Nearly 10 years ago, during his visit to Philadelphia, Pope Francis made a surprise stop at Saint Joseph's University It's like losing a family member," Father Dan Joyce said Joyce, the vice president for mission and ministry at St. Joe's, is one of many on campus mourning the sudden loss of the 88-year-old pontiff Click here for the full story via CBS Philadelphia CBS Local Digital Media personalizes the global reach of CBS-owned and operated television and radio stations with a local perspective Leaders at The Saint Paul Seminary have long held that priestly formation doesn’t end at ordination The seminary has taken a significant step in fostering the well-being of its priests through the role of Susan Torborg Torborg – a licensed nutritionist who founded the R3 Weight Loss Plan – has been transforming the lives of priests in the Archdiocese of St the amount of priests coming to her for wellness coaching has more than doubled One of her successful priest clients began working with Torborg in March 2023 After following her guidance on healthier eating habits and exercise he lost 42 pounds and 15 inches of waistline Results like that reflect Torborg’s holistic approach exercise and long-term health planning tailored to the unique demands of priestly life Many priests face challenging schedules and constant demands from their parishioners That means they often skip meals or settle for unhealthy food options due to time constraints evening meetings and the abundance of sugary treats offered to them These patterns make it difficult to maintain a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle “Priests are always serving others,” said Torborg Susan teaches her clients to follow seven healthy habits: Another priest’s story highlights the power of these habits Initially addicted to Coca-Cola and struggling with unhealthy eating patterns he broke free from these habits through Torborg’s program health and holiness are deeply intertwined “When priests grow in the virtue of temperance with their food it spills over into their spiritual lives,” she says “Taking care of their bodies allows them to serve God and their parishioners with more energy and joy.” Editor's Note: A version of this story originally ran on The Saint Paul Seminary website Are you willing to accept the idea that a woman named Pierrette Bloch Bloch—whose work has been shown in discerning galleries and museums yet has never reached the stratosphere financially—was not only supreme among female artists but was the best of the best Her arrangements of dots and lines on canvas To behold them is like entering a Zen rock garden; every small form and the intervening spaces is placed with authority and a unique flair for visual harmonics Bloch came from a Swiss family and spent most of her life in Paris Her aunt and uncle were the first clients of Édouard Jeanneret which prompted him to tell his parents that Jews had more culture and courage than did Protestants like them Take it on faith: an outing to this relatively remote location to see the work of an obscure artist will knock your socks off a priest foreverTo commemorate the centenary of St a video on his priestly vocation was shown in Zaragoza and Rome It includes fragments of get togethers in which he shared advice with priests inspiring them to live a holy and fruitful ministry it says that Jesus would gather his disciples and speak with them The Lord acted as He does — I won’t describe it — and I had inklings of love do you realize that you will not have human affection on earth I will not stand in your way.” Two tears welled up in his eyes It was the only time I ever saw my father cry I am going to introduce you to someone who can guide you.” And he introduced me to a friend of his who was the abbot of the collegiate church [in Logroño] I began studying at home with a private tutor Advice for the formation of future priests You know that we are working in the seminary We have 69 students from across the Republic We believe it is very important to insist on personal prayer and spiritual direction do you think we should insist on anything else you are laying a tremendous foundation; that of direct and immediate contact with God Just as one must be completely honest with a doctor when it comes to matters of the body that same sincerity must be had with the spiritual director when it comes to matters of the soul You are laying a very solid foundation: love for the Eucharist and I remember so many virtues of those young men I remember — the notes will be around somewhere if they were not burned during the war — noting in this soul…” Draw close to them with affection when they are sick when they are suffering due to family difficulties specifically in the hospitals and the outlying neighborhoods of the city My poor soul was being formed in the spirit of spiritual childhood through my interactions with children I spent many hours each week hearing the confessions of children from public schools in the most remote neighborhoods of Madrid I learned much from having them as my teachers I also had a few stones thrown at me — which You've always told us that the Mass is the center and root of the interior life I would like you to talk to us about the Mass… the Body and Blood of the Lord come into my hands… we leave Him hidden and alive in the Tabernacle I would like the faithful to be able to see you make a genuflection and say “There is a priest who loves Jesus Christ.” do not be in a hurry when preparing for Mass do not be in a hurry when celebrating Mass do not be in a hurry when giving thanks after Mass What can we priests do when we are in densely populated parishes where the people sometimes lack education and do not understand us when we speak or preach what is the most important element in renewing a parish But be convinced of this: you have everything in your hands Priestly fraternity with the hearts of Christ and Mary Let us thank God for our entire priesthood Let us lovingly accept both the small sacrifices and the great joys that we have so often experienced deep in our hearts And even when we do not feel anything in particular I would like you to be courageous precisely because we love Qui autem timet non est perfectus in caritate!: he who fears does not know how to love and especially the souls of our brother priests Do not be afraid to bring your heart into your interactions Let that affection pass through the most sweet heart of Mary we will be both profoundly human and deeply divine the one who may feel alone in some remote corner of a diocese For a diocesan priest who loves his secular vocation and what does a vocation to Opus Dei add to his already complete dedication to God and to souls He is set ablaze with love for his vocation and he will sanctify his professional work There are a number of spiritual obligations There is a greater detachment from earthly things and an even greater love for everything that the priest holds in his hands as part of his diocese This priest will find himself more deeply united to his diocese love the universal Church and the portion of Christ’s flock that the Lord has entrusted to you I have a special weakness in my heart for all religious sisters especially those in cloistered communities It would bring me great joy if you could help them Let them understand that you are contemplatives and that their life is essential to the Church Josemaría: You want me to speak to you about the Virgin Mary and speaking about her privileges with every soul we can I was giving many spiritual retreats for priests all over Spain because the Lord wanted it I talked about the role of a priest’s mother And I also spoke about the good sisters of priests who sometimes sacrifice themselves and choose not to start a family so as not to leave their brother alone It occurred to me to say: “The mothers of priests” (I was thinking of my own mother’s suffering because she was sick) “should only die the day after their son does.” “Your mother just passed