“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (NAB, John 1:1) That God spoke one word is a clue for us because folks who babble and gossip are insecure, undermining and silly. I have to put it that way because it describes most of us!
In Proverbs and other places in Scripture we can learn. Consider in Proverbs 13:2 “the good acquire a taste for helpful conversation; bullies push and shove their way through life.” (Peterson) I can only hope to discover how to learn to speak the simplest and most direct and loving words as I mature. How shall my words not bully anyone, how can I speak with the ‘tongue of angels’? How can I learn to speak the truth? Can I speak in love?
Sister alies therese
Gossip is something that gets under my skin. Yours? Rumors and tales that particularly feature my neighbors or friends really get my goat. Proverbs again reminds us of this: “troublemakers start fights, gossip breaks up friendships.” (16:28, Peterson) “Don’t talk about your neighbors behind their backs – no slander or gossip please.” (24:28, Peterson).
Not gossiping is not just ‘good behavior’; it is also quite practical. “The person who lies gets caught; the person who spreads rumors is ruined.” (NAB, Proverbs 19:9) Rumors that are spread on internet, for example, about teens being fat, or ugly, or indeed promiscuous, have ended in suicide and at least eating disorders.
“The words of the wicked kill; the speech of the upright saves.” (12:8, Peterson) Political discourse is damaged by the passing of lies and rumor; the public square is littered with persons executed behind lies and false witnesses. Gossip indeed is a killer.
Did you hear the one about? And then off it goes. Some bits of truth are usually embedded within, but the rest implies a certain knowledge, certain power, certain insight into something that is just not true. One day it will be about you.
Sharon Schweitzer, an international etiquette expert points this out “Talk badly about people too often and your reputation of being a rumormonger will make others stop trusting you.” You might answer, however, what I found in an old Reader’s Digest: “I’m not a gossip. I’m a verbal documenter of other people’s dramas!” Or as to say…I have a right to pass on what I see and hear. Think so?
Another old Reader’s Digest mentioned “You can’t believe everything you hear but you can repeat it.” Perhaps you don’t know the difference between truth and lies? Zip yer lip, especially in this case! “Watch the way you talk…say only what helps. Each word is a gift.” (Peterson, Eph 4:29).
I was impressed with psychiatrist Dr. Ned Hallowell, who defined gossip as a “sharing information-real or imagined-without permission.” He also indicated how gossip is emotional sadism because “people tend to take pleasure in someone else’s misery and delight that it’s not happening to them!” Gossip and rumors steal a person’s dignity, they put another person at their lowest where they often have no way of restoration. If you want to be part of another’s destruction, try gossip. “Evil people relish malicious conversation; the ears of liars itch for dirty gossip.” (Peterson, Proverbs 17:4)
Rather become what Proverbs also suggests “Irresponsible talk makes a real mess of things; but reliable reporter is a healing presence.” (Peterson, Proverbs 13:17) Let’s go for that because “gossip is like a black hole – once we get sucked in it’s hard to escape.” (letslearnslang.com)
Children often have the right question, if not the right answer. When asked, a dad defined a gossiper for his son as a “a person with a profound sense of rumor.” A little girl, when asked how she knew she was loved said “when people say your name, you know it’s safe in their mouth.” Are words and tales safe in your mouth?
“Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better use of language than that … thanksgiving is our dialect.” (Peterson, Ephesians 5:4)
Blessings.
PS: My newest collection of short stories 27 Tall Tales will be out soon!
(Sister alies therese is a canonically vowed hermit with days formed around prayer and writing.)
Every year, between September 15 and October 15, the United States observes Hispanic Heritage Month. The observance began as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 and, in 1988, was extended by law into a full-month celebration.
During Hispanic Heritage Month, we all are invited to honor and highlight the many stories, experiences and contributions of Hispanics living in the United States, which are integral to who we are as a nation.
For U.S. Catholics, Hispanic Heritage Month should be a major occasion to affirm and celebrate who we are and who we are becoming. Of the approximately 63.7 million Hispanic people living in this country, about 31 million self-identify as Catholic. What’s more, about 43% of all Catholics in the United States of America are Hispanic.
