Catholics are humbled by the stories of former Anglicans who were faced with a decision and stepped out in faith to join the Catholic Church, said US Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.   Cardinal DiNardo. Photo: CNS.   By Teresita Johnson CNS - “The Catholic Church understands and appreciates the sacrifices made by former Anglica...

Ukranian expert delivers an authentic icon for the Kimberley.   Bishop Christopher Saunders marvels at the icon of Our Lady of Peace. Photo: Broome Diocese.   By Robert Hiini AN icon painted by artist and world iconography expert Roman Vasylyk was unveiled in Broome’s Our Lady of Peace Cathedral on Sunday June 7. Broome Bishop, Christopher ...

Numbers at CYM events are on the up and up. By Robert Hiini The outlook for Catholic Youth Ministry’s upcoming “Hope” Conference looks good, with 100 young people attending their “Sunday Sesh” on June 21 at Holy Spirit Parish in City Beach. After an introduction of games, attendees heard from veteran youth minister and recent Papal Award reci...

Global financial crisis making trafficking even worse.   Vietnamese girls, one as young as 8, sit on a bed in a brothel in a Cambodian village near Phnom Penh in March in this 2002 photo. The vulnerable are prime targets of traffickers. Photo: CNS/Reuters.   WASHINGTON (CNS) - Efforts to combat global human trafficking suffered setbacks last year, in part ...

Pontiff appeals for Africa as world’s hungry increase.   An internally displaced girl, who fled a military offensive in Pakistan's Swat Valley region, looks through a tear in the food distribution tent while awaiting for her food ration at a U.N. camp about 87 miles northwest of Islamabad, Pakistan's capital. Photo: CNS   By John Thavis VATICAN...

Religious from Perth-based association to work at isolated mission.   Ready for action: Fr Douglas Rowe, centre, and the members of his Patrist religious community, from left, Br Israel Quirit SFP, Sr January Rebutazo SFP, Sr Ailene Siano SFP, Sr Daryl Grace Paluca SFP and Br Garner Vergara SFP. PHOTO: Robert Hiini.   By Robert Hiini Fr Douglas Row...

The Catholic Education Commission of WA releases its annual report. By Robert Hiini The Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia (CECWA) has released its annual report for 2008 chronicling the actions and achievements of Catholic Education in WA last year. The report details the Catholic education sector’s involvement in World Youth Day and lists among the year’...

Catholic New Service's John Thavis explains why most of what the Pope does rarely hits the news. VATICAN CITY (CNS) - News coverage of Pope Benedict XVI tends to leap from big event to big event, so perhaps it’s no surprise that after his Holy Land pilgrimage last month the German pontiff has fallen off the mainstream media radar. To cite a single but typical example, in the ...

The Year of the Priest is with us, and priests can look forward to numerous books, exhortations, conferences, seminars, retreats, gatherings and other opportunities to grow in their priesthood, which is to grow in persona Christi, in the person of Christ. It is also an opportunity for lay people to grow in our understanding of and respect for priests. A good starting point is never ...

He almost never made it to ordination because he was regarded as too simple and uneducated. Many of his contemporaries thought he didn’t have what it takes to be a priest. His ordination certificate said he was not allowed to hear confessions. But this astonishing figure is not only the patron of all Parish Priests; Pope Benedict XVI has made him the patron of all Priests. In the Year f...