away,” and I froze I went to the Tabernacle without shedding a tear I love your mothers and your sisters very much Don’t you think that we priests are meant to lead people to peace rather than burdening them with difficult penances like three Masses and ten ways of the Cross… Josemaría: I'm going to tell you something Penance is something we should take upon ourselves when you see that someone is struggling because they’ve led a bad life tell them: “We’re going to do the penance together You know how much I love for you to spend hours in the confessional and you will carry out a wonderful work of pastoral theology Paul: We know that this year marks your 50th anniversary as a priest Could you briefly speak about your life as a priest but you did say that I’m in my 50th year as a priest… Very tactful of you I have worked… Do you want me to say it as I usually do Because you’ll understand me very well: Ut iumentum factus sum apud te: I have been like a little donkey before God Christ speaks of giving and of self-giving And I believe this is the priest’s mission: to speak of God to repeat again and again the words of Christ and to administer the holy sacraments to all Printed | document generated automatically from https://opusdei.org/en/article/video-saint-josemaria-vocation-priesthood/ (04/03/2025) The contributions for a beatification and canonization cause help to cover the costs involved in making the Servant of God, Blessed or Saint more widely known, the diocesan investigation, the Roman phase and, finally, the ceremony of beatification and canonization, in accordance with the norms approved by Pope Francis on 7 March 2016 When the ceremony of canonization has taken place the donations are destined to the spreading of the message of the new saint Please email comments to letters@livingchurch.org Matt Marino of Trinity Episcopal Church in St is recovering in a Jacksonville hospital after he was stabbed in the chest October 23 during a regular breakfast stop and Maycock found that Marino says on the parish website that he “likes to drink coffee and will shamelessly invite himself aboard your sailboat.” By 9:07 a.m., the St. Augustine Police Department posted images on its Facebook page of a woman riding a bicycle and Maycock reported that the arrest occurred two hours after the stabbing Stefan reported that Gibbs was arrested on a charge of simple battery in August The police department announced in the afternoon that Gibbs has been charged with second-degree attempted homicide Multiple news reports said there is no indication that Marino and Gibbs know each other Trinity Church closed its parish office and school as a precaution after the stabbing Marino offered frequent supportive remarks about the Rev Charlie Holt when the Diocese of Florida elected Holt twice as its next bishop Holt did not receive enough consents from bishops and standing committees to become bishop Marino, a former area director for the evangelical ministry Young Life He began his ministry as an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Arizona in 2008 John the Divine in Houston before moving to St are the parents of a son and daughter who are now adults Douglas LeBlanc is the Associate Editor for Book Reviews and writes about Christianity and culture The restructuring is expected to affect 96 employees at the Saint-Priest site As a trusted provider of data and insights Just Drinks collaborates closely with industry leaders and professionals to offer unique thought leadership and analysis Gain a deeper understanding of the apparel industry’s trajectory and the priorities shaping the profession Subscribe to unlock exclusive content Already a subscriber? Sign in to access your account Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis Nominations are now open for the prestigious Just Drinks Excellence Awards - one of the industry's most recognised programmes celebrating innovation This is your chance to showcase your achievements Don't miss the opportunity to be honoured among the best - submit your nomination today Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Spring Campaign Launches TODAY!Join us to hit our $60,000 goal fast Mass Propers for Monday of the Third Week of Easter: Entrance Antiphon: The Good Shepherd has risen who laid down his life for his sheep and willingly died for his flock but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God Jn 14:27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you Not as the world gives do I give it to you Jn 12:24: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies putting off our old self with all its ways for through the healing paschal remedies you have confirmed us to his nature Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit » Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books! Today the Roman Martyrology commemorates St convert from Judaism and a professed Priest of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel Born in 1145 at Jerusalem and died by being stabbed to death in 1220 at Licata Caterina Cittadini is also commemorated today She was an Italian Roman Catholic religious from Bergamo who established the Ursuline Sisters of Saint Jerome Emiliani The order was dedicated to the education of girls in Bergamo and in the surrounding areas and has since expanded outside of the Italian nation leaving you an example that you should follow His steps" (Epistle) The Christian slave might complain that his membership in the Church had not alleviated the harsh conditions of his life Peter points to the example of Christ who was in all things to be the model of the Christian neither was guile found in His mouth," but nevertheless he was subjected to persecution and injustice But the Christian is expected to be a follower of Christ but delivered Himself to him that judged Him unjustly." If then Christians feel that they have not achieved the liberty and the equality they long for they are to remember that Christ had come not to right all the wrongs and injustices in the world but to give an "example that you should follow His steps." Men often complain against God when they suffer what they consider undeserved misfortunes They think that God ought to interfere and punish injustice and wickedness here and now They are like the apostles James and John; they want to call down fire from heaven and destroy those who appear to them to act improperly Christ made it clear that all injustice will be rectified eventually but that for the present He wishes to allow the cockle to grow among the wheat When the proper time comes God will deal with injustice in His own way But it is not only the slave who is to be subject to authority and to recognize that mistreatment patiently borne is a service acceptable to God and meritorious for man Obedience to legitimate authority does not depend on the worthiness of the official exercising authority Christ Himself had commanded His disciples to obey the officials of the Jewish Church even though they might not be personally worthy of the office they held He was obedient first of all to His parents "He went down with them and came to Nazareth He observed the ritual and the laws of the Jewish Church He obeyed the laws of the Roman authorities and paid the tribute they demanded He set off on a Genoese ship on 1 April 1219 and stopped first in Messina before heading off to Civitavecchia before he ended up in Rome to meet with the pope The friar preached in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran while in Rome where he met both Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Dominic He foretold that Francis would receive the stigmata while Francis foretold his premature death.st angelus of jerusalem snip From there he was a guest of the Basilians in Palermo where he was for about a month before preaching in Agrigento for over a month before settling in Licata He had healed seven lepers and the ailing Archbishop of Palermo Bernardo de Castanea while in Palermo He settled