Classical Catholic grammar school launches in Harlem

The inaugural class at Saint John Paul the Great Academy with staff and the Servidoras in New York City. / Credit: Saint John Paul the Great AcademyCNA Staff, Nov 10, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).A group of religious sisters has launched the only classical Catholic elementary school in New York City's Harlem, designed to meet the needs of the city's low-income families.  Saint John Paul the Great Academy serves its students through its scholarship program while offering high-quality classical Catholic education. The school is managed by an order of religious sisters focused on evangelization: the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, known as the "Servidoras." While New York state public schools rank in the top 10 in the nation, less than half of third through eighth graders are proficient in reading, while only about 53% are proficient in math, according to a 2024 report. A little more than 70% of students in the New York City public school district are e...

Alpha evangelization course brings Chinese inquirers to the faith in Michigan

Alpha participants and facilitators meet at a local restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Nov. 5, 2024. Every Alpha meeting begins with dinner and fellowship, followed by a video presentation about questions of faith and ending with a small group discussion. / Credit: Courtesy of Caroline Gambale-DirkesAnn Arbor, Michigan, Nov 10, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).Catechism and good food were combined on election night 2024 in Michigan as an Alpha evangelization course introduced the Catholic faith to Chinese inquirers in an atmosphere of love and understanding, according to its organizers.Enthusiasm and apparent joy bubbles up from Caroline Gambale-Dirkes, director of evangelization at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Parish in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as she described the Alpha course for Chinese-speakers and its results."There were a few miracles along the way," Gambale-Dirkes told CNA. "There are a lot of amazing stories."Alpha began as a course of evangelization within the Anglican Church ...

Pope Francis: Self-sacrifice, humble service are key to good leadership  

Pope Francis waves to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for his Angelus address on Nov. 10. 2024. / Credit: Vatican MedaRome Newsroom, Nov 10, 2024 / 11:34 am (CNA).During his Angelus address Sunday, Pope Francis asked his listeners to consider the qualities necessary for good leadership."Brothers and sisters, can we ask ourselves: How do I behave in my fields of responsibility? Do I act with humility, or do I vaunt my position? Am I generous and respectful with people, or do I treat them in a rude and authoritarian way?" he asked pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. Reflecting on Sunday's Gospel reading from St. Mark, Pope Francis said that Jesus denounced people esteemed in the temple, including scribes, who possessed a "hypocritical attitude" and "feigned piety" to attract attention and gain approval from people."People revered them beyond appearances, however their behavior often did not correspond to what they said. They were not coherent." In cont...

How to accompany cancer patients? Four experts propose some ways

null / Credit: Andrei_R/ShutterstockLima Newsroom, Nov 9, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA)."You have cancer." These brief but shocking words stir up many feelings in a patient and those around him or her, including the fear of death.Fighting cancer is not easy and many don't know what to do in such a situation, beyond good intentions and some intuition.Four experts on the subject have some practical tools to provide support to those suffering from this disease, which in 2022 claimed the lives of 1.4 million people out of a total of 4.2 million cases in the Americas alone, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).Empathy, a key to dealing with cancer"The first thing to do for a person who has cancer is to have a lot of empathy, because this disease is not a simple thing," Yvo Luren Fernández Montoro told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. Fernández is a psycho-oncologist and psychotherapist with 23 years of experience, seven of which he has worked at the ...

Historic 'Chair of St. Peter' on public display in Vatican basilica for first time in 150 years

Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's Basilica, where Bernini's gorgeous bronze monument to the Chair of Peter acts as a massivebronze reliquary for the historic wooden chair. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Nov 9, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).For the first time in over a century, the historic Chair of St. Peter, a wooden throne symbolizing the pope's magisterial authority, has been removed from its gilded bronze reliquary in St. Peter's Basilica to be displayed for public veneration. Pilgrims and visitors can now behold this storied relic directly in front of the basilica's main altar, just above the tomb of St. Peter, where it will remain on display until Dec. 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.The last major public viewing of the chair occurred in 1867, when Pope Pius IX exposed the Chair of Peter for the veneration of the faithful for 12 days on the 1,800th anniversary of the martyrdoms of St. Peter and St. Paul, according to Pietro Zander, head of the N...

