The annual Assumption tradition: blessing the sea (CNA) For hundreds of years, Catholic parishes in coastal cities have participated in the tradition of blessing the sea and praying for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Feast of the Assumption. While believers in landlocked areas may be unfamiliar with the practice, it is a longstanding tradition that provides an opportunity not only to pray for safe travel at sea during the coming year, but also to profess one’s faith outside of church walls, one priest told CNA…
N.J. Catholic agency sees biggest demand for services ever (CNS) The demand for food and clothes has surged at the Mercy House in the Clinton Hill section of Newark where the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the area’s poor is ever-present. Volunteers at the Catholic resource and referral center have been giving away bags of food to the needy almost as quickly as the donations come in. “There’s a lack of food,” said Cheryl Riley, director of Mercy House. “In the first few weeks when we reopened, we were bone dry. There was nothing…”
Deacon in Colombia leads funeral rites as death toll climbs (Reuters) Standing outside the high cemetery walls as a sharp breeze blows down from the Andes, Mauricio Castiblanco pulls on a disposable cover-all, adjusts his mask under a face shield, and snaps on latex gloves. He adds extras to his personal protective equipment (PPE), befitting his role as a Catholic deacon: a purple sash decorated with an embroidered red cross, a plastic bottle of holy water, and a book of funeral rites. Castiblanco, who works at a Bogota funeral home, is getting ready to receive four hearses bearing the bodies of presumed or confirmed COVID-19 victims…
North Korea diocese to be dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima (Vatican News) The Diocese of Pyongyang, North Korea, is to be dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima on 15 August, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Archbishop of Seoul and Apostolic Administrator of Pyongyang, Cardinal Andrew Soo-jung Yeom, made this announcement in his message for the liturgical Solemnity. He said that the assumption into heaven of Our Lady “is a sign of hope for us, the faithful, because it has given us hope that if we are faithful in our believing like the Holy Mother, we will be saved and rewarded with eternal life in the kingdom of God (Luke 1:38)…”
Why Maximilian Kolbe is the saint for our times (Aleteia) St. Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish priest during the height of World War II. He spoke out against the Nazi regime, and his faithfulness to Christ in the midst of persecution landed him in Auschwitz. Yet, he never wavered in his love for others and desire for unity…
