Bishop Kevin Vann tests positive for COVID (OC Register) Bishop Kevin Vann, who leads the Diocese of Orange, tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday, Dec. 16, a statement issued by the diocese said. Vann, 69, began his quarantine process before receiving his test results and will continue to work remotely from home, Tracey Kincaid, spokeswoman for the diocese, said…
Blood of St. Januarius fails to liquify (CNA) In Naples, the blood of St. Januarius remained solid Wednesday morning, after having liquefied both in May and September this year. “When we took the reliquary from the safe, the blood was absolutely solid and remains absolutely solid,” said Fr. Vincenzo de Gregorio, abbot of the Chapel of St. Januarius in Naples Cathedral…
Remembering Sandy Hook eight years later (CNS) The Catholic community in Newtown gathered in-person and virtually Dec. 14 to remember the 20 students and six staff members killed eight years ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. “We gather for the eighth time this night to remember one of the most horrific events in this community, and certainly in this country and even our world,” said Msgr. Robert Weiss, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown. He reminded parishioners they made a pledge that day to never forget what happened and to “hold these 26 in prayer and thought, as well as their families. So once again, tonight, we gather to remember…”
Person who accused Virginia priest recants (AP) A person who accused a retired Catholic priest of child sexual abuse has recanted their allegation, The Catholic Diocese of Richmond announced Tuesday. The diocese issued a statement saying that because the person recanted the accusations made against Fr. William Dinga, he has been restored to his previous position and status within the diocese…
Nigerian nun cares for abandoned children labeled as witches (CNS) Three years after taking in 2-year-old Inimffon Uwamobong and her younger brother, Sister Matylda Iyang finally heard from the mother who had abandoned them. “Their mother came back and told me that she (Inimffon) and her younger sibling are witches, asking me to throw them out of the convent,” said Sister Iyang, who oversees the Mother Charles Walker Children Home at the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus convent…
Holy Land prepares for scaled-down Christmas (Crux) Like much of the rest of the world, the Holy Land – the place of Jesus’s birth, ministry and death – has felt the ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic, and as a result, will be celebrating Christmas a little differently this year. According to Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Church in the Holy Land is preparing for “a very scaled-down Christmas…”
