Catholic News 2
BEIRUT (AP) -- Syria's cease-fire has faltered further after an aid convoy was hit by airstrikes, with activists saying at least 12 people were killed in the attack, mostly truck drivers and Red Crescent workers....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Donald Trump Jr. has posted a message on Twitter likening Syrian refugees to a bowl of poisoned Skittles....
NEW YORK (AP) -- The man suspected of planting bombs in a New York neighborhood and a New Jersey seaside town may have aimed to inflict carnage incognito, but he didn't succeed for long in concealing his identity....
ESTERO, Fla. (AP) -- Hillary Clinton accused Donald Trump of giving "aid and comfort" to Islamic terrorists Monday, declaring his anti-Muslim rhetoric helps the Islamic State group and other militants such as ISIS recruit new fighters....
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- An unarmed black man killed by a white Oklahoma officer who was responding to a stalled vehicle can be seen in police video walking away from officers and toward his SUV with his hands up before he approaches the driver's side door, where he drops to the ground after being shocked with a stun gun then fatally shot....
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- As an 8-year-old in the Bronx, Vin Scully would grab a pillow, put it under his family's four-legged radio and lay his head directly under the speaker to hear whatever college football game was on the air in 1936....
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- World leaders gather at the United Nations for their annual meeting Tuesday with an array of global crises that desperately need solutions, topped by the Syrian conflict, escalating attacks around the world by Islamic extremists, and millions of people fleeing fighting and poverty....
Irondale, Ala., Sep 19, 2016 / 02:10 pm (CNA).- The legacy of Mother Angelica, the Poor Clare nun who founded Catholic cable channel EWTN, continues to live on in those who watched her or worked with her.At the 10th annual EWTN family celebration, the first since Mother’s death on Easter Sunday this past year, both viewers and staff of the network recalled their favorite memories of the formidable nun over the years.Brother Leo (of Hey Brother Leo! fame) joined the friars with the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word in 1992, the order of friars founded by Mother Angelica. Soon after he joined, he began floor directing Mother Angelica for her live show.The most difficult part about getting Mother ready for her shows was making sure she was in her seat on time, he told CNA.“She loved to talk with people (in the audience) before her live show. Trying to get her on the set was not easy,” he said.Brother Leo added that although Mother was not always this way wit...
Irondale, Ala., Sep 19, 2016 / 02:10 pm (CNA).- The legacy of Mother Angelica, the Poor Clare nun who founded Catholic cable channel EWTN, continues to live on in those who watched her or worked with her.
At the 10th annual EWTN family celebration, the first since Mother’s death on Easter Sunday this past year, both viewers and staff of the network recalled their favorite memories of the formidable nun over the years.
Brother Leo (of Hey Brother Leo! fame) joined the friars with the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word in 1992, the order of friars founded by Mother Angelica. Soon after he joined, he began floor directing Mother Angelica for her live show.
The most difficult part about getting Mother ready for her shows was making sure she was in her seat on time, he told CNA.
“She loved to talk with people (in the audience) before her live show. Trying to get her on the set was not easy,” he said.
Brother Leo added that although Mother was not always this way with everyone, she was especially gentle and motherly to him.
“My mother died when I was three and so she was like a mother to me,” he said. “She was there to encourage me...because she probably knew that I needed that type of comfort. She would encourage me when I was floor directing and smile at me. I always enjoyed working with her live shows.”
During a talk at the family event, Fr. Wade Menezes recalled Mother’s propensity for taking chances, especially on people.
It was early in the Jubilee Year of 2000, and Mother Angelica’s sisters needed a priest in residence who would say Mass for the sisters and could help the friars at EWTN. Mother called Fr. Menezes’ superior at the time, asking if he had any priests.
Because of Fr. Menezes’ background in journalism, his superior decided to recommend him for the post.
“Mother I have just the man for you,” his superior told the nun. “But there’s only one problem. He’s not ordained yet.”
“We’ll take him!” Mother responded.
“So I always saw that as Mother being a mother,” Fr. Menezes said. “She was taking on this baby priest and being a mentor to me of sorts - there was something very special about mother willing to take that risk.”