on the Sicilian island though his fame as a wonderworker caused crowds to flock to him He also had success in converting some Jews though most Jews in Palermo came to despise him for this since he himself was once Jewish He wanted to convert a Knight named Berenger Catholic tradition states that Berenger was living in incest and that Angelo convinced the knight’s companion to leave him Berenger became enraged and arranged to have him attacked and murdered in front of the Church of Saints Filippo and Giacomo in Licata He didn’t die from the attack until four days after the attack and during that time he prayed for his assassin and asked the civil authorities to pardon him setting an example for all those that he preached to He was buried at Saints Filippo and Giacomo Church His sepulchre at Licata quickly became a site of Pilgrimage Symbols and Representation: Carmelite with a knife in his head; Carmelite with a sword in his breast and three crowns; Carmelite with an angel bringing him three crowns; Carmelite with lilies and roses falling from his mouth The sisters left the orphanage in 1823 to live with their cousins Giovanni and Antonio Cittadini Caterina became a teacher at a girl‘s public school in Somasca in 1824 The sisters felt a call to the religious life; their spiritual director recommended that they should stay in Somasca and become the basis of a new congregation In 1826 the sisters rented a house in Somasca and in October opened a boarding school for girls and instituted the oratory style of education for her girls The sisters established another “Cittadini” private school in 1832 Giuditta directed these new school until her sudden death in 1840 followed quickly by her spiritual director from the orphanage The rapid succession of tragedy ruined Caterina’s health but was cured through the intercession of Saint Jerome Emilani Caterina quit her public teaching position in 1845 to manage the schools and guide the three companions who help her To help organize the work and lives of her companions she wrote the beginnings of a new rule similar to that of religious orders In 1850 she obtained permission to build a private oratory to keep the Blessed Sacrament at her boarding school In 1851 she applied for approval of her new religious family and told her to write the rules of the new order; her first attempt based on the Constitution of the Ursulines of Milano was rejected A second attempt was accepted on 17 September 1854 under the title Orsoline Gerolimiane (Ursuline Sisters of Somasca) the bishop of Bergamo gave his approval; the order achieved papal recognition on 8 July 1927 and to care for the abandoned; today they work in Italy A former priest and current teacher have been indicted and charged with sexually abusing a former student of a Catholic school in Wilmington according to the Delaware Delaware Department of Justice occurred between 1994 and 1996 at the former St The investigation of the men began when the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington received an anonymous complaint and reported it to law enforcement the Diocese of Wilmington has been and will continue to cooperate with the Delaware Attorney General's Office," Krebs said The indictment details a pattern of gravely serious abuse against a child by two adults in a position of trust Attorney General Kathy Jennings said in a press release "The victim in this case suffered profound trauma over a period of years and deserves justice." prosecutors and social workers involved in the investigation The state Department of Justice is seeking other potential victims given the nature of the claims and the men's professional history. Anyone with information may contact (302) 577-5293 or ReportAbuse@delaware.gov to provide information to prosecutors and investigators More: Kirk Middle School teacher charged with sexually soliciting a student for months The investigation found that Taggart repeatedly abused a victim during their seventh and eighth grade years at St according to the state Department of Justice formerly located in the 200 block of Bayard Ave. The closure came after declining enrollment led to a $70,000 projected deficit John the Apostle in Milford in 1999 and then to St Helena's in the Penny Hill area in January 2001 Taggart resigned from active ministry in 2004 and now lives in Georgia The 80-year-old was indicted on charges of continuous sexual abuse of a child two counts of dangerous crime against a child two counts of third-degree unlawful sexual penetration four counts of first-degree unlawful sexual intercourse and second-degree unlawful sexual contact The investigation also uncovered abuse claims about Crisona Thomas for the 1994-1995 school year and part of the 1995-1996 school year Crisona was removed mid-school year following a student complaint Related: Ex-Brandywine school therapist whose arrest rocked district pleads guilty to raping child He was indicted in Delaware on charges of second-degree unlawful sexual contact three counts of first-degree unlawful sexual intercourse second-degree unlawful sexual contact and continuous sexual abuse of a child was most recently employed as a first-grade teacher at an Orange County The county is perhaps best known for housing the city of Orlando The school district confirmed that Crisona was most recently assigned to Andover Elementary School but said he was placed on administrative leave on March 10 Joseph's University in New York — Crisona's alma mater — said he taught first grade at a different Orange County school that year The district did not answer questions about when Crisona started with the district Online court records from Orange County show Crisona was arrested March 10 on a single charge of "fugitive from justice." The charge stemmed from the Delaware indictment Crisona became interested in teaching while in high school Crisona taught middle school in New York City He later taught in Delaware and Pennsylvania "before finally settling in Florida," the article said Both men have been arrested in the state where they reside and are awaiting extradition to Delaware Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com. Volume 15 - 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1303224 This article is part of the Research TopicParadoxes of Diversity and Inclusion: From the Lab to the Social FieldView all 11 articles Older employees often face discrimination and exclusion from work teams we tested the impact of age diversity statements on the representation and inclusion of older employees in teams participants had to create a team and were either exposed to a diversity statement or not before selecting two teammates from a list of four differing in age and gender we measured participants’ inclusive behavioral intentions towards a new Age diversity statements increased the representation but not the inclusion of older individuals in teams we further manipulated the content of the statement (diversity or diversity and inclusion) and the organizational motive (reputation or change) We replicated the effects of diversity statements on representation statements also increased certain inclusive behaviors but only when they targeted diversity and inclusion and reflected an organizational commitment to change these results suggest that age diversity statements foster diversity yet fail to systematically increase inclusion Understanding whether diversity statements help advance diversity and inclusion or trigger paradoxical and unwanted effects is therefore important both for theory and practice we propose that age diversity statements promote behaviors that increase the representation and inclusion of older individuals We therefore hypothesize that age diversity statements will increase the representation (Hypothesis 1) and inclusion (Hypothesis 2) of older individuals in teams so that teams become more age-diverse and inclusive We tested these hypotheses in two scenario studies where we evaluated the impact of age diversity