Parish News

Chinese Catholics pray at Mass for success of Olympics
Aug 13 2008
SHAJIANG, China – A Catholic parish not registered with the government celebrated a Mass to pray for the success of the Beijing Olympics, and the celebrant urged parishioners to link their spirituality to their daily lives.

Pilgrimage bus crashes en route to Marian Days; 17 dead
Aug 11 2008
SHERMAN, Texas – Seventeen parishioners from Houston-area Vietnamese Catholic churches were killed early Aug. 8 when the pilgrimage bus they were taking to Marian Days in Carthage, Mo., ran off a highway overpass north of Dallas and crashed onto the road below.

Comfort zone: Pope’s dialogues with priests flow freely
Aug 10 2008
VATICAN CITY – The world sees the public side of Pope Benedict XVI generally at big ceremonial events in Rome or on foreign travels, when he’s under the glare of the media.

Churches in Spain experiment with staying open 24/7
Aug 06 2008
VALENCIA, Spain – In 2002, Carlo Ravasio trekked more than 2,000 miles from Moscow to Valencia, stopping by churches along the way to pray for the unity of Christians.

Knights leader call to end abortion, support marriage
Aug 06 2008
QUEBEC CITY – Supreme Knight Carl Anderson challenged American Catholics to overturn the “regime of Roe v. Wade” in November by withholding their votes from any candidate who supports abortion.

Volunteers walk cross-country to spread pro-life message
Aug 04 2008
WASHINGTON – When school ended for the summer break in May, most students went home and started their vacation. But that was not the case for Carlos Rivas and about 30 others.

St. Ambrose takes center stage at Cosby appearance
Aug 04 2008
Bill Cosby can speak on any stage in the country with no questions asked – except for the lawn of St. Ambrose in Park Heights.

Calls for action, prayer follow professor’s desecration of host
Aug 01 2008
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The pastor of the Catholic parish in Morris and a spokeswoman for the Diocese of St. Cloud have urged Catholics to contact the University of Minnesota-Morris to express their anger about a professor who desecrated a host reported to be consecrated.

Catholic agencies focus on food, water in hurricane’s wake
Jul 26 2008
WASHINGTON – Food and water were among the primary needs Catholic aid agencies were trying to meet as thousands of households remained without power and some remained under water July 25 in the wake of Hurricane Dolly.

Father Lavin left mark in Annapolis
Jul 20 2008
As a Redemptorist, Father John Lavin, C.Ss.R., accepted a vocation that includes “extraordinary preaching.”

Hikers follow Abraham’s spiritual path throughout Holy Land
Jul 18 2008
TAYBEH, West Bank – On one night of their 31-mile trek through the West Bank, a group of 25 hikers was welcomed into a village during a wedding celebration. The next night they stayed in the modest homes of Palestinian families.

A year after papal letter, Chinese church leaders see mixed results
Jul 17 2008
HONG KONG – A year after Pope Benedict XVI’s letter to mainland Chinese Catholics, church leaders said some positive developments have resulted but more work needs to be done to achieve the letter’s objectives.

Sharing the Light of Christ at The African American Heritage Festival
Jul 09 2008
Black Catholic churches in the city play an integral role of providing Christian witness, social outreach and the unlimited hope that comes from knowing Jesus to those in the village. In these parishes you will find evangelizers rolling away the stones that block blessings and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ as light for the journey.

Addressing racism requires a new language, ministry leaders say
Jul 06 2008
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- It doesn't take long for newcomers at St. Matthew Church in Baltimore to be welcomed by parishioners.

Oblates to focus their missionary zeal on secular culture of U.S.
Jun 29 2008
SAN ANTONIO – The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate have never been known for shrinking from difficult tasks.