But Mother’s influence extended beyond the staff and clergy working with her at EWTN. Throughout the course of the weekend, many viewers shared their stories of conversion after watching the nun on T.V.
Kate Eberwyn was a lapsed Catholic who was “very negative about Catholicism”, and although her family remained devout, she “thought they were all stupid.”
But as she watched the Twin Towers collapse on T.V. on Sept. 11, she thought the world was ending. Flipping through the T.V. channels, she saw a nun talking to a friar - Mother Angelica and Fr. Benedict Groeschel.
“They said that in a time like this we should pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe who is the patroness of the Americas,” she recalled.
“So, I said to (God), ‘I don’t know much about you, I don’t even think I like you, but I’m going to pray.’”
She went back to confession and to Mass, and has been a devout Catholic ever since, she said.
Jean, a viewer from Chicago, said when she was about 11 or 12 she wanted to learn how to pray the rosary, so she started watching Mother Angelica’s show every night.
“She taught me all of the prayers to the rosary, and I’ve prayed it daily ever since, so she really helped me foster my relationship with Mary and to learn to love the Blessed Mother,” she said.
Throughout the weekend, many who knew Mother Angelica reiterated that it was her faith in Jesus, and her ability to draw others to him, that was and continues to be the legacy of Mother, more so than just simply being a T.V. personality.
“I can’t say how many people I’ve met who have said I learned to pray the rosary by watching EWTN,” said Michael Warsaw, CEO of EWTN.
During the family talk, Warsaw said if he could sum up the legacy of Mother Angelica, it would be with one of her own favorite phrases, which was: “Dare to do the ridiculous, so God can do the miraculous.”
“Dare to do the ridiculous. We should all be willing to do those things which in the eyes of the world are ridiculous, so that we can assist God in accomplishing the miraculous That’s what Mother Angelica did when founding EWTN 35 years ago.”
Mother Angelica, a cloistered nun, began the network out of her garage in 1981. It is now the largest religious media network in the world, providing Catholic media through television, radio, the internet, print services like the National Catholic Register and wire services like Catholic News Agency.
“She did something that in the eyes of the world was completely ridiculous but she knew that if she stepped out in faith, God would use her and her new network to accomplish the miraculous,” Warsaw added.
“The stories we’ve heard tonight, what we’ve heard throughout this weekend is confirmation of that.”
Washington D.C., Sep 19, 2016 / 03:29 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In light of Pope Francis' call to pray for the victims of sexual abuse, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will support a Worldwide Day of Prayer for Sexual Abuse Survivors, highlighting the importance of healing and noting the progress the Church has made over the years.“With a pastor's heart, Pope Francis renewed the call of the universal Church to pray for, help heal and proactively protect children from the terrible sin of sexual abuse,” said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a Sept. 16 statement.“This universal expression of healing and sorrow, joined by our brothers and sisters around the world, will be a powerful reminder that no survivor should walk the path toward healing alone,” he said.The Worldwide Day of Prayer was originally suggested at the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) Pl...
Washington D.C., Sep 19, 2016 / 03:29 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In light of Pope Francis' call to pray for the victims of sexual abuse, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will support a Worldwide Day of Prayer for Sexual Abuse Survivors, highlighting the importance of healing and noting the progress the Church has made over the years.
“With a pastor's heart, Pope Francis renewed the call of the universal Church to pray for, help heal and proactively protect children from the terrible sin of sexual abuse,” said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a Sept. 16 statement.
“This universal expression of healing and sorrow, joined by our brothers and sisters around the world, will be a powerful reminder that no survivor should walk the path toward healing alone,” he said.
The Worldwide Day of Prayer was originally suggested at the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) Plenary Assembly by a survivor of clerical child sexual abuse.
Pope Francis approved the notion, and encouraged each National Bishops Conference to hold the day of prayer on a suitable date within each prospective country. Australia already held their prayer day on Sept. 11, and South Africa announced a prayer weekend from Dec. 2-4. The Philippines are planning to determine a date in the near future.