Educational institutions at all levels in our nation engage in different activities to highlight Hispanic cultural elements and learn more about the Hispanic population. Teachers do a superb job creating moments where this happens, in the classroom and through school wide activities. Many other organizations do likewise.
Dr. Hoffsman Ospino
I must say, however, that I do not see the same level of enthusiasm observing Hispanic Heritage Month in our Catholic parishes. It is rather strange since nearly half of all U.S. Catholics are Hispanic and fully 25% of parishes have developed some form of Hispanic ministry.
We don’t seem to have developed a strong culture of parochial observance of Hispanic Heritage Month. But that can change. A communal culture is built through small practices and the commitment to perform these regularly. Here are five practical ideas. –Start with the parish bulletin and social media. Write a weekly article about Hispanic Catholics; highlight the Hispanic community of your parish or your town; explain a Hispanic popular Catholicism practice (e.g., posadas, altarcitos, quinceañeras); share the story of a U.S. Hispanic; Latin American or Caribbean saint; invite young Hispanics to write something about growing up in a Hispanic Catholic household.
–Set up a book display in the back of your church, or at the parish hall or perhaps in the parish office (think of an often-frequented space in your community) with works that describe Hispanic Catholicism and books written by Hispanic Catholics: poetry, novels, theological works, spirituality guides. The literature on Hispanic Catholicism is abundant!
–Organize at least one evening parish lecture or presentation during this special month with a speaker who shares something interesting about Hispanic Catholics. Promote the event among all parishioners of your community. If your community is multilingual, host events in different languages. Ah, make sure you offer some Hispanic food!
–Those who preach can take advantage of this time of the year to intentionally say something about the Hispanic Catholic experience from the pulpit as they break open the Word. Catechists and teachers in the parish should be encouraged to share about Hispanic Catholicism in their lessons. Give them some resources.
–This is the perfect time of the year to invite your parish community into fiesta! It does not take much to bring the community together to enjoy each other’s presence. It could be a picnic, a large meal or maybe a bazaar. Share Hispanic food and music. Start with a bilingual or multilingual Eucharistic celebration. Pray in Spanish, English, Portuguese and Latin American indigenous languages.
These practices don’t take much effort and cost rather little. The effects upon the parish community can be invaluable as they help us to appreciate our Hispanic Catholic roots more. Such practices are instrumental in reminding us who we are and who we are becoming as U.S. Catholics. Happy Catholic celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month!
(Hosffman Ospino is a professor of theology and religious education at Boston College.)
By Gina Christian A Louisiana Catholic parish and its school are mourning the destruction of a beloved, life-sized statue of Jesus – and extending forgiveness and prayers to the perpetrator – after its decapitation during the overnight hours of Sept. 12-13.
Father James Rome, parochial administrator of Holy Savior Parish in Lockport, Louisiana, told OSV News the statue, located outside Holy Savior School, had been struck sometime after 10:30 p.m. Sept. 12. “We have not been able to locate the head of the statue,” he said. “It’s missing.”
Father Rome said the statue had possibly been “hit from the back of the head,” since “there were cement marks on the front side” of the figure.
Following vandalism to a beloved life-sized statue of Jesus during the overnight hours of Sept. 12-13, parishioners at Holy Savior Parish in Lockport, La., left a message of forgiveness for the unknown perpetrator, invoking Jesus’ words from Luke 23:34: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (OSV News/Father James Rome, Holy Savior Parish)
The statue, which was some 50 years old, had “no rebar (reinforcing bar) in the head” and was “fully attached to the ground,” he said, making it difficult for an attacker to topple the entire figure.
Security cameras have so far not turned up any images of a suspect, he said.
Father Rome said such an incident has “never happened before” at his parish or school. “We’ve had some cemetery damage, but nothing like this,” he said. “There are no leads.”
Lockport Chief of Police David Harrelson, Jr. has asked for the public’s help in solving the case. Anyone with knowledge of this incident is asked to contact the department through the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office dispatch at 985-532-2808, or through Facebook Messenger. In the meantime, Father Rome said the parish and school community will need to replace the statue altogether, since “it will not be able to be fixed.”