statements on people’s willingness to choose older teammates and further include another older person in their team We recruited 304 U.S and U.K residents using the Prolific platform Participants were paid £1.50 for a study we expected to take 10 min corresponding to an hourly wage of £9 After excluding respondents who failed the attention check (n = 11) and who did not indicate their gender (n = 4) the final sample consisted of 289 participants (mean age 40.16 The majority were employed (53.3% full-time Before selecting their teammates, participants in the age diversity statement condition were shown the age diversity statement. In line with previous research (De Saint Priest and Krings, 2024) the statement read: “The company you work for cherishes age diversity in teams it is very important to encourage work with older employees the company encourages you to work in teams where older employees are well represented.” This statement appeared on a separate screen Participants in the other condition were not shown an age diversity statement participants were informed that another colleague was joining their team (Ronnie Participants then indicated how much they intended to engage in inclusive behaviors toward this new team member they answered some questions about their demographic background Participants indicated how likely they were to engage in certain behaviors towards the older team member on a 6-point likelihood response scale for the MBIE subscales and a 5-point likelihood response scale for the PGIS subscales we measured inclusion through resource sharing by asking participants to distribute a €100 team bonus between their three teammates The order of appearance of the different inclusion measures was randomized participants were more likely to select an older individual for their team with an age diversity statement in place compared to when there was no age diversity statement To test Hypothesis 2, we conducted five ANCOVA (see above), each with one indicator of inclusion as the dependent variable. Results showed no significant differences between conditions for all five indicators (see Table 2 participants exposed to the age diversity statement did not report more frequent intentions to engage in inclusive behaviors toward the older teammate compared to participants who were not exposed to the statement The results of Study 1 show that the age diversity statement increases the representation of older employees age diversity statements did not increase inclusion Participants choose more older individuals into their team after having been exposed to an age diversity statement but they are not more inclusive towards older individuals on their team This could be due to the content of the statement used in this study which referred to “diversity” without explicitly mentioning “inclusion.” We tested this possibility in Study 2 by explicitly manipulating the target of the statement (diversity vs we manipulated the underlying organizational motivation for diversity and inclusion in Study 2 we told participants that the organizational motivation for diversity and inclusion was either true change or a reputation boost we hypothesized that age-diversity statements would lead participants to choose more age-diverse teams and show more inclusive behaviors (compared to the control condition) we hypothesized that age-diversity statements would lead participants to choose more age-diverse teams (compared to the control condition) but that they may not necessarily behave more inclusively Participants were paid £1.20 for a study we expected to take 8 min After excluding respondents who failed the attention check (n = 31) and who did not indicate their gender (n = 9) the final sample consisted of 478 participants (mean age 39.02 The majority were employed (60.7% full-time The experiment had a 2 (age diversity statement: diversity or diversity and inclusion) x 2 (organizational motive: reputation or change) between-subjects design with age diversity statement and organizational motive as between-subjects factors we added a control condition in which participants were not shown a diversity statement participants had to create a team of three persons to complete the project by selecting two teammates from a list of four potential teammates who varied in age and gender Before choosing their teammates and indicating their inclusive behaviors towards an older teammate participants saw a general age diversity statement (like in Study 1) “The reason the company introduced this policy is to improve its reputation on age diversity.” In the change condition participants read: “The reason the company introduced this policy is to improve the representation of their older employees.” The target of the age diversity statement was manipulated in the next phrase the company encourages you to work in teams in which older employees are well represented,” while in the condition targeting diversity and inclusion the company encourages you to work in teams in which older employees are well represented and feel included” participants were informed that another older colleague joined their team they indicated how much they intended to engage in inclusive behaviors toward this new team member participants answered demographic questions We used the same measures of representation and inclusion toward older teammates and the same control variables as in Study 1 (see text footnote 1) showing the main effect of the age diversity statement Follow-up pair-wise comparisons using Sidak adjustments reveal that both statements increased the number of selected older teammates such that participants were more likely to select an older individual into their team with an age diversity statement and an age diversity and inclusion statement in place compared to when there was no age diversity statement There were no differences between the two statements To examine the effects of the age diversity statement’s target on age-inclusive behaviors, we conducted the same analyses as above, with the five inclusion indicators as dependent variables. The results of the five ANCOVAs reported no significant differences between conditions for all indicators except for resource sharing (see Table 2 Pairwise follow-up comparisons showed that in both statement conditions participants allocated slightly more money and thus a more equal share of the bonus to the older teammate both diversity statements increased age-inclusive behaviors when distributing financial resources but did not affect other inclusive behaviors Follow-up pairwise comparisons using Sidak adjustments reported that compared to the control condition both using the reputation and the change motive increased the number of older individuals in teams There were no differences between the two motivations we found no evidence that organizational motives moderated the positive effects of statements targeting diversity and those targeting diversity and inclusion on the representation of older individuals in teams independently of the organizational motivation To examine the moderating effect of organizational motivation on age-inclusive behaviors, we conducted the same analyses as above, with the five inclusion indicators as outcome variables. First, when looking at the diversity statement condition (see Table 4 the results of the five ANCOVAs revealed that there were no differences between the three conditions (reputation vs The effect for resource sharing was significant and follow-up pairwise comparisons indicated that participants gave slightly more money to the older teammate in the diversity motivated by reputation condition Second, when looking at the diversity and inclusion statement condition (see Table 4 results of the five ANCOVAs showed a significant difference between conditions for treating the older individual as belonging to the group and letting the individual be authentic Results of the follow-up pairwise comparisons revealed that participants were more likely to