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I write these words on the airplane taking me home from my first visit as a bishop ad limina apostolorum (to the threshold of the apostles).
This is the pilgrimage, required by canon law of every bishop, to pray at the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul and to meet personally with the successor of Peter.
In an earlier column, I wrote of the extraordinary visit to the tomb of Peter and an even more extraordinary conversation with the Galilean fisherman’s successor, Pope Francis. |
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Often what we want is different from what we need — or what is good for us.
Consider this recent exchange in my household, where we’ve been striving to be more health conscious.
“What would you like me to get at the grocery store?” I asked my husband, my pencil hovering over the grocery list.
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In the more than 30 annual Washington, D.C., Marches for Life I have participated in, I always think the current march is the largest ever. But since accurate figures are hard to come by, it usually comes down to taking a good guess.
But a 60-second time-lapse video produced by Students for Life of America clearly reveals, regardless of the exact number, that this year’s March flowed on and on.
It’s heartening to see that lots of people care. But do we really care enough?
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I write these words from the Eternal City of Rome, whither I’ve come with my brother bishops from Region 11 (California, Nevada, and Hawaii) for our ad limina visit.
This is a regular and canonically required trip to pray at the limina apostolorum (the threshold of the Apostles), the tombs of Ss. Peter and Paul, and to meet with the successor of Peter.
Yesterday was the first official day of the pilgrimage, and it was extraordinary indeed.
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| Sr. Constance Veit, LSP |
During February my thoughts turn to two of my favorite biblical figures, Simeon and Anna.
Simeon is described in St. Luke’s Gospel simply as “a man in Jerusalem” and Anna as an 84-year-old “prophetess.”
These two elders greet Mary and Joseph as they bring their newborn infant to the Temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. We celebrate this moment in Jesus’ life, referred to as the Presentation in the Temple, on February 2.
In 1974, Catholic Schools Week was established as the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States.
This year it occurs from January 26 to February 1. Catholic schools celebrate with Masses, open houses, and other activities for students, families, parishioners, and community members.
Jesus is the main teacher in Catholic schools, where students learn about Jesus and his teachings. His message is not just a set of intellectual propositions or truths, but a way of life.
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It seems these days that our culture is focused on the question of individual identity. Young people are searching to find out who they are.
They are yearning to define themselves in the world and to give their lives specific meaning. Whether it is the type of clothes they wear, the music they listen to, the food they eat, the company they keep, or their social media profile and postings on Facebook and Instagram, etc., everyone seems to be engaged in the tasking of forging a unique identity in the search to add meaning and significance to their life.
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| Fr. Richard Heilman |
On Friday, Jan. 31, at 6 p.m., we are calling all pro-lifers to join together on this Feast of St. John Bosco, as we bring “Bosco’s Two Pillars” of the Most Holy Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary to the sidewalks surrounding the Wisconsin State Capitol building in Madison.
We will meet on the State St. steps and then process the Holy Eucharist and Our Lady around the State Capitol. All who march with us will be given Epiphany Holy Water and Exorcised and Blessed Salt to sprinkle around our State Capitol, and call upon God to bless and transform our state and country back to a culture of life. |
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I saw the film 1917 on the vigil of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, and I think there’s a connection between the movie and the liturgical celebration.
Bear with me.
First, as everyone who has seen it remarks, the editing and cinematography of 1917 are so astounding that it appears to unfold completely in real time, the result of one continuous shot.
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On January 22, 1973, the United Supreme Court gave our nation Roe v. Wade and its companion decision, Doe v. Bolton. In so doing, it effectively removed every legal protection from human beings prior to birth.
Since then, millions of lives have been destroyed before birth and even during the process of being born. Countless women have been traumatized so deeply by abortion that for years they struggle to find peace, healing, and reconciliation. Men grieve too because they could not “choose” to protect a child they helped bring into existence.
Society has increasingly been coarsened by toleration and acceptance of acts that purposely destroy human life.