He admitted that finding a “comparable” replica will be difficult. “We’re not even sure where we got it,” said Father Rome.
He and his parishioners intend to pray for the attacker, focusing on the upcoming Gospel for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, in which Christ tells the “Parable of the Unforgiving Servant” to highlight the need for forgiveness (Mt 18:21-35).
“We’re just going to use this weekend’s Gospel as an opportunity to reach out with forgiveness, and realize who the real enemy might be working behind this,” said Father Rome. “We hope that person can come to some metanoia, some change.”
Father Rome’s parishioners have already taken that message to heart: the beheaded statue of Christ, with a fresh vase of red and white roses at his feet, now bears a printed sign beneath the etching of the Sacred Heart with Jesus’ words from Luke 23:34: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
(Gina Christian is a national reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @GinaJesseReinaer)
MCCOMB – St. Alphonsus Catholic Church is having a celebration as American as apple pie on Sunday. There are no guarantees that dessert will be available in Liguori Hall, but those summer staples of hamburgers and hot dogs will be plentiful.
As American as the food fare will be, so, too, is the honoree. St. Al’s pastor, Father Suresh Thirumalareddy, is the star of that show, and a naturalized citizen of the United States after a ceremony in New Orleans in June.
MCCOMB – Father Suresh Thirumalareddy sits in the sanctuary of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church. He became an American citizen in June 2023. Fathers Augustine Palimattam Poulose and Anthonyclaret Onyeocha became American citizens earlier this year as well. (Photo courtesy of Enterprise-Journal)
Growing up in India, Father Suresh didn’t think much about visiting the United States, and had never harbored a desire to seek American citizenship, though many Indians view this country positively and want to visit, if not immigrate. “In India, people look at the United States as being a powerful nation – the greatest, most powerful nation on earth,” Father Suresh said. “That’s what we are taught. When people think about leaving, the first option is always to go to America.”
Eventually, he felt a call to take the opportunity afforded through a loan program between his home Guntur Diocese in southern India and the Jackson Diocese to become what could be called an exchange priest here, where there is a shortage of priests to fill the pulpits – but just for a while.
“My dad’s intention was that I would come here and serve as long as I wanted, and then I would come back to my home church,” he said. “I abided by that when he was alive.”
His father died at home after the start of the second wave of COVID-19 in India, following a 15-day stay in a hospital’s intensive care unit with the virus and complications, including two heart attacks.
Father Suresh became close to his predecessor, Father Brian Kaskie, in 2014, when he moved to Pike County after a year in Meridian with an appointment at St. Teresa Catholic Church in Chatawa, which served the nuns of St. Mary of the Pines.
The death of Kaskie, a friend and mentor, as well as his father, coupled with the ongoing priest shortage, led Father Suresh to seriously consider seeking American citizenship.
“I wanted to settle here and join the community,” he said. “My family said, ‘you have given your life to the Lord, you decide what you want.’
“So I started a new life. I said yes to America, and that I would follow the rules of America and be part of the culture and support America where I can.”
Father Suresh applied for and received both his voter identification and an American passport after his naturalization, and he voted in an American election for the first time in this year’s primary. India does not allow dual citizenship, so he sent his original passport to the Indian consulate in Atlanta for cancelation. India will send him a renunciation certificate, after which he will be able to travel back home on his American passport, but unable to work or buy land in the country.
He has settled into American society despite difficulties when he first came to this country.
“The first year here, I struggled,” he said. “I missed the food, my family and my culture. I lost 28 pounds. I craved Indian food. Now, when I get the chance, I cook Indian food.
“I came to Chatawa in 2014, and I started eating American food with Father Brian. I like American food now. Popeye’s spicy chicken is good, and I like burgers, lobster and crab claws we used to get at the Caboose.”
While quite familiar with English – some authorities consider India to be the largest English-speaking country in the world, due to its colonial history in the British Raj – Father Suresh was sent to two months of classes in Meridian to lessen his accent.
While food and Southern drawls took some getting used to, other aspects of Mississippi were more familiar.