display these inclusive behaviors when the diversity and inclusion statement was motivated by change compared to reputation while there was no difference between the reputation and control conditions regardless of whether they target diversity or diversity and inclusion and irrespective of the organizational motivation lead participants to choose more older team members compared to the control condition The results were more nuanced and in line with our expectations on inclusive behaviors Regarding the impact of diversity statements we found similar results to those of Study 1 except for the resource allocation measure participants in Study 2 allocated more money to the new older employee in the two diversity statement conditions compared with the control condition the effects on inclusion depend on organizational motivation but only when the diversity statements target both diversity and inclusion When the diversity statement targets diversity only inclusive behavior is not influenced by organizational motivation and does not differ from the control condition The only exception regards the resource allocation measure as participants allocate slightly more money to the older team member when the motivation is reputation compared to the control condition; but not when the motivation is true change While there was no effect on resource allocation in Study 1 indicating that this finding may be less robust It could potentially be explained by the fact that participants were driven to compensate older teammates in financial terms when the organizational commitment to inclusion was perceived as superficial (i.e. when the diversity statement only targeted representation and when the organization’s motive was reputation) when the diversity statement targets both diversity and inclusion we find that participants intend to be more inclusive if the motivation is true change compared to reputation This effect is significant for providing belongingness and leaving room for authenticity but not significant for group involvement and providing influence in decision-making while diversity and inclusion statements that reflect organizational motivation for true change can foster inclusion their effect may be limited to certain behaviors as people may perceive their choice for older team members as a moral behavior that ‘liberates’ them from inclusion towards the new member Only when the statement stresses both diversity and inclusion and when the organization explicitly communicates its commitment to true change we find positive effects for some inclusive behaviors (e.g. creating feelings of belongingness) but not for others (e.g. providing opportunities to influence decisions) These findings also have important practical implications It suggests that the diversity statement’s content and the underlying organizational motivation matter for diversity and inclusion Because organizations’ goal is to create inclusive work climates having broad diversity statements without explicit reference to inclusion may not be enough it is key for organizations to clearly communicate their motivation to create change in the workforce employees may be skeptical and infer that organizations use diversity statements for reputational concerns It is important to note that this effect might not be limited to age diversity The present results might be relevant for other diversity dimensions suggesting that the massive use of diversity statements may lead to paradoxical and unintended effects this process may further depend on the organization’s motives We argued that the organizational motivation for true change can be a powerful driver of employees’ motivation for diversity and inclusion which translates into concrete behaviors for diversity and inclusion We also suspect that the motivation for reputation triggers compliance perhaps coupled with a moral licensing effect Future research is needed to test these mechanisms and further comprehend the complex interplay between diversity and inclusion age diversity statements increase the representation of older employees in teams but may not necessarily promote inclusion Inclusive behaviors require the organization to be explicit about inclusion and its motivation to achieve change The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors The studies involving humans were approved by Ethics Committee The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements The participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research This research was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation: 10001C_184919 The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 1. ^Excluding the control variables from the analyses did not affect the pattern of results Beyond one-size-fits-all: tailoring diversity approaches to the representation of social groups Engaging the aging workforce: the relationship between perceived age similarity Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Google Scholar Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar A community choir intervention to promote well-being among diverse older adults: results from the community of voices trial Counterfeit diversity: how strategically misrepresenting gender diversity dampens organizations’ perceived sincerity and elevates women’s identity threat concerns Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Google Scholar Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Google Scholar Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Google Scholar Google Scholar Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Communicating more than diversity: the effect of institutional diversity statements on expectations and performance as a function of race and gender Actions speak louder than words: outsiders’ perceptions of diversity mixed messages Krings F and Toma C (2024) Too old to be included: age diversity statements foster diversity yet fall short on inclusion Received: 29 September 2023; Accepted: 29 May 2024; Published: 08 July 2024 Copyright © 2024 De Saint Priest, Krings and Toma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Franciska Krings, ZnJhbmNpc2thLmtyaW5nc0B1bmlsLmNo Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish The closest thing to a hometown hero Northland Catholics can claim in the pantheon of official saints is Mother Cabrini (1850-1917) who has been beatified; he was born in Oak Grove So it would be a big deal if Monsignor Joseph Buh (1833-1922) achieved canonization "As far as actually spending a lot of time in the state of Minnesota," said Fr That step alone is a mark of the esteem Felton and his fellow Catholic leaders have for Buh who has been asked by Felton to lead the process of publicizing Buh's story said no other area Catholic has received similar treatment "We exhumed him to bring him to an appropriate place because he's the patriarch of our diocese," said Kunst Buh was born in Slovenia and developed an interest in missionary work ultimately becoming a pivotal figure leading the establishment of Catholic institutions across the northern part of the state he worked with the Ojibwe and with the rapidly expanding populations of immigrant settlers "Bishop Daniel Felton is very much of the mindset of our diocese being a missionary diocese," said Kunst and "Monsignor Buh (is) the primary missionary that our diocese has ever had He's the perfect role model for our diocese." in inspiring the faithful to be forthright in sharing their beliefs we have a certain responsibility for their spiritual well-being "Bringing (Jesus) Christ to people doesn't mean you have to travel to a far-off land." "There's an evangelization movement among many Christian churches With that comes an interest in "recognizing those leaders from the past who spread the faith." Scholastica have long nurtured a special connection to Buh working to keep his memory alive for the past century "There was a great friendship between Mother Scholastica and cut it into little tiny pieces