Pope announces day of prayer, fasting for Lebanon (CNS) Pope Francis has asked Catholics and all people of goodwill to observe 4 September as a day of prayer and fasting for Lebanon. As Pope Francis greeted people gathered in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace for his general audience on 2 September, the Rev. Georges Briedi, a member of the Congregation of Lebanese Maronite Missionaries, held up a Lebanese flag. The pope kissed the flag and then bowed his head in prayer…

Statue of Mary decapitated in Canada (Facebook) Sunday August 30th, 2020, before we started our Masses at Our Lady of Lebanon church Toronto, we were shocked to discover a horrible act of vandalism: We found that the statue of the Virgin Mary, erected in front of the church, was completely decapitated! Most probably this was done during the night or at dawn. We couldn’t find the head anywhere near the statue…

Archdiocese reviewing priest who told Catholics to ‘disobey’ bishop on masks (CNA) Both the Archdiocese of Denver and the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter are reviewing the situation of a priest who told Catholics to disobey the orders of Church and civic officials regarding masks at Mass and other religious services. In a video posted on YouTube Tuesday, Fr. Daniel Nolan told Catholics “do not obey the bishop, do not obey the governor. They cannot tell you to wear a mask. This is a lie. They are lying to all of us…”

Helping prevent suicide during the pandemic (Chicago Catholic) With the pandemic increasing rates of depression and anxiety among all populations and especially those struggling with mental illness, organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have issued warnings about an increase in deaths by suicides. With September as National Suicide Prevention Month, the biggest thing Catholic parishes and institutions can do to prevent suicide is to talk about mental health, according to people who minister both to people with mental illness and their families and to people who have lost loved ones to suicide…

Actor Jim Caviezel on faith and the ‘barbarism of abortion’ (The Western Journal) Actor Jim Caviezel, who burst on the Hollywood scene in 2004 with his iconic role as Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ,” is an outspoken Catholic who openly discusses his faith and devotion to God. “The way God sees us is who we really are,” Caviezel recently told the “Edifi With Billy Hallowell” podcast, going on to speak about a range of issues, including his new movie, “Infidel”…

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