Father Suresh Thirumalareddy signs his American citizenship paperwork during a special ceremony in June 2023. He says that his has found his American family at his parish of St. Alphonsus in McComb. (Photo courtesy of Father Suresh Thirumalareddy)
Mississippi’s summer heat, especially with this year’s string of days in the triple digits, reminded Father Suresh of home, though even the temperatures of 102 and 103 paled somewhat beside the 115 to 120 often experienced in India.
He tries to use the four weeks of vacation afforded him each year to visit friends and family in India during the cooler months, as he has acclimated to Mississippi’s temperature range.
He’s also used to a mix of religions, as southern India has large Catholic and Protestant populations as well as Hindu and Muslim, and they live fairly congenially and harmoniously; whereas northern India is largely Hindu, and the border regions with Pakistan are prone to clashes between Hindus and Muslims.
“It’s peaceful in the south” of India, he said. “There is no threat to Christians, especially in the south. There are friendly relations with Hindus and Muslims. When we had church events, many Hindus would come to celebrate with us. (Hindu) nationalists are not prevalent.”
Despite the difficulties and the differences, Father Suresh is glad to have taken the opportunity to come to Mississippi.
“God blessed me to come here,” he said. “I am happy to work here and serve this church. My life is meant to serve people, and in doing that, I have found another family.”
(Reprinted with permission of the Enterprise-Journal, Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.)
VICKSBURG – Kathleen Harris and Brittany McFall are seeking ladies interested in fellowship, growing spiritually and sharing their experiences of motherhood.
Members of St. Paul Catholic Church, the women are looking to expand the Vicksburg Catholic Moms Group they began in February 2022 to share their experiences in faith and family life.
“Our local Catholic Moms group is partnered with CatholicMomsGroup.com; it’s a ministry run by the Dynamic Women Association of Ontario (Canada),” Harris said. “It’s based in Canada and it’s through the Archdiocese of Toronto. We are just one of 55 groups worldwide within the ministry. The goal is to revive the vocation of motherhood and encourage Catholic moms.”
The goal of the ministry, Harris said, is to revive the vocation to motherhood and encourage Catholic moms to belong to a parish-based community.
“All of our materials are from the larger ministry and are in compliance with Catholic Church’s teaching, and so it includes things like bible studies, a DVD series, speakers, books and information about liturgical living and then they’ve got some webinars,” she said, adding the materials are used during the meetings.
“We gather to pray together and share parenting joys and woes and tips and just to support one another as Catholic moms and to learn about our Catholic faith together and grow spiritually,” Harris said. “I think something very important to note is that we hold our Blessed Mother Mary as our model and for motherhood and a patroness for our ministry.
“The why (for forming the club) for us is just simply because we need each other; our kind of village of moms. We need Jesus and we need Mary as our model. That’s kind of the why, why we do it, why Brittany and I felt we needed a Catholic moms group in town.”
Each meeting consists of four parts – prayer, catechesis, fellowship and then a call to action of what members bring from the meetings.
“We have a wonderful group of multi-generational mothers, so a range of moms at different phases of motherhood, so that we can kind of share our unique experiences and support from wherever we’re at,” Harris said.
“Our group is Catholic moms looking for fellowship with other moms and an opportunity for faith formation so our meeting materials are typically geared toward the moms, but kids are welcome at meetings,” she added. “Whatever works better for the mom that day if they want to bring a kid along and we do have some dedicated moms and tots and we have activities to get some of the young, younger kids involved.”
The group meets monthly in Glynn Hall at St. Paul Catholic Church.
“We have been meeting on the fourth Wednesday of the month, but right now we’re transitioning to the second Monday unless there’s a major conflict,” Harris said. “If there is a change to that, we post it in the church bulletins around town. We have a group message system that we’ll post it in and we send emails to our email list.”
“Even though we meet at St. Paul’s and St. Paul’s is our home base, it’s open to all Catholic moms so it’s not just St. Paul Catholic moms,” McFall said.
She said the group recently attended the first Saturday Mass at St. Edwards in Tallulah and the pastor, the Rev. Ryan Humphreys gave a talk about the Blessed Mother.