and attached it to prayer cards that were distributed among the sisters," said Raway "I'd love to know if there are any of those still around!" Sister Bernard Coleman and Sister Verona LaBud wrote a biography of Buh: "Masinaigans: The Little Book" (1972) The book's title comes from an Ojibwe nickname for Buh who was often seen carrying a small book — likely a breviary or Sainthood is ultimately conferred by the Pope Advancing a candidate for the series of steps toward canonization involves documenting the deceased's continuing impact on the lives of the living the church is officially agreeing that a person's soul is in heaven with God Catholics who believe in the holiness of a person who has died don't need to wait for a green light from Rome though: They can start praying for the person's "intercession" with God right away that's just what local Catholic leaders are asking people to do with Joseph Buh Those who feel that Buh has interceded to bring about a positive result Buh contacted another Slovenian missionary who had ties here Michigan's famed "Snowshoe Priest," is honored with a granite cross at the North Shore mouth of the Cross River where Baraga completed a perilous crossing of Lake Superior by canoe Baraga is also being advanced for potential sainthood by his own devoted following and is much farther along in the process than Buh Baraga was declared venerable by Pope Benedict XVI Baraga would next need to be declared blessed before becoming eligible for the final step toward sainthood The diocese booklet cites Buh's particular impacts on "Native American and Slovenian immigrant communities." James Lah president of the Ely branch of the Slovenian Union of America attested that Buh's memory lives on in the Northland He looks like some Old Testament prophet," said Lah a chalice owned by Buh circulated among Ely families who used it as a sacramental object to pray for vocations the missionary is seemingly less well-remembered Kunst said he has not had conversations with Native community members regarding Buh and two different experts in Minnesota Ojibwe history said they were unfamiliar with Buh's story professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University said he did not have enough knowledge of Buh to comment on that missionary specifically but pointed to a passage from his book "Everything You Wanted To Know About Indians But Were Afraid To Ask." In a passage addressing the topic of Christian missionaries generally "Missionaries were not simply evangelizing their faiths — they were colonizers." Many Indigenous people resented missionaries "Native Americans have differing and sometimes conflicting views about the missionaries and the religions they brought." Buh's conviction in his faith and willingness to spread it is a signal of virtue "Reflect on how he evangelized the people he served as a model for our own time," encourages Felton in an introduction to the biographical booklet whether it's the 21st century or 20th century or any time the idea of being a missionary," said Kunst "Bringing people back to Christ and bringing Christ to these people that's what Monsignor (Buh) did on a heroic level." Scholastica has supplied the diocese with archival materials to help tell Buh's story If Buh becomes recognized along the path to sainthood "To have one of your own recognized just strengthens your own faith," she reflected Michael Melendez served at several Queens parishes during the time period the alleged sexual abuse of minors took place A former priest who was working as a religious teacher at St Francis Preparatory High School in Fresh Meadows was recently fired after being accused of sexually abusing minors throughout the 1990s The Diocese of Brooklyn announced Friday they investigated three separate allegations recently made known to them against former priest Michael Melendez Melendez was ordained a priest in 1989 and served in numerous parishes and religious institutions across Brooklyn and Queens Though he stopped serving as a priest over a decade ago he continued to work with children in Queens through his work at St “The Diocese takes all allegations of sexual misconduct with minors seriously and has instituted significant programs to prevent sexual abuse and protect children,” a spokesperson for the Diocese of Brooklyn said in a press release “The Diocese abides by the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children which includes a zero tolerance policy that states that any clergy member who is determined to be credibly accused of sexual misconduct with a minor is permanently removed from ministry.” The Dioceses also stated Melendez was suspended from his position at St and is now terminated “effective immediately.” Melendez was also fired from his position as director of religious education at Our Lady of Grace Church in Howard Beach which the Diocese said he held since September Melendez was also added to the Diocese’s list of Credibly Accused Priests on their website The list is a collection of allegations against priests where “the Diocesan officials believe that the allegations may be true.” Melendez was ordained in 1989 and first served at the St He then served at various parishes throughout the Queens and Our Lady of Fatima in Jackson Heights in 2001 Melendez went on temporary personal leave in 2004 which was eventually made permanent in 2008 Officials did not say what year that alleged sexual abuse took place Malendez worked as a religious teacher at St Home / Law / Crime / Politics / Communities / Voices / All Stories / Who We Are / Terms and Conditions a priest of the Companions of the Cross religious community known for hosting “The Exorcist Files” podcast 21 following an alleged “incident” involving students according to a statement from Queen of Apostles Church in the Diocese of Joliet The priest has been temporarily suspended from ministry pending an ongoing police investigation The incident allegedly involved the priest touching a female student’s long hair during a presentation as he was joking with about 200 students gathered to venerate the relic 25 letter from Father Martins’ attorney describing the incident The three-page letter from Marcella Burke at the Houston-based Burke Law Group addressed to the editors of The Pillar The letter explained it was the student’s father who heard the story and later called for a police investigation It provided a detailed overview of the incident saying that Queen of Apostles Parish had invited its school’s students to attend a public veneration event of the St and more than 200 students were attending the event Martins began his interaction with the attendees in ‘chit-chat’ dialogue He is bald and apt to joke about it as a conversation starter,” the letter stated “During his conversation with the older students he made a comment to a student about her long hair ‘You and I have almost the same hair style,’ a comment met with giggles He then remarked that he also once had long hair like hers and he joked he would ‘floss my teeth with it.’ Again ‘Have you ever flossed with your hair?’ Laughing you have the perfect length for it,’ as he lifted up a lock from her shoulders to show her its length.” The student came home and told her father the story,” the letter stated The police arrived at the parish during the event and left without making any arrests or filing charges It was only after the outraged father called the police a second time that the police agreed to further investigate “There is no indication that there is any new evidence that would further implicate my client of any wrongdoing no charges have been filed,” the attorney added in her letter Father Martins’ attorney alleged in her letter that The Pillar’s initial reporting was “defamatory and entirely irresponsible,” and she demanded a retraction of 23 article which broke the news of the incident The Pillar quoted from the letter’s narrative in its Nov The Diocese of Joliet reportedly told The Pillar Nov 25 that the attorney’s narrative was “accurate but incomplete” and said there were “additional facts,” but did not elaborate on what those might be not sexual misconduct,” the diocese told The Pillar and said the police investigation “may indicate something more but that remains to be seen.” 25 that Father Martins “has been temporarily suspended pending an ongoing police investigation into a recent complaint at one of his relic expositions that took place in the Diocese of Joliet 25 that they did not wish to impede the ongoing police investigation and “under the Diocese’s Standards of Behavior (posted on our website under Safe Environment) our Diocese would consider the entirety of the reported situation to be considered ‘boundary violations.” 