Carlo remains an inspiration, especially to teenagers who aren’t sure whether they could be both holy and “normal” and individually unique. “All people are born as originals,” he said, “but many die as photocopies.” To die as an “original,” Carlo maintained, was to be guided by Christ, and to look at Him constantly.
Reigning Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach has donated some personal items to Caritas Manila to contribute to the Catholic Church's program for the poor this Christmas. "We are all doing this out of pure love and good faith," said the 2015 international beauty queen after meeting Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila on Dec. 12.
Church leaders in the Philippines have urged Catholics "to exercise discipline in the use of technology" amid the Pokemon Go craze, which is seeing people play the game even in churches. Brother Manuel de Leon, president of Notre Dame College in Kidawapan, Mindanao, said that while technology is a "welcome development," young people should be taught about a "technology with a soul."
A seminarian I know recently went to a party on a Friday evening at a local university campus. The group was a crowd of young, college students and when he was introduced as a seminarian, as someone who was trying to become a priest and who had taken a vow of celibacy, the mention of celibacy evoked some giggles in the room, some banter, and a number of jokes about how much he must be missing out on in life.
As the Church’s Year of Consecrated Life has just ended, it is worth reflecting on what has happened to religious life in general in Western countries over the past 50 years and whether it has a future. At first sight it is a rather grim picture. Many religious orders in the West are declining and ageing, but there’s actually plenty of good news as well. Those of us who entered religious life just after Vatican II will probably remember it in the words of Wordsworth after the French Revolution: “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive”.
Sr. Margaret Taylor, FMM and Sr Kate Stogdon, CC will direct two different Retreats/Seminars. We will continue posting other retreats to be held during this year 2016. Though the Year of Consecrated Life has come to an end, our service to those in Consecrated Life will go on.
The Commission’s vision report: a nation with a deeply-rooted Christian history, but which has accommodated others at an ever-accelerating pace. It argues that all should be treated with equal respect and concern, knowing that their culture, religion and beliefs are embraced and valued as contributing to the nation’s common life.
The pope appealed to all young people, calling on them to reflect on their vocation and "to not exclude the possibility of becoming a missionary" and to preach with their lives, not by proselytizing. "Those who are looking for something else are the ones that [proselytize]," he said. "Faith is preached first through witness then with words — but slowly."
The Holy Father said he was looking forward to his stay, especially meeting the young people of Kenya and “encouraging their hopes and aspirations for the future”. The Pope proceeded to urge the entire Kenyan people to “work with integrity and transparency for the common good, and to foster a spirit of solidarity at every level of society”, asking them to hold particular concern for the poor, the young and to handle their natural and human resources responsibly.
The educational alliance among families, schools and states is broken, causing a serious situation that leads to selecting to educate only "supermen" chosen solely based on intelligence or wealth, Pope Francis said.
Big-hearted staff at a Stockton primary school will swap the classroom for the street when they take part in the fifth Big Tees Sleepout next month. Eleven of the team from St Bede’s RC Primary School will sleep rough for the night to raise funds to fight homelessness and poverty across Teesside.
In religious studies, students can either undertake a full course or a short course. The top results for full-course entries were slightly below the overall average, with 6 per cent achieving A or A* grades. In the short course, 8 per cent of students achieved an A or A*. To give an idea of the standard required, most examination boards require 80 per cent for an A grade and 90 per cent for an A*. The short course results in particular should be a cause for celebration.
Challenged by secularized societies, the Churches in East Asia are facing a drop in vocations, turning the religious congregations or mission societies into an aging group in the Church. Political factors detract from the joy of religious life in China.
This month we are “losing” our parish priest – he is being deployed elsewhere in the diocese, and cannot be replaced because there is no one to replace him. What were within living memory seven independent parishes will be served by a single priest. It is challenging, exciting and sad (particularly for the congregations that will lose their Sunday Mass). I will, no doubt, be telling you all how we get on! But so far what it has done is made me think about “vocations”.
Mark Wahlberg has said he never would have been able to get his life back on track if it weren’t for his parish priest. In an interview with Square Mile, Wahlberg said he was saved from a life of drugs and violence as a teenager when his priest, Fr James Flavin, took him under his wing.
The UK is one of the least religious countries in the world, according to a new study, but two thirds of the global population consider themselves to be religious. Click on the map inside to find out which countries are the most religious.
Women joining the church were keen to become part of a community that was committed to social issues. “In a really obvious sense, the women feel a religious calling to do so. On a more sociological level, these are women who have lived in the world and who find themselves in their late 20s, 30s or 40s making a conscious and hard choice to enter religious life.
"Responding to God's call, then, means allowing him to help us leave ourselves and our false security behind, and to strike out on the path which leads to Jesus Christ, the origin and destiny of our life and our happiness," the pope said in his message for the 2015 World Day of Prayer for Vocations. The day will be celebrated April 26 at the Vatican and in many dioceses around the world.