“When we did that, it wasn’t just the moms; it was the whole families were invited,” McFall said.
“It’s two hours Sunday afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m.,” Harris said. “It’s an opportunity for moms to learn about our ministry and discuss future meetings and it would be a great opportunity for a mom to get involved. There are no commitments or anything, but just getting together. We’re going to watch some of the videos about like the meetings and planning and let the Holy Spirit guide us from there.”
The Catholic Moms website is www.catholicmomsgroup.com. Mothers wishing to contact Harris or McFall can email them at vicksburgcatholicmomsgroup@gmail.com.
Reprinted with permission of The Vicksburg Post.
(John Surratt is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in general studies. He has worked as an editor, reporter and photographer for newspapers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post staff since 2011 and covers city government. He and his wife attend St. Paul Catholic Church and he is a member of the Port City Kiwanis Club.)
By SueAnn Howell (OSV News) – The National Eucharistic Congress, in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Augustine Institute, has released a seven-part video series to help parishes nationwide launch small group communities to grow in faith and love for the holy Eucharist.
The guided series is hosted by Montse Alvarado, president and chief operating officer of EWTN News, and Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, chair of the USCCB’s Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis. The initial small group series released Sept. 14 titled, “Jesus and the Eucharist,” is the first of seven weekly sessions available on the revival’s online “LEARN” platform.
Each session opens with an exhortation from a different bishop; includes teaching from prominent theologians and influential figures in the church today; and highlights personal testimonies from everyday Catholics who have experienced the transformative power of Eucharistic love in their own lives.
The four pillars that uphold the movement of the National Eucharistic Revival are reinvigorating worship, personal encounter, robust faith formation and missionary sending. The “Jesus and the Eucharist” series was created as a tangible underpinning to the third pillar of formation.
Auxiliary Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of St. Paul and Minneapolis carries the Eucharist in a monstrance during a procession June 19, 2021. (OSV News photo/CNS file, Dave Hrbacek, The Catholic Spirit)
“Our hope is that the fire which burned in the hearts of the first Christians begins to burn in our hearts in a new and powerful way, so that we can’t help but share with others what is burning within us,” Bishop Cozzens said in introducing the series. “When that happens, when we become missionaries to the whole of the Good News of our salvation in Christ, then we fulfill in our time the Great Commission which Jesus has given to us: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.’”
Each of the lessons lasts about two hours, and the format consists of both a video and table discussion component with shared testimonials along the way and designated times for prayer.
“This study is a great ‘out-of-the-box’ solution for parishes,” explained Joel Stepanek, chief operating officer for the National Eucharistic Congress. “Parishes simply need to train table facilitators and a core team to implement the study, set up a hall with tables that can seat roughly eight people, and press play.”
Session 1, called “Our Story,” offers initial background with the story of God, creation and our place in it. Sessions 2, 3, and 4 key in on the themes of Jesus, salvation and the church, and explore why God chose to establish the Christian Church. Sessions 5 to 7 focus on the sacraments of the church, specifically the transformative power of the Eucharist and its biblical roots.
“Jesus and the Eucharist” was developed specifically for the revival’s parish year by a team of Catholic experts working closely with the National Eucharistic Revival, and every parish in the country is encouraged to begin using the study. New lessons are now available for download every Thursday through Oct. 26 on the Eucharistic Revival website, eucharisticcongress.org.
Individuals also may access the free online series if unable to participate in a parish program. Kris Frank, chief mission officer for the National Eucharistic Congress, said, “The hope is that the series will provide a renewed sense of formation around the Eucharist and also assist parishes in launching ongoing small group communities and initiatives. We want this to be more than just a series; but, as Bishop Cozzens says, this revival is all about a fire and not so much about a program.”
The National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year initiative of the USCCB kicked off June 19, 2022, the feast of Corpus Christi. It is a movement in the United States to restore understanding and devotion to the holy Eucharist. The revival includes a cross-country pilgrimage starting in May 2024 and culminates with the first National Eucharistic Congress in 83 years, to be held July 17-21, 2024, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
(SueAnn Howell writes for OSV News from North Carolina.)
