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| Sarah Zoutendam Schaaf |
“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).
“I’ll be back to pick you up in an hour” were her last words to me. I remember waiting for her as the afternoon sun faded to evening. I knew something was wrong.
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| Mark Endres |
Several years ago, I read about a coffee shop in Minnesota called St. James Coffee — a wonderful place for people to drink, eat, pray, and talk freely about their faith.
I thought, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a ‘Divine Mercy’ coffee shop in my local town of Madison, Wis.?” I started to think about what it would take.
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| Sr. Constance Veit, LSP |
In the past few weeks I’ve been asked to speak about loneliness in the elderly on numerous occasions.
I was even quoted in a recent article by Catholic journalist Mary Rezac, entitled “Our Elders Are Lonely — Do We Care?” As we look forward to Christmas, let’s hope we can all say, “Of course we do!”
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| Fr. Bart Timmerman |
One of the hallmarks of the Catholic Church in the United States is ministry to immigrants.
Some of the first saints of our American Church served Catholic immigrants to the United States. Most notably is St. Frances Cabrini, who was the first American citizen who was canonized. She founded hospitals, schools, and institutions for the poor that served immigrants in large cities like New York and Chicago. She is the Patron Saint of Immigrants because of her devotion and care for them.
So it has always been the Catholic Church through the centuries that has welcomed immigrants to the United States. Still in our day, we as Catholics, have a duty to continue ministering to our brothers and sisters who come to the United States in search of a better life for themselves and their families.
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| Veronica Arntz |
What about Amoris Laetitia? Up until this point in my article series, I have said very little about the new post-synodal apostolic exhortation.
Although the document begins with Psalm 128, which beautifully describes building a family like building a strong house, many have been confused and concerned about the document’s overall approach to the issue of Communion for the divorced and remarried.
It is good that Pope Francis reaffirms the importance of the indissoluble bond: “The indissolubility of marriage — ‘what God has joined together, let no man put asunder’– should not be viewed as a ‘yoke’ imposed on humanity, but as a ‘gift’ granted to those who are joined in marriage” (AL, art. 62).
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| Fr. Gregory Ihm |
Fr. Michael McGivney, Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko, and St. John Paul II all have several things in common. They were ordinary men called to a life of holiness as parish priests and through their priestly ministry had significant historical impact on the Church.
The Vocational Booth sponsored by Diocesanpriest.com at World Youth Day in Poland this year highlighted these three priests in order to help ordinary men consider the impact that their “YES” to the Lord’s call can have on the lives of others.
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| Veronica Arntz |
Part three of a four-part series
Having established a clear understanding of the Church’s teaching on marriage and family, let us now turn to the situation of the divorced and remarried.
St. John Paul II recognized the difficult situations that arise from divorce: “Loneliness and other difficulties are often the lot of separated spouses, especially when they are innocent parties” (Familiaris Consortio, 83).
Yet, both St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI (cf. Sacramentum Caritatis, 29) affirm that those who have been divorced and remarried without receiving a declaration of nullity cannot receive Communion.
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| Jeff Davis and Greg Wagner |
As Catholic voters, what are we to do when neither presidential candidate seems to share our beliefs and values? Some may opt to sit out this election and not vote, others may vote for a third party candidate, and others may write in a candidate.
We feel there is a better option, and that is to look at the party platforms. The party platforms between the Republicans and the Democrats represent two diametrically opposed world views.
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| Sr. Constance Veit |
Each October we observe Respect Life Month in dioceses throughout the United States. Although ending abortion remains a priority of the utmost importance, threats to the disabled and those at the end of life deserve our attention as well.
The legalization of medically assisted suicide in Canada in June should serve as a wake-up call compelling us to reach out in solidarity to our most vulnerable brothers and sisters.
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| Veronica Arntz |
In this four-part series discussing Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (AL), I hope to establish a clear understanding of marriage and family in the first and second parts.
In the third and fourth parts, I will clarify some confusion over the nature of the divorced and remarried and the reception of Communion, looking at the document itself.
Our next step shall be to link what we previously said about marriage to what the Church says about family.
