vincenzo Bordo, OMI, also known as “God’s Chef”, who has served more than 30 million meals and saved hundreds of children from the streets. Anna’s House Father Vincenzo Bordo, OMI, also known by the nickname “God’s Chef”, is an…
The city of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, will be removing Christmas decorations from public areas in solidarity with Gaza as Israel continues attacks in Gaza in response to the war initiated by Hamas’ previous terrorist onslaught. Bethlehem, an ancient city located in the West Bank, declared via social media and official spokespeople that…
CNA—Beginning Aug. 4, 2022, Rolando Álvarez, the bishop of Matagalpa and the apostolic administrator of Estelí in Nicaragua, was prevented from leaving his residence by the Nicaraguan police. Two weeks later in the middle of the night, the police broke into the residence, abducted him, and took him to Managua, where he was held under…
VN—As of Saturday, hundreds of people have reportedly left the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. The hospital is the site that Israeli forces have been searching for days. Doctors insist the Israeli military ordered an evacuation, but the Israelis says it facilitated a safe route out after a request from the hospital director. Reports suggest…
Giandonato Salvia leveraged his economics degree and passion for helping others to create Tucum, a “suspended economy” app that offers services and goods of various kinds to the poorest people…his family background and his thinking INSPIRES… ________________________________________________________________ “Our real target,” Salvio says, “is the poor and it is for them that we want to become…
You wouldn’t expect to find an article about young Catholics in National Geographic, yet there it was. The story was fascinating… and “real”. In a world increasingly dependent on electronic communications—TikTok, cell phones, video clips, etc etc, etc—to the point where it’s not uncommon to see families and couples out together yet not talking, instead…
CNA—When Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, was created a cardinal by Pope Francis on Sept. 30, 2023, few would have imagined that within a week, he would find himself leading his Church amid one of the bloodiest conflicts in the region’s recent history. Vocation of a Cardinal: “Even to the shedding of…