NOTES: The National Eucharistic Congress website is https://www.eucharisticcongress.org. The LEARN platform, with access to the “Jesus and the Eucharist” video series, is listed under the REVIVAL section.
By Natalie Hoefer INDIANAPOLIS (OSV News) – Local and national organizers of the National Eucharistic Congress – which will take place in Indianapolis July 17-21, 2024 – have been meeting virtually for some time.
But for the first time, scores of them met in person in Indianapolis Aug. 30 at Lucas Oil Stadium, where in less than a year tens of thousands Catholics will gather for the closing Mass of the historic event – the first such event in 83 years. The congress will launch the third year of a three-year National Eucharistic Revival, an initiative of the U.S. Catholic bishops to renew devotion to the Eucharist.
“The Holy Spirit is inviting the United States to find unity and renewal through a grassroots National Eucharistic Revival,” Jaime Reyna, event lead for the National Eucharistic Congress, said, quoting remarks from a letter written by executive director Tim Glemkowski. “This movement – discerned and approved by the bishops of the U.S. – is critical to rekindling a living faith in the hearts of Catholics across America, unleashing a new missionary chapter at this pivotal moment in church history. … The goal is to start a fire, not a program.”
More than 25,000 have already registered for the event, said Reyna.
In addition to general and breakout sessions, the five-day event will be filled with opportunities for prayer, worship and the sacraments, said Father Patrick Beidelman. The pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Indianapolis is chair of the National Eucharistic Congress liturgy committee.
“We’ll have a large Mass each day, three at the Indiana Convention Center and the closing Mass at Lucas Oil Stadium, … and opportunities for confession all over the place,” he said, adding that St. John the Evangelist Church across from the convention center “will be turned into a place of perpetual adoration starting on Wednesday evening through Sunday.”
The day before the five-day congress opens, Catholics from around the U.S. participating in pilgrimages leading to Indianapolis will converge on the city. Planning is well under way for “Eucharistic caravans.” There will be four, each following a different route and each with its own name: the “Marian Route” the “Juan Diego Route,” the “Seton Route” and the “Junipero Serra Route.” Pilgrims on all four routes will begin their journeys with Pentecost weekend celebrations May 17-18, 2024, leaving May 19. They will all reach Indianapolis July 16, 2024.
The church is diverse, Reyna also noted, and event coordinators are taking that into consideration. In addition to programming in English and Spanish, he said the congress team is working with existing ministries to address other language needs as well. The team also is cognizant of engaging those with special needs.
“We are working with national ministry organizations, like the National Catholic Office for Deaf Ministry,” said Reyna. “We also (are) trying to be as inclusive as possible for all our brothers and sisters, including those who may have some physical disabilities, to make sure that they are able to participate and to see how we can accommodate and serve them.”
Speaking on behalf of Indianapolis Archbishop Charles C. Thompson, Christopher Walsh, the archdiocesan chancellor, said it is “a tremendous honor to be the host diocese for this historic event.”
(Natalie Hoefer is a reporter for The Criterion, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.)
NATION LOS ANGELES (OSV News) – A recent court ruling has become another bend in a “rollercoaster” ride for hundreds of thousands of individuals who arrived in the U.S. as children without legal permission, said an immigration expert. On Sept. 13, a federal judge in Texas found the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program unlawful. DACA was created in 2012 under the Obama administration. According to a March 2023 report by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 578,680 people are beneficiaries of DACA. Ilissa Mira, a senior attorney with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., or CLINIC, said DACA recipients can continue to file renewal applications and their employment authorizations. She added they will do so “with this thing that’s still gonna continue to loom over their heads – this uncertainty about what will happen to DACA in the long run. So it’s still a situation where the clock is ticking for them.” Carlos Alberto Méndez Velázquez told OSV News he knows that anxiety all too well. The 33-year-old Los Angeles resident, a filmmaker, said he wants the government to give DACA recipients like him a path out of their immigration limbo, especially since he and fellow DACA recipients generate jobs and contribute to the nation’s prosperity.