21 statement did not provide details of the incident and the diocese told OSV News via email Nov 24 that beyond the initial statement they “have no further details to provide as the investigation is still ongoing,” but they “can confirm the Order priest visiting our parish and accompanying the relic of St Queen of Apostles hosted the visit of the relic of St Jude for public veneration,” read the Nov outside ministry called ‘Treasures of the Church’ was responsible for hosting the relic in the United States The relic has been on a national pilgrimage in the United States for over a year The tour and the relic were overseen by a priest with the Companions of the Cross “During the course of the day’s veneration in Queen of Apostles Church an incident with the priest and some students was reported to have happened in our church,” they continued “We immediately contacted the police The priest was confronted with the information We informed the priest that he must depart from our parish and out of our Diocese we decided that the remainder of the veneration of the relic and evening mass would be cancelled.” They wrote that these decisions and actions were “in accordance with our Diocesan Safe Environment Policies and our Standards of Behavior” and the incident was “also immediately reported to Bishop Ronald Hicks of the Diocese of Joliet who supported our decision to cancel the remainder of the event and on the evening of November 21.” The bishop also canceled the tour at two more parishes in the diocese scheduled for this week and “informed the Superior of the Companions of the Cross Order of priests.” The statement added that “all involved in this incident are safe.” OSV News reached out to the Joliet Police Department and to Father Carlos Martins for comment regarding the incident Father Martins was “the church-appointed custodian of the relic,” directing the “Apostle of the Impossible” tour of what are believed to be bone fragments of St Jude’s arm in a reliquary through churches and schools across the country but its website now lists all remaining stops through December 2024 as “cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.” The same language was used on social media posts by Indiana dioceses of Gary and Fort Wayne-South Bend which were the next two scheduled dioceses on the relic tour Comments on the posts reflected dismay and disappointment over the cancellation of the tour Father Martins hosts “The Exorcist Files” podcast along with Ryan Bethea which features firsthand accounts of cases from Father Martins’ time as an exorcist Print Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media Catholic Media Assocation Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association The Associated Church Press Help keep Catholics around the world educated and informed Already donated? Log in to stop seeing these donation pop-ups He was ordained to the priesthood on May 9, 1979, by Cardinal John Cody, and he celebrated his first solemn Mass at St. Christina Parish in Chicago After ordination to the priesthood, Lo Bianco was associate pastor at the following parishes: St. Denis Parish and St. Walter Parish, both in Chicago and St. Germaine Parish in Oak Lawn He then served as pastor at St. Gerald Parish in Oak Lawn, as associate pastor at St. Alexander Parish in Palos Heights and at Our Lady Mother of the Church in Chicago (now part of Queen of Peace Parish) Lo Bianco became pastor of Divine Savior Parish in Norridge in 2009 where he served for approximately 10 years. He became pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Deerfield in 2021 and retired in 2024 archdiocesan priest and one of Lo Bianco’s classmates how he “had a love for life and was very passionate about what he did and what he believed.” Sakowicz remembered Lo Bianco as a very kind soul “He was a very good and faithful priest,” Sakowicz added he really gave you his attention and focused on you.” was also a classmate and remembered Lo Bianco as “a compassionate person who cared for people and was always positive about the people at the parishes he served.” Dean Semmer remembered his classmate as a hard worker and a very kind man Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. 2025 at 4:29 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Father Carlos Martins was placed into custody at 9:41 a.m Monday after the complaint warrant for battery was quashed in court (Mugshot via Joliet police )JOLIET — The Joliet Police Department on Tuesday issued a press release revealing that 50-year-old Catholic priest Father Carlos Martins has officially been arrested processed at the police station and released from custody after being charged with battery in connection with an incident in Joliet in November Although court documents filed last week indicated that Father Martins lived in Houston Joliet police said he now lives in Detroit He is well-known for his 2023 podcast series featuring dramatic audio portrayals of allegedly demonic encounters he claims to have experienced in ministry as an exorcist Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English said at 3:23 p.m officers responded to the Queen of Apostles Church — previously known as St Paul the Apostle Church — at 130 Woodlawn Avenue for a battery allegedly involving the out-of-town priest English said Joliet police learned that a priest had approached a 13-year-old girl standing in line to view the relic of St Joliet police said the priest proceeded to grab the victim’s hair and made a flossing motion with her hair in his mouth Police were also told that after the victim had sat down the priest sat behind her and made a growling noise Martins was identified as the suspect in this incident and it was learned that he had come to the church as a representative of the relic of St Jude tour A full investigation of the incident was completed by Joliet police detectives and the findings were submitted to the Will County State’s Attorney Office for their review prosecutors approved a charge of one count of misdemeanor battery Martins was placed into custody at 9:41 a.m Martins was processed and released on a notice to appear in court Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. "I'm just sitting at a breakfast joint with a friend," Marino, lead pastor of Trinity Parish Episcopal Church looks at me and says something like 'I have problems,' and as a pastor I instinctively go 'tell me your story,' and so I lean forward and she pulls a knife out and sticks it in my chest and pulls it back I just looked down and said 'you stabbed me.'" The attack occurred about 8 a.m. Oct. 23 on San Marco Avenue in St "I roll over and look up at the sky and the sky is just really gray I remember just sitting thinking 'this is a really weird way to die I had a lot of important meetings today,'" he said "Then I remember thinking I just don't want to go like this this seems senseless and random and not today Priest talks about first responders, pain and God's plan after stabbingThe fire truck that responded to the 911 call had been blessed by the priest three years earlier the fire chief told him that a passing Customs and Border Protection training officer who stopped to help had a combat chest seal "Who knows why random things