Pro-life Catholic clinic in Denver area vandalized, suspect quickly arrested

Graffiti on the exterior of Bella Health + Wellness in Englewood, Colorado, on Sept. 25, 2022. / Courtesy of Bella Health + WellnessDenver, Colo., Sep 25, 2022 / 22:50 pm (CNA).A suspect was quickly arrested in the vandalism of a Denver-area Catholic pro-life medical clinic. It is not clear whether the clinic was targeted for its pro-life Catholic mission, though the various graffiti included a reference to Satan and a stylized depiction of a devilish character. "We are sad to have to share that our clinic was just vandalized," Bella Health + Wellness medical group said Sept. 25 in a 3 p.m. Facebook post including some photos of the vandalism. "If you could take a moment today to pray for our mission, our team and their families, and our patients, we would be grateful!"The medical group sought help to repair the building before patients arrived Monday morning. Graffiti on the exterior of Bella Health + Wellness in Englewood, Colorado, on Sept. 25, 2022. Courtesy of Bella Health...

New information puts in question legality of FBI raid on Catholic father of 7

Mark and Ryan-Marie Houck with their seven children, ages 2 to 13. / Courtesy of the Houck familyWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 25, 2022 / 17:31 pm (CNA).The arrest of a Catholic apostolate leader and father of seven in an FBI raid last week has sparked a groundswell of support for him and his family as new information has raised serious questions about the legality of his arrest.As of Sunday night, an online fund drive had raised more than $136,000 to help the family, far surpassing an initial $30,000 goal.Mark Houck, the founder and co-president of The King's Men, a men's ministry, faces federal assault charges stemming from an altercation with a Planned Parenthood escort outside a Philadelphia abortion clinic nearly a year ago.Houck, who regularly prays the rosary outside the clinic, maintains he was defending his 12-year-old son from the escort's verbal harassment, a family spokesman, Brian Middleton, told CNA on Sunday. The man fell when Houck pushed him away, Mi...

Pope Francis: The Eucharist teaches us to adore God rather than ourselves

Pope Francis prays at Italy's National Eucharistic Congress in Matera, Italy on Sept. 25, 2022. / Vatican MediaRome Newsroom, Sep 25, 2022 / 05:30 am (CNA).Pope Francis traveled to the ancient Italian city of Matera, where he urged thousands of people gathered in a soccer stadium for Sunday Mass to "rediscover" Eucharistic adoration."Brothers, sisters, from the city of Matera, this 'city of bread,' I would like to tell you: Let us return to Jesus. Let us return to the Eucharist," Pope Francis said in his homily on Sept. 25."Let us return to the taste of bread because while we are hungry for love and hope, or we are broken by the travails and sufferings of life, Jesus becomes food that feeds us and heals us."Matera, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world known for its ancient cave dwellings, is also called the "city of bread" due to its traditional sourdough recipe that has been passed down over centuries.The ancient "city of bread" hosted Italy's National ...

Jesus, present in the Eucharist, inspires compassion, sharing, pope says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — One cannot love and worship the Eucharist without compassion for the...

Lumen Christi Award goes to founder of Tucson center serving women in need

CHICAGO (CNS) — Jean Fedigan, founder of a nonprofit in the Diocese of Tucson, Arizona,...

Help the poor and the planet, pope tells young economists, entrepreneurs

ROME (CNS) — Acknowledging how young people have been given a world marked by inequality,...

South Korean delegation coming to U.S. to seek ways to build lasting peace

WASHINGTON (CNS) — South Korean Catholic leaders will be part of a 40-member delegation that...

Meet the therapy dog trained by Mercedarian sisters to help the students they serve

Gia, an 8-month-old Bernedoodle, visits Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Baton Rouge twice a week with a group of Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. / Wendy MilamWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 25, 2022 / 10:00 am (CNA).Students at Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, are visited twice a week by Gia, an 8-month-old Bernedoodle, and a group of Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.Gia is a therapy dog who visits classrooms and interacts with the children. Although she is still in training, her warmheartedness and gentle spirit has become the perfect match for the children who attend this Catholic school.Sister Mary Rosario Vega, who recently celebrated her 50th anniversary of entering the convent, is one of the nuns who trains Gia and takes her to the school each week. In an interview with CNA, she said, "She [Gia] adores children, she's very loyal, very intelligent, very easy to train."Gia spends the majority of her days in the convent with th...

Groundswell of support for Mark Houck, Catholic father of 7 arrested in FBI raid

Mark and Ryan-Marie Houck with their seven children, ages 2 to 13. / Courtesy of the Houck familyWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 25, 2022 / 17:31 pm (CNA).The arrest of a Catholic apostolate leader and father of seven in an FBI raid last week has sparked a groundswell of support for him and his family.As of Sunday night, an online fund drive had raised more than $126,000 to help the family, far surpassing an initial $30,000 goal.Mark Houck, the founder and co-president of The King's Men, a men's ministry, faces federal assault charges stemming from an altercation with a Planned Parenthood escort outside a Philadelphia abortion clinic nearly a year ago.Houck, who regularly prays the rosary outside the clinic, maintains he was defending his 12-year-old son from the escort's verbal harassment, a family spokesman, Brian Middleton, told CNA on Sunday. The man fell when Houck pushed him away, Middleton said.The altercation was captured on a video the Houcks are in the proces...

'Unconscionable': California Gov. Newsom cites Jesus on billboards promoting abortion

California State Governor Gavin Newsom. / Matt Gush/ShutterstockDenver, Colo., Sep 23, 2022 / 18:56 pm (CNA).When Gov. Gavin Newsom of California unveiled his plan for a billboard advertising campaign inviting women to travel to his state to have abortions, he was swiftly condemned by Catholics, who called the ads "unconscionable" and "blasphemy." Why the strong reaction? The abortion-selling ads include a passage from Scripture: "Need an abortion? California is ready to help," reads the message to be displayed along Indiana and Oklahoma highways. In smaller lettering, the ads cite Jesus Christ's words in the Gospel of Mark: "Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these. -Mark 12:31""It is unconscionable that these ads distort Scripture to support abortion, specifically in states that have already dramatically limited abortion in favor of supporting life," Kathleen Domingo, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, told CNA Sept. 23...