Pictured is one bead from a living rosary prayed in memory of Ethan Gerads Sept. 3, 2023, at Seven Dolors Church in Albany, Minn. Ethan, 16, was killed in a car accident July 21, a short time after he helped make the rosary. (OSV News photo/Dianne Towalski, The Central Minnesota Catholic)
ALBANY, Minn. (OSV News) – Earlier this summer, Jeff Gerads volunteered to construct a giant rosary for the Harvest of Hope Area Catholic Community. When he invited his sons Ethan, 16, and Owen, 12, to help, he could never have known how special that rosary would become. Ethan was killed in a car accident July 21. Now that rosary and the community are helping the family, Jeff and his wife, Melissa, Owen and his sister, Emma, to cope with the loss. People from across the Harvest of Hope community, which includes the parishes in Albany, Avon, St. Martin and St. Anthony, in central Minnesota, gathered Sept. 3 at Seven Dolors in Albany to pray a special living rosary to remember Ethan using the rosary he helped make. Ethan was an usher and an altar server and would have been a junior this year at Albany High School. He grew up seeing his dad pray the rosary while they were hunting and had started bringing his own rosary on hunting trips, Jeff said. “The four parishes each have an identity, but then an event like this happens and we discover something that we hold in common,” said Deacon Steven Koop, who is assigned to the Harvest of Hope community. “And that is how much we love family, how much we respect one another.”
WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The American public’s views of the family are “complicated” and becoming “more pessimistic than optimistic about the institution of marriage and the family,” according to a new report from Pew Research Center. Social and legal changes in recent decades have increased the variety of households in the United States, data shows. A growing share of U.S. adults in recent decades have either delayed or foregone marriage, according to Pew’s analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. The survey about the future of the country found that when asked about marriage and family, 40% of Americans said they are very or somewhat pessimistic about the institution of marriage and the family. Just 25% are very or somewhat optimistic. Another 29% said they are neither optimistic nor pessimistic. Just 23% of Americans called being married as either extremely or very important to living a fulfilling life, while just 26% said the same of having children. Those trends hold across religious groups. Just 22% of Catholics identified marriage as either extremely or very important to living a fulfilling life; 31% said the same about having children. When asked to rank what factors were extremely or very important for a fulfilling life, most Americans pointed to career satisfaction (71%) and having close friends (61%). Most Catholics ranked having a job or career they enjoy (77%) and having close friends (59%) as extremely or very important to living a fulfilling life.
VATICAN VATICAN CITY (CNS) – On the recommendation of the Catholic bishops of mainland China in consultation with the Chinese government, Pope Francis has named two bishops from the country’s mainland as members of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops. Bishop Joseph Yang Yongqiang of Zhoucun, who has served as vice president of the government-related Council of Chinese Bishops, and Bishop Anthony Yao Shun of Jining, the first bishop ordained after the Vatican and China signed a provisional agreement on the nomination of bishops in 2018, will be among the 365 synod members, a number which includes the pope, the Vatican said. The Vatican released an updated list Sept. 21 of people expected to participate in the assembly of the Synod of Bishops Oct. 4-19. A list released in July included Cardinal-designate Stephen Chow Sau-Yan of Hong Kong, but no bishop from the Chinese mainland. Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín, undersecretary of the synod, told reporters that 464 people are expected to be involved in the synod, including 54 women participating as full members and 27 women joining as experts, facilitators or special guests.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Vatican urged members of the U.N. Security Council to be “creative and courageous artisans of peace and weavers of constructive dialogue” to find a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine. Addressing a meeting of the U.N. Security Council in New York Sept. 20, Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, the Vatican’s foreign minister, said today the “entire international community, more than ever, cannot surrender itself and let this issue pass in silence.” He said “all member states of the United Nations, and especially those of the Security Council, are called upon to join efforts in the search for a just and lasting peace for Ukraine as an important element of the global peace of which the world thirsts.” The Security Council meeting included a speech from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who criticized the council’s structure which gives five countries the power to veto any council resolution or decision, saying that Russia’s misuse of the veto power is “to the detriment of all other U.N. members.” Archbishop Gallagher did not discuss the subject of veto power, but said it is “undeniable that the Russian attack on Ukraine has jeopardized the entire global order which arose after World War II.”