The administrative committee for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops began discussing the day of prayer for abuse victims last week, but have yet to announce a date. Archbishop Kurtz hopes that the day of prayer will bring healing to wounded victims and grace to prevent future abuses.
“For whenever we have failed to protect our children from predators, we beg God's forgiveness. For wherever we have failed to support victims of sexual abuse, we beg their forgiveness,” Archbishop Kurtz said.
The Kentucky archbishop also underscored the progress the Church has made to fight sexual abuse, pointing to diocesan programs such as the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, saying “we have learned from the pain of such moments to motivate a rigorous prevention program.”
In addition, the Church has also made strides in preventing abuse by pursuing a proactive approach in reforming church law. The Church has also removed clergy who have committed abuses and opened meetings between victims and the Holy Father.
Archbishop Kurtz noted that many parishes in the United States have benefited from past prayer days and reconciliation services, saying that the faithful should always pray for abuse survivors and for prevention in the future.
“Let us pray that we may never become complacent in our prayer and protection,” Archbishop Kurtz stated.
“If you have been the victim of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, notify law enforcement and please know there is a victim assistance coordinator in every U.S. diocese ready to help. They are trained and ready to receive your call.”
Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sep 19, 2016 / 04:32 pm (CNA).- Mateo studied baking and Leandro pastry making. Franco and Mauricio wanted to be waiters. These overlapping interests led the four friends with Down syndrome to start a successful pizza service in Buenos Aires, Argentina.With more than 10,000 followers on Facebook, this group of friends has held nearly 30 events in just two months. Wherever they are called, they always arrive with their own oven and outfits. The offer pizza and empanadas, and they even have a menu for those who are gluten intolerant.<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FLosperejileseventos%2Fposts%2F308177556189478%3A0&width=500" width="500" height="588" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true"></iframe>Each one knows his role in the undertaking, which is coordinated by L...
Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sep 19, 2016 / 04:32 pm (CNA).- Mateo studied baking and Leandro pastry making. Franco and Mauricio wanted to be waiters. These overlapping interests led the four friends with Down syndrome to start a successful pizza service in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
With more than 10,000 followers on Facebook, this group of friends has held nearly 30 events in just two months. Wherever they are called, they always arrive with their own oven and outfits. The offer pizza and empanadas, and they even have a menu for those who are gluten intolerant.
<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FLosperejileseventos%2Fposts%2F308177556189478%3A0&width=500" width="500" height="588" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true"></iframe>
Each one knows his role in the undertaking, which is coordinated by Leandro López, president of the Crecer Sumando (Growing Together) association, which is dedicated to serving young people with Down syndrome.
López told CNA that “the idea was to try to change a little bit the paradigm regarding persons with Down syndrome,” in order to help normalize their inclusion in society's workforce.
It all started in 2015, when López began working with efforts to help integrate Mauricio, Franco and Leandro into society.
“When that year was over, the guys were eager to work but there was this void.”
“In early 2016, when Mateo had already joined them, we began to work with their parents in the area of jobs, to see what kind of work they would like to do,” recalled the physical education teacher.
“One day I suggested cooking pizza, and I dove into the whole process, from buying all the materials to when we sat down at the table to eat,” López said.
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The idea took off, and in June this year, the group began to work with the idea of having a pizza service whose name – “Los Perejiles” – was proposed by Leandro.
They had their first event on July 9. It became “a revolution on social media,” prompting them to “create an account, choose a logo and work on all their outfits.”
“They're my teachers and I'm learning with them what the needs are,” López said regarding managing the project.
“These young people can really be included in society, and they have a whole lot to teach us. I'm learning something new from them every day: the goodness of being human, the essence of the human being. There is no envy or selfishness among them, instead there is friendly collaboration.”
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López said that “at present there are no real job opportunities for people with Downs” in Buenos Aires. There are several training schools, but the chances of graduates being able to move beyond them and find other jobs is low.
“It seems to me that we all have a right to two fundamental things, to life and be taken into account. These two premises can make a person live happily their whole life,” López said.
.....
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