Rome's most important church celebrates 1,700th birthday

Pope Francis addresses participants in a training course promoted by the Roman Rota at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, Sept. 27, 2018. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Nov 9, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).The most important church in Rome, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, is celebrating its 1,700th anniversary on Nov. 9.The church is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and the seat of the bishop of Rome, the pope. The adjoining palace served as the papal residence until the 14th century.The anniversary of the dedication has been commemorated as a feast day by the whole Catholic Church since 1565 due to its importance as the "mother and head of all churches of the city and the world."A Latin inscription in the basilica proclaims this point in Latin: "Omnium ecclesiarum urbis et orbis mater et caput.""By honoring the basilica, one intends to express love and veneration for the Roman Church, which, as St. Ignatius of Antioch affirms, 'presides over the charity' of the enti...

Catholic priest discusses 'special calling' of military chaplains in new film

Father Adam Muda, a chaplain for the U.S. Army, celebrates Mass on the field with soldiers while in Germany. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Adam MudaCNA Staff, Nov 8, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).A new film about U.S. military chaplains, a diverse group of dedicated people who carry no weapons into battle, will be released in select theaters on Nov. 8.  "Fighting Spirit: A Combat Chaplain's Journey" tells the story of former Army chaplain Justin Roberts as he travels to the funeral of Catholic priest and chaplain Father Emil Kapaun. Along the way, Roberts, who is Protestant, is inspired by the lives of 419 other U.S. military chaplains who have given their lives in service. The documentary explores the stories of several of these chaplains, including the beloved Kapaun. Several chaplains from different denominations provide commentary in the film including Father Adam Muda, an Army chaplain currently serving with the 3-1 Assault Helicopter Battalion at Fort Riley, K...

Microsoft president to unveil 'AI-enhanced experience' of St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Nov 8, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).Microsoft President Brad Smith is set to unveil an artificial intelligence-enhanced project focusing on St. Peter's Basilica during a press conference at the Vatican on Nov. 11.This initiative, titled "The Basilica of St. Peter's: AI-Enhanced Experience," is a collaboration between Microsoft and the Fabric of St. Peter, the organization responsible for the conservation and maintenance of St. Peter's Basilica.Since Smith launched Microsoft's AI for Cultural Heritage program in 2019, the tech company has worked on a number of projects that provided digitally enriched ways to explore art, architecture, and historical sites through artificial intelligence.Microsoft developed the Ancient Olympia project in Greece, which used AI to digitally reconstruct the birthplace of the Olympic Games, offering an immersive exploration of the ruins.Similarly, Microsoft partnered with Iconem to create digital m...

Austrian bishop calls antisemitic incident in Amsterdam a 'deeply alarming sign'

null / Credit: Sam Tanno/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Nov 8, 2024 / 17:40 pm (CNA).After a group of Israeli soccer fans were beaten and taunted for being Jewish by groups of young men after a game in Amsterdam, an Austrian bishop condemned the violence, saying it evokes, referring to Kristallnacht, "the darkest and most shameful days of our own history."Following a soccer match Thursday night between a Dutch and an Israeli team, at least 10 young men on scooters sought out Israeli fans, verbally and physically assaulting them with punches and kicks, and then quickly fled the scene."They shouted 'Jewish, Jewish, IDF, IDF,'" a 24-year-old victim told the BBC. The IDF, Israel Defense Forces, is the nation's military. Another victim said the assailants shouted "Palestine" while pummeling him.Amsterdam's mayor, Femke Halsema, characterized the violence as an "eruption of antisemitism," while Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof called the attacks "unacceptable" and vowed t...

From the Vatican: wishing 'great wisdom' for President-elect Trump

Cardinal Pietro Parolin celebrates Mass for peace in Ukraine in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, Nov. 17, 2022. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAVatican City, Nov 7, 2024 / 11:25 am (CNA).Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and other Holy See leaders have shared their well wishes for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump following his resounding election victory this week, conveying their hopes for wise leadership on both domestic and international affairs."We wish him great wisdom, because this is the main virtue of rulers according to the Bible," Parolin said at an event in Rome."I believe that, above all, he has to work to be the president of the whole country and so overcome the polarization that has occurred, which can be very, very clearly felt at the moment," he indicated.Trump obtained a decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 6 presidential vote, surpassing the 270 electoral votes needed to return for a second term to the White House....