WORLD ABUJA, Nigeria (OSV News) – In another chapter of an “evil scheme” plaguing Nigeria, the southern Enugu Diocese asked for prayers for Father Marcellinus Obioma Okide, who was kidnapped Sept. 17. The priest was reportedly abducted on his way to St. Mary Amofia-Agu Affa Parish, where he serves as a parish priest. Six other people who were traveling with him were also kidnapped. In a Sept. 18 release sent to OSV News, Father Wilfred Chidi Agubuchie, the diocesan chancellor and secretary confirmed the abductions, and called on the Christian community to pray for the priest’s safe release and “a change of heart on the part of the kidnappers.” Christians in Africa’s largest nation have become prized targets for terrorist groups such as Fulani herdsmen, according to Emeka Umeagbalasi, chairman of Intersociety, a nongovernmental human rights organization. He said 22 communities and villages have been under the siege of the jihadist Fulani herdsmen and other assembled jihadists since 2022, accusing the government of former President, Muhammaru Buhari of using such Fulani attacks to enhance an agenda of “Islamizing Nigeria.” Johan Viljoen, Director of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute of the South Africa Catholic bishops’ conference told OSV News that “the situation in Enugu is particularly severe. Enugu state shares a border with Benue state, which has been under sustained attack.”
MEXICO CITY (OSV News) – Dominican Brother Obed Cuellar has seen large numbers of migrants arrive daily in the Mexican border city of Piedras Negras, where they plan to cross the Rio Grande into neighboring Eagle Pass, Texas. But there’s still space available in the diocesan-run migrant shelter. “They head straight for the river,” he told OSV News. An estimated 2,200 migrants crossed the Rio Grande into Eagle Pass in the early morning hours of Sept. 18, one of the largest massive crossings on record, according to Fox News. It’s a scene playing at other crossings across the nearly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border as migrants arrive in increasingly large numbers, straining the resources of migrant-assistance organizations and U.S. border patrol officials alike. The U.S. Border Patrol recorded more than 177,000 arrests in August, according to the Washington Post – roughly a 30% increase from the 132,652 migrants detained in July. The sharp increase in arrests followed a jump from 99,539 detentions in June – the month following the end of Title 42, the pandemic-era health provision which allowed for the immediate expulsion of migrants to Mexico. A record number of families also were taken into custody by Border Patrol in August, according to the Post. Analysts say the urge to migrate remains strong – with many people coming from countries such as Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba. Some migrants are allowed entry into the U.S. and receive notices to appear in court. But many are sent back to Mexico and transported to destinations in southern states far from the United States border.
LAMPEDUSA, Italy (OSV News) – In front of the Church of St. Gerland on the Italian island of Lampedusa, dozens of migrants lined up Sept. 14 in a neat row, one after the other. The queue was long as they waited patiently. More than 130 Red Cross employees and volunteers were working day and night to provide migrants not only with sanitary assistance, but also with a warm meal. They prepared 5,000 portions at noon and a similar amount for dinner. From Sept. 12 to Sept. 13, 7,000 migrants reached Lampedusa, an Italian island once visited by Pope Francis as his first apostolic trip destination in July 2013. On Sept. 13, authorities said a record number of 120 fragile boats arrived on the island within 24 hours. “If you count all of us here on the island we are just 5,000 inhabitants,” former Mayor Totò Martello told journalists, when, together with other people of goodwill, he rolled up his sleeves and offered the outstretched hand of another refugee a plate of pasta al pomodoro. “There haven’t been that many people here ever before probably,” 80-year-old Salvatore, who only gave his first name, told OSV News, but “at least there is a relative order here close to the church.” So far in 2023, nearly 126,000 migrants have arrived in Italy, almost double the figure by the same time in 2022. Those desperately trying to reach Europe came mainly from Africa’s Guinea, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso, but also from Bangladesh and Pakistan.
CLARKSDALE – Father Raju blesses Police Chief Robbie Linley, father of St. Elizabeth School sixth grader, Anna Mims Linley at the annual parish Blue Mass for first responders. (Photo by Mary Evelyn Stonestreet)
