News from the Church in Malta
More than 20 years ago, Ann Pollak traveled to Calcutta, hoping to volunteer alongside Mother Teresa. The experience would spark a years-long process that would eventually lead her to adopt a severely handicapped child from one of the care centers run by the Missionaries of Charity.
“It has not been easy, at all, but the blessings have far, far outweighed the sacrifices,” Pollak told CNA…
Returning to a consistent theme of his visit to Colombia, Pope Francis urged Colombians to “take the first step” in his homily at the Port of Cartagena on September 10, 2017.
It was his final Mass in Colombia, and he again made a plea for peace, noting that the first step is “to go out and meet others with Christ the Lord.”
The Holy Father cited the model of Saint Peter Claver, whose shrine he visited earlier the same day:
“Here, in the Sanctuary of Saint Peter Claver, where the progress and application of human rights in Colombia continue to be studied and monitored in a systematic way, the Word of God speaks to us of forgiveness, correction, community and prayer.”
The Pope went on to describe what he had experienced on the trip, especially “many testimonies from those who have reached out to people who had harmed them; terrible wounds that I could see in their own bodies; irreparable losses that still bring tears.”
“Yet they have reached out, have taken a first step on a different path to the one already travelled.”
Francis stressed the personal human role required for a change in Colombian suffering, noting that, “We can contribute greatly to this new step that Colombia wants to take.” And he reminded the congregation: “Jesus tells us that this path of reintegration into the community begins with a dialogue of two persons…
Calling himself a pilgrim of peace and hope, Pope Francis urged some 22,000 young people gathered in Bogotá’s Bolivar Square not be afraid of the future: “Dare to dream big, he said, I want to invite you to that great dream today”.
And of course Pope Francis was asking them to make that dream of a peaceful future for Colombia come true…
Pope Francis’ Apostolic Journey to Colombia, which starts today, shines the light on a nation in which the Catholic Church has not only taken an active role in peace negotiations between the government and guerrilla groups, but also has made it its mission to accompany the countless innocents caught in the crossfire, affirming their dignity and fighting for their rights…
As the first anniversary of the sainthood of Mother Teresa of Kolkata was marked on Monday, the Archdiocese of Calcutta, in eastern India, is set to declare her as its co-patron. “On 6 September we will have at 5.30 pm a Holy Mass in the Cathedral (of the Most Holy Rosary) and the Archbishop is going to declare Mother Teresa as co-patroness of the Archdiocese,” IANS reported Sister Prema, Superior-General of the Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa, as saying on September 4.
Sister Prema made the declaration at the inauguration of a two-day exhibition of paintings and sculptures on Mother Teresa organized in Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, by the Indian National Forum of Art and Culture in association with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Church Art to commemorate the first anniversary of the Nobel laureate’s canonization, Sept…
The story of creation presents us with a panoramic view of the world. Scripture reveals that, “in the beginning”, God intended humanity to cooperate in the preservation and protection of the natural environment. At first, as we read in Genesis, “no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up – for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground” (2:5)…
L-Arċisqof Charles J. Scicluna bagħat messaġġ ta’ kondoljanzi lill-Eminenza Tiegħu l-Kardinal Vincent Nichols, Arċisqof ta’ Westminster, wara li l-Ġimgħa, l-1 ta’ Settembru 2017, tħabbret il-mewt tal-Kardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Arċisqof Emeritus ta’ Westminster. Huwa kellu 85 sena.
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There are various references to trees in the Bible, including some that refer to the “tree of life”. Apart from their metaphorical meanings, trees do provide a great service to humankind. Their greatest contribution is much closer to home than the inspiration that they provided and continue to provide to poets, painters and musicians over the ages. Apart from providing the raw material for various goods they also provide an immense service in the form of carbon sequestration, reducing pollution, shelter from the sun, recreational space where people can interact with nature and the obvious aesthetic value both in rural as well as urban areas…
Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna has re-established the Commission for Justice and Peace and has appointed Mr Daniel Darmanin, an architect by profession, as President of the Commission for a three year term.
Mr Darmanin, 33 , graduated from the University of Malta and pursued his studies at the University of Loyola in Chicago, USA, where he read for a Masters degree in Social Justice and Community Development…
