Pope calls for gathering to find ways to end, prevent drug abuse
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has requested a special study session at the Vatican to look at how to solve the growing problem of drug abuse, especially narcotics.
Good priests don't own gloves, they get their hands dirty, says Pope Francis
VATICAN CITY – Like the Good Shepherd, good priests do not privatize their time and demand to be left alone, but rather are always willing to risk everything in search of the lost sheep, Pope Francis said at the closing Mass of the Jubilee for Priests and Seminarians.
Forgiveness opens our hearts wide
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) June 12 (2 Samuel 12:7-10, 13; Psalm 32; Galatians 2:16, 19-21; Luke 7:36-8:3)
We usually think of a “flash of recognition” in positive terms — a form of enlightenment. But David’s experience of this recognition was disturbing and even devastating. His climb to the top of the heap as king of Israel had been successful but not pretty. It had involved a lot of questionable decisions and actions, but he seemed disinclined to quibble — after all, it had worked. He had almost unlimited power and wealth — what more could one want?
Parish must become the centre of one’s life
It can be easy to feel lost and lonely in church; and that’s twice as lost and lonely as anywhere else.
Church needs courageous women like Mary, Pope says at morning Mass
VATICAN CITY – The Church needs the service of the many women who continue to follow Mary's example of courage and service despite the odds, Pope Francis said.
Pope Francis tells Internet celebrities to take 'path of optimism and hope'
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis is already a celebrity and an internet sensation in his own right, so it was perhaps no surprise that he had words of wisdom for some of YouTube’s top stars in a meeting over the weekend — and that a few Hollywood A-listers were also lining up for a photo-op.
Ignore the church schedule and serve the people, pope tells deacons
VATICAN CITY – Deacons are called to be servants who set aside their own self-serving plans and are generous with their lives, Pope Francis said.
Woodworker creates ministry building caskets out of reclaimed lumber
FRONT ROYAL, Va. – Above the hum of the table saw, one story was told, then another.
In Lebanon, Muslims and Christians visit Marian shrine at Harissa
HARISSA, Lebanon – High on a summit overlooking the Mediterranean, Our Lady of Lebanon stands majestically with her arms outstretched, welcoming her children.
New Polish saint calls people to 'contemplate God's mercy,' bishops say
WARSAW, Poland – The founder of the first Polish male religious order, who will be canonized in Rome June 5, calls people "to contemplate God's mercy and proclaim that God's heart is open to all," said Poland's bishops.