(Vatican Radio) In the spirit of Christmas and New Year, the parish of the Indian Archdiocese of Bombay on Sunday regaled local street dwellers and their families with some pleasant moments of warmth and belonging away from the harsh realities of life on the pavement. The Jan. 3 event at the Cathedral Parish of the Holy Name in the Fort area organized by the local St. Vincent de Paul Society included games, snacks, lunch and spot prizes. The youngsters danced shouted and freaked out to Bollywood music with gay abandon, some of them exhibiting thier vocal talents. Cardinal Oswald Gracias who joined the party later, made the street dwellers feel at home, going about freely among the people, greeting and blessing them. He led a general prayer, in Hindi, reminding everyone that Christ came into our world to bring peace, love and hope and that, as a family of brothers and sisters they celebrate it especially at Christmas. He prayed that the parents of the children would be able to find work and that the children themselves would get the opportunities to move forward in life. He hoped that the New Year bring them success, happiness and faith. Cardinal Gracias himself joined in one of the games, to the delight of his guests. After lunch he handed out gift hampers to each family. Blankets, sweets and goodies were given as parting presents to the guests as they returned to the harsh reality of the streets.
Article Archive
Cardinal Gracias spends time with street dwellers ?
Related Articles • More Articles
The pro-life flag from the Pro-Life Flag Project (www.prolifeflag.com). / Credit: Pro-Life Flag Project (www.prolifeflag.com)Toronto, Canada, Apr 25, 2024 / 12:50 pm (CNA).The International Pro-Life Flag will not fly over Toronto Catholic schools this May.Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) trustees voted against an April 23 motion proposed by trustee Michael Del Grande that the pro-life flag fly outside all schools and the Catholic Education Centre during the month of May, just as the board voted to fly the Pride flag in June.Del Grande's motion was defeated at the April 23 board meeting when only Garry Tanuan supported Del Grande's motion. The eight other board members in attendance and the two student trustees opposed his proposal.Though Del Grande could not muster enough backing from his colleagues, his plan, which would have also directed all TCDSB schools to teach an exclusively pro-life curriculum on May 9, the day of the National March for Life, garnered bois...
null / ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 10:52 am (CNA).Following a recent Vatican declaration on human dignity, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales condemned medical and social transgenderism while encouraging a "sensitive" response in a pastoral reflection released on Wednesday.The Vatican's doctrinal office came down strongly against gender ideology, stating that "all attempts to obscure reference to the ineliminable sexual difference between man and woman are to be rejected."The Catholic bishops of England and Wales followed the Vatican's lead in their April 24 statement, "Intricately Woven by the Lord," which encouraged rooting pastoral care in "acceptance … of the body as created." "We cannot encourage or give support to reconstructive or drug-based medical intervention that harms the body," they wrote. "Nor can we legitimize or uphold a way of living that is not respectful of the truth and vocation of each man and each woman, called to ...
null / ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 11:30 am (CNA).Louisiana State Police have obtained a new search warrant to collect documents from the Archdiocese of New Orleans as part of an ongoing investigation into Church abuse in that state.State police spokesman Jacob Pucheu confirmed to CNA on Thursday that the bureau had obtained the warrant as part of its investigation into "numerous complaints of child sexual abuse" leveled at the archdiocese. The inquiry was first launched in 2022, he said."As part of the ongoing investigation, on Monday, April 22, 2024, SVU investigators obtained an additional search warrant to collect information and documents from the Archdiocese of New Orleans," Pucheu told CNA."The archdiocese is cooperating with investigators to fulfill the terms of the search warrant," he said. "This investigation remains ongoing with no further information available at this time."Pucheu declined to directly provide a copy of the warrant, saying that "since it is...