Mezzo-soprano who performs on world stage is ‘grounded in Catholic faith’
RICHMOND, Virginia — Shopping at various grocery stores in the Richmond area the early 2000s, customers might have heard a toddler singing in the cart as her mother shopped for her family. Little did they know that the young vocalist in the cereal aisle would one day be performing opera on the international stage and […]
Eucharistic congress for Zomi Catholics is like a homecoming, says attendee
INDIANAPOLIS — Angela Dim lives on the southside of Indianapolis, far from the Zomi (pronounced ZOH-mee) region in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, where she was raised in the Catholic faith. The refugee is thankful for the Zomi Chin Catholic community at St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis. And she is grateful to worship […]
Nigerian bishop says vision of Christ gave him hope for end of Boko Haram
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A vision of Christ helped give Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme of Maiduguri, Nigeria, hope for the eventual end of the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram, after the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in the remote town of Chibok in April 2014. “I was in pain. I went into my chapel, as I always […]
In Washington, Latin American Catholics find tools for ‘new epoch’
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With news of the economy dominating news cycles in the U.S., few in the country have paid attention to the unrest taking place throughout Latin America. News of major protests over the rising cost of basic necessities in Ecuador, where Indigenous men and women blocked access to oil wells in June, costing […]
Skills training, education ‘only way out of misery’ for Pakistan’s poor
WASHINGTON, D.C. — To improve the lives of Pakistanis, many of whom are desperately poor, the Archdiocese of Lahore has ramped up its educational and vocational training efforts. “We evaluated and studied that — through education and then skill training and some other professional training — that is the only way out of misery,” said […]
Refugees learn to cope with the trauma that forced them to flee Congo
MANTAPALA REFUGEE SETTLEMENT, Zambia — Wrapped in a traditional blue apron, Martha Milambo sells her tomatoes, onions and dried fish to the locals and fellow refugees at her small market in the Mantapala Refugee Settlement in northern Zambia. Milambo, who started her business two years ago after receiving a grant from the local church and […]
Pastor of St. Peter’s Basilica: Friar helps tourists become pilgrims
VATICAN CITY — In his small office next to the world’s largest Catholic Church, Conventual Franciscan Father Agnello Stoia spoke about the unique joys and challenges of being the pastor of St. Peter’s Basilica. Like most parishes, St. Peter’s has actual territorial boundaries: the exterior walls of the basilica and all of St. Peter’s Square. […]
Pope Francis: Coveting Wealth and Possessions Can Blind Us to ‘True Goods of Life’
Screenshot Pope Francis greets pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square in Rome on July 31, 2022, after sharing his Angelus reflection. Pope Francis was speaking to pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square before the weekly recitation of the Angelus.
Archbishop Wester: The Catholic Church should baptize children of same-sex couples
“The general disposition of the church is one of hospitality, openness and welcome,” write Archbishop John Wester. “Refusing to baptize children of same-sex couples is not in keeping with this outreach and I find it quite troubling.”
Pope at Angelus: Avoid idolatry of wealth and seek life’s true goods
Back at the Vatican just a day after his pentitential pilgrimage to Canada, Pope Francis leads the Sunday Angelus in St. Peter’s Square offering thoughts on the day’s Gospel that warns about the covetousness that lies in everyone’s heart that can tempt us towards greed and serving money, rather than seeking God’s love and His […]