CHILDREN, GIFTS FROM GOD
I imagine you have learned that the Alabama Supreme Court recently ruled that embryos are to be recognized as human beings. As a result, several fertility clinics in the state have informed their clients that they will no longer be able to continue their in vitro treatments for fear of possible lawsuits. This has caused an uproar in the media. Allow me to offer you a summary of the Catholic Church’s very clear teaching in this regard; you will find it in our Catechism of the Catholic Church. It begins [...]
THIRD SUNDAY LENT (Year B)
Exodus 20:1 - 17 Last Sunday, we heard of God’s test for Abraham after he had made a covenant with him. This follows the reading from the First Sunday of Lent, in which we heard about the covenant that God made with Noah and his descendents. This week, we hear the commandments that God gives to his people at Mt. Sinai as part of that covenant. We read about the ratification of the covenant and Moses going up Mt. Sinai in chapter 24; let’s read that first to prepare us [...]
Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa was founded on the basic principles of Saint John Paul II’s call to action in Ecclesia in Africa and the adoption of the statement A Call to Solidarity with Africa from the Bishops of the United States. Nations throughout Africa continually face the economic and social hurdles of enormous debt, epidemics, severe poverty and political unrest. Despite these harsh challenges, Catholicism is flourishing throughout Africa. Your support of the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa [...]
AS WE ENTER FULLY INTO THE SEASON OF LENT
“See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you” (Gn 9:8). As we begin again the Season of Lent, we hear today God’s reassuring words to Noah and his family after the devastating flood. We are all familiar with this story in the Bible which provides a moral explanation for the end of the last Ice Age. As this story ends, we hear God assuring humanity that he will care for us; all we need to do is turn away from our sinful ways and [...]
LENT BEGINS
It’s been a strange and unusually warm winter, hasn’t it? With the exception of a few extraordinarily frigid days and one snow storm, it’s felt more like fall or spring than winter. Now, spring is fast approaching. Liturgically, Lent – which means “spring” – is almost here; it starts this week with Ash Wednesday. Just as the natural world is reawakened and renewed every spring, each year, the Church, in her wisdom, offers us this liturgical Season of Lent, a season for reconciliation and renewal in preparation for Easter, when [...]
NATIONAL CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
National Catholic Schools Week is an annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. Now entering its 50th anniversary year, it is an opportunity for us to recognize the importance of Catholic education and formation and to celebrate our school that has instructed and formed our children for over 100 years. Our school has enjoyed a strong reputation as an outstanding Catholic elementary school ever since it opened in 1916. It was originally founded to ensure that the Catholic children in this area would receive both an excellent education [...]