happen," Marino said "I know a completely random thing happened to me and then I know that a series of random things conspired to make sure I'm still here today." is charged with second-degree attempted murder in the attack with her next court date scheduled for Dec Marino said he is grateful to the help of first responders and medical professionals he was put at ease by prayer and a belief that God would bring him through "I hear the first responders trying to figure out where we take him because he's not going to survive the transport and I just remember sitting there thinking 'hmmm Marino was rushed to HCA Florida Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville with a severed pulmonary artery and a collapsed lung "I hear the trauma surgeons in the hospital tell me that I lost 2½ units of blood "Although I kept hearing people say this guy's not going to make it I think I always thought from that initial prayer and I didn't hear a voice or see lights I just had this sense that it's going to be OK." He spent six days in an intensive care unit I probably had 5 to 6 feet of tubing in and out at some point and where those tubes went in and out is still painful; getting back full range of breath is painful," he said "I'm seeing a therapist and trauma specialist." Marino is taking things slowly and just last week began taking walks through St He has no timetable for resuming services at Trinity Parish but my therapists and doctors say to hold off for a while," Marino said Marino said his physical pain will heal and he hopes his attacker finds healing as well "Whatever this poor girl was going through "Who wakes up on a Wednesday morning and says I'm going out to knife people?" forgiving his attacker is the most fundamental exhibition of a faith in which he has dedicated his life "The law is going to do what the law is going to do and it's going to make sure that society is safe and hopefully get her help," Marino said Christianity is you are forgiven through the love of Jesus," he said When he returns to work at Trinity Parish he hopes to continue a ministry that helps young people "I don't know what this means for me," Marino said I do know that I want to make sure she knows that as far as I'm concerned she's free because if you knife a pastor at breakfast in a state with the death penalty "The fact that I'm alive might be a chance for her," he said PROSPECT HEIGHTS — A former Diocese of Brooklyn priest has been “terminated effective immediately” from his position as a religion teacher at St Francis Preparatory High School in Fresh Meadows after the diocese determined that allegations against him of sexual abuse of a minor The diocese announced on Nov. 8 that three allegations against the former priest, Michael Melendez, were “recently reported” — more than 16 years after Melendez chose to leave the priesthood, and was laicized, in 2008. They added that the Diocesan Review Board immediately investigated the allegations The “credible finding” means Melendez’s name will be added to the List of Credibly Accused Priests on the Diocese of Brooklyn website He was suspended during the investigation of the allegations and was “terminated effective immediately” following the findings of the probe the diocese outlined the steps that it took upon learning of the allegations “The Diocese is saddened and disturbed by these allegations the Diocese forwarded the information to the corresponding district attorney’s office as is our policy with any allegations of misconduct that are reported to us Then we launched our investigation,” the statement read said he planned to send a letter to parents and faculty explaining the actions taken against Melendez He added that the school implemented “protocols” to support students and help them cope with the news of the teacher’s termination I directed them that if they have any concerns about any students to direct them to either the administration or the Guidance Services Office,” McLaughlin explained and talk to them about what they’re feeling … or answer any questions that they may have about the situation.” McLaughlin said he met with the school’s guidance office and religion department on Nov He also noted that Melendez underwent a thorough background check before being hired at St We still take a strong position on the policy procedures that we do here “But being that these allegations came up only recently it certainly didn’t come up on background check in 2018 when he started here.” Melendez also served as director of religious education at Our Lady of Grace Church in Howard Beach — a position he assumed this past September — before being terminated due to the findings Melendez was ordained to the priesthood in 1989 and served at the following churches over the years: St Brigid in Bushwick (appointed in June 1989); St Michael’s in Flushing (June 1998); and Our Lady of Fatima in East Elmhurst (November 2001) efforts will be made to reach out to parishioners of the churches where Melendez worked “We will communicate with the parishioners of the affected parishes as is customary whenever we have to issue a statement of this nature,” the diocesan statement read a temporary personal leave which was later made permanent until he was laicized in 2008 The diocese emphasized it takes all allegations of sexual misconduct with minors seriously and that it abides by the charter adopted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Dallas in 2002, called the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People This includes a zero-tolerance policy stating that any member of the clergy who is determined to be credibly accused of sexual misconduct with a minor is permanently removed from ministry The diocese also conducts initial and ongoing background checks on all employees and provides age-appropriate sex abuse awareness training for children and adults Anyone who is a victim of sexual abuse within the diocese is encouraged to call the confidential reporting line (888-634-4499) which connects directly to law enforcement authorities For information on how the diocese is dealing with clergy sex abuse, visit the website of the Office of Safe Environment. Also, see “Protecting our Children” on the diocese website Your email will be used to send you The Tablet newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy. More info Create your free account or log in to continue reading The Tablet is the newspaper of the Diocese of Brooklyn, serving Brooklyn and Queens since 1908.© 2025 DeSales Media Group, Inc. Website by 345 Design ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " CHICAGO — A priest linked to St. Michael's Parish in Orland Park has been reinstated after being cleared of sex abuse allegations, the Archdiocese of Chicago has announced Cardinal Blase Cupich penned letters to several parishes in the south suburbs clearing the priest of the allegations and disclosing his return to ministry William Killeen to step back pending investigation of an allegation of child sexual abuse The abuse was alleged to have happened approximately 40 years ago at St. Patricia Parish in Hickory Hills where Killeen had served as an associate pastor from 1982 to 1989 The allegation was reported to civil authorities and the person making the allegation was offered the services of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s victim assistance ministry Cupich said in his letter that the Archdiocese Independent Review met late last month to review the results of the year-long investigation The board determined that there was no cause to believe that Killeen sexually abused a minor the independent review board recommended that Killeen be returned to ministry and that the file be closed The cardinal said the archdiocese takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously Cupich went on to say that he is also "committed to restoring the good name of those accused if the case is unsubstantiated I publicly affirm that Father Killeen is a priest in good