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Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle in his Lenten message, humbly asked the faithful to once again participate in the Fast2Feed program of Hapag-Asa aimed to feed hungry and malnourished children in the country’s poor urban and rural communities.In his Pastoral Letter released on Ash Wednesday, Cardinal Tagle said that we are reminded to “return to the Lord, Our God” (cf. first reading, Jl 2:13), and to “be reconciled to God” (cf. second reading, 2 Cor 5:29).Cardinal Tagle also said that we are called by the Lord to respond to His call to pray, fast and perform acts of charity. “When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you…When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites…When you fast, do not look gloomy” (cf. Mt. 6, 1-6, 16-18).According to Cardinal Tagle, “It only takes Php 1,200.00 for six months-or Php 10.00 per day to bring back...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has joined his voice to those taking part in Brazil’s “Fraternity Campaign,” an annual Lenten Campaign organized by the Brazilian National Conference of Bishops.This year’s campaign focusses on the theme "Brazilian biomes and the defense of life" with the motto from Genesis: “Cultivate and keep creation.”Brazil has one of the most significant bio diversities in the world, and its territory is divided into 6 natural biomes, each with its own set of fauna, flora and soil, with specific social and cultural manifestations of its population. The 2017 Fraternity Campaign is dedicated to the appreciation and protection of these biomes. In his message addressed to his “dear brothers and sisters in Brazil”, Pope Francis speaks of the generosity of the Creator towards Brazil in giving it “a diversity of ecosystems of extraordinary beauty.”Unfortunately, the Pope said, the Brazilian land a...
(Vatican Radio) Bishops in Honduras have condemned corruption ahead of the country’s presidential election.A message to Catholics by the Honduran Bishops Conference has called for the November 26 poll to be conducted freely without deceit, threats or bribes.It acknowledges the election is taking place in a climate of “growing violence, corruption and impunity, a lack of trust of the population against certain institutions.”Catholic voters are advised to reflect carefully on the campaign “so the decision that will be taken in the elections is guided by the principles that are fundamental to the entire democratic society.”The statement also addresses election candidates, asking them to pursue the common good, be transparent and formulate concrete promises during the upcoming campaign.Controversy has surrounded current president Juan Orlando Hernández’s attempt to be re-elected after a legal change in the country’s Constitution allowin...
(Vatican Radio) The Vatican announced on Wednesday that a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Irish abuse survivor Marie Collins, has resigned from her position.She had been a member of the Commission since it was established by Pope Francis in 2014. In her resignation letter to the Pope, she cited frustration at the lack of cooperation with the Commission by other offices of the Roman Curia.In a statement, the president of the Commission, Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, said Marie’s concerns would be listened to carefully and discussed at next month’s plenary meeting. He said she will continue to work with the Commission on training programmes for new bishops and for other offices of the Holy See.To find out more, Philippa Hitchen spoke to Marie Collins about her decision and about her hopes for the future work of the CommissionListen: Marie says there have been struggles in the past but the Commission worked to overcome the...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass for Ash Wednesday at the Basilica of Santa Sabina on the Aventine hill in Rome.In his homily, the Holy Father said Lent is a path that "leads to the triumph of mercy over all that would crush us or reduce us to something unworthy of our dignity as God's children."Click here to see a report on the Pope's Mass.Please find below the official English translation of the Pope's homily:“Return to me with all your heart… return to the Lord” (Jl 2:12, 13). The prophet Joel makes this plea to the people in the Lord’s name. No one should feel excluded: “Assemble the aged, gather the children, even infants at the breast, the bridegroom… and the bride” (v. 16). All the faithful people are summoned to come and worship their God, “for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (v. 13).We too want to take up this appeal;...
(Vatican Radio) Continuing a long-standing tradition, Pope Francis celebrated the Holy Mass for Ash Wednesday at the Basilica of Santa Sabina on the Aventine hill in Rome.Listen to Chrisopher Wells' report: The Holy Father began his homily for the beginning of Lent with the words of the prophet Joel, from the first Reading: “Return to me with all your heart… Return to the Lord.” These words, the Pope said, apply to everyone, and exclude no one; “we all want to return to the merciful heart of the Father.”Lent, the Pope said, is a path that “leads to the triumph of mercy over all that would crush us or reduce us to something unworthy of our dignity as God’s children.” The mark of ashes, received during the ceremony, reminds us of our origins, that we are dust – but, he said, it also reminds us that God breathed life into each of us. “The breath of God’s life,” he said, “saves us from this asphyxia tha...
Denver, Colo., Mar 1, 2017 / 06:24 am (Denver Catholic).- St. Bernadette Parish, the pioneer Catholic church of Lakewood, Colorado, outgrew its first worship space just 18 years after being founded in 1947. Today, the half-century-old church remains large enough but needs updating to better serve its exceptionally diverse congregation.In addition to ministering to the faithful of central Lakewood, the parish heads Colorado Catholic Deaf Ministry, is home to St. Kateri Native American Community, runs a school and soon will be host to Marisol Home, which will provide transitional housing to homeless women with children.“One holy, Catholic and apostolic church is a pretty good description for our parish,” said the pastor, Father Tom Coyte.“Catholic means universal,” added pastoral associate Julie Plouffe, “and there is so much diversity represented in this one worship space: the deaf, Native Americans, service to the poor and the homeless, and to our schoo...
Vatican City, Mar 1, 2017 / 06:42 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Wednesday, the decision of clerical abuse survivor Marie Collins to resign from her post on the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors was announced, citing frustrations with “a lack of cooperation” by the Curia as leading factor.In a March 1 statement coinciding with the announcement of Collins’ resignation, Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, who heads the commission, voiced “our most sincere thanks for the extraordinary contributions she has made as a founding member of the commission.”“We will certainly listen carefully to all that Marie wishes to share with us about her concerns and we will greatly miss her important contributions as a member of the commission,” he said.A laywoman from Ireland, Collins had been one of two clerical abuse survivors tapped to join the commission when it was established in March 2014. Plans to found the commission had been announce...
Vatican City, Mar 1, 2017 / 09:43 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At Ash Wednesday Mass, Pope Francis spoke about the bad habits, negativity, and sin present in our lives which cause us to be choked off from the life-giving breath of God – supernatural grace.“The breath of God’s life saves us from this asphyxia that dampens our faith, cools our charity and strangles every hope,” he said March 1. “To experience Lent is to yearn for this breath of life that our Father unceasingly offers us amid the mire of our history.”Marking the start of the Lenten season, Pope Francis prayed the Stations of the Cross at St. Anselm Church in Rome before processing the short way to the Basilica of Santa Sabina for the celebration of Mass, benediction, and the imposition of ashes.Francis said that as we set out from the church, the mark of the ashes reminds us of our origin: “we were taken from the earth, we are made of dust.”“True,” he said, “yet...
IMAGE: CNS/Carol GlatzBy Carol GlatzVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- One of the founding members and the last remaining abuse survivor on the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has quit over what she described as resistance coming from Vatican offices against implementing recommendations.Marie Collins, who joined the commission when it was established in 2014, said: "The reluctance of some in the Vatican Curia to implement recommendations or cooperate with the work of a commission when the purpose is to improve the safety of children and vulnerable adults around the world is unacceptable.""It is devastating in 2017 to see that these men still can put other concerns before the safety of children and vulnerable adults," she said in an editorial published online March 1 by the National Catholic Reporter.Pope Francis created the commission to be an independent body of experts, including survivors of clerical sexual abuse, to advise him with recommendations on best practices for pr...
