The Catholic church on UVA’s campus, St Thomas Aquinas, opened their doors immediately after the lockdown was lifted.
Father Joseph-Anthony Kress, the chaplain there, said students in this generation prepare for these situations but living through them and then living with the grief is entirely different.
Father Kress said around 400 students attended a vigil that was held. Parish staff will continue to be available for anyone who needs to grieve.
Those who are getting food and clothing at churches like St. Michael – St. Malachy in East New York have never had to ask for a warm meal or a coat or blanket. Volunteers say they’re helping them find their faith again, and doing it with as much dignity as possible.
The Diocese of Brooklyn is preparing to deck the halls. More than 3 dozen churches across Brooklyn and Queens are now ready to kick off the Christmas season, thanks to Mainmonides Medical Center in Borough Park.
Every year Maimonides donates money to help spread Christmas cheer, giving parishes the opportunity to purchase Christmas decorations – like lights and trees- as part of their “Celebration of Light.”
The initiative started back in 1995 and has been burning bright ever since.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CNS) — The Catholic bishop of Richmond decried the Nov. 13 fatal shooting of three football players at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, urging everyone to pray for the victims, their families and the entire university community.
Once again, the country is mourning “the loss of human lives due to an act of violence,” Bishop Barry C. Knestout said in a Nov. 14 statement.
The university is in the territory covered by the Richmond Diocese.
“Like you, I grieve for the loss of life and my heart breaks for the suffering caused by this troubling act,” he said.
Police said three of the university’s football players, identified as Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry, were fatally shot late in the evening on a bus described as being “full of students” that had just returned from a student trip to Washington.
CBS reported that the bus was near a campus parking lot when the shooting occurred and that at about 10:30 p.m. (EST), police responded to a call about shots being fired. Besides the three students who were killed, two others were wounded and received treatment.
A suspect whom police identified as Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a fellow student, was later taken into custody.
“While we await more details from school and law enforcement officials, let us reflect on how violence permeates the culture in which we live, and our efforts to promote peace within our society,” Bishop Knestout said. “May our Blessed Mother, Queen of Peace, intercede for us.”
Archbishop Timothy Broglio from the Archdiocese for the Military Services takes over as president of the USCCB at the end of this week.
We’re visiting the parish of St Michael – St Malachy in Brooklyn where parishioners gather every Tuesday and Thursday to feed migrants and host a clothing drive for them.
Faith, friends, and fun: three reasons families race to Jackson Heights every year for summer camp.
And there’s one woman to thank for that.
A religion teacher at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Academy doesn’t stop working when school lets out in June.
She continues to put her faith into action by organizing the church’s day camp. This is her story in our new Currents News series, Pulse of the Parish.
This is the official song of the film, “El cielo no puede esperar,” which means “Heaven can’t wait.” It is a film directed by José María Zavala about the life of Blessed Carlo Acutis.
The young composer and singer, Luis Mas, wrote the song. The music video was filmed in the studio and parish of the Diocese of Getafe, Spain. It features both content from the film and real images from Acutis’ childhood. For Mas, the project meant bringing together his professional career and personal life.
“From the start, I liked the idea of the song and thought that it was something the audience could take home with them. They don’t just see the movie and then it’s over. They also have the song at the end. I’ve listened to it many times now, and there are moments where it really becomes personal,” said Mas.
The uplifting song brings music to the biographical film about Acutis, the young Italian boy who died at the age of 15, only three days after being diagnosed with leukemia. Since then, his peaceful way of facing death has become an example to many around the world.
“We worked to make this song very sincere, honest and simple. In the end, those are the values that Carlo Acutis showed throughout his life,” he said.
Known as “the influencer of the Eucharist,” Carlo Acutis used social media to do good. He dedicated himself to spreading the Gospel on digital platforms, hoping to reach a younger audience. Many have already begun to consider him “the patron saint of the internet.”
“I think he’s a person who knew how to value the good things in life. Many times we choose to focus on the bad and end up complaining all day long. But if you emphasize the good, in the end you say, ‘he’s doing the same thing as the other guy, but he is living it to the fullest,’” he added.
The film is now in its final stages of editing and is expected to be released in 2023.
Monsignor Sean G. Ogle’s Homily from Tuesday’s Mass on 11/15/22
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is gathering this week for the fall assembly in Baltimore.
The alleged St Patrick’s Cathedral vandal is back on the streets.
New York City is dumping millions of dollars into keeping the streets clean.
We’ll introduce you to the woman behind the day camp at our lady of Fatima Church in Jackson Heights.
The bishops are back and their agenda is stacked.
Everything from abortion to the war in Ukraine will be discussed this week. But who will guide the bishops in these matters moving forward? It’s an election year for them too. The conference will choose a new president and second in command, plus they’ll vote for the new leaders of six committees.
With midterm madness still all around the United States, the bishops are set to discuss how to help Catholics vote with their conscience. Do they need to make some revisions to their faithful citizenship document? That’s a big question this year.
Another big question, how should the church respond to the overturning of Roe v. Wade? The bishops will brainstorm ways they can further help mothers, babies and families.
The bishops will also hear the cases for three American women and possible new saints. They’ll decide if their causes for sainthood should continue.
Lastly, 2022 is the 20th anniversary of the USCCB’s adoption of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The bishops will spend a lot of time praying and reflecting on the American Church’s response to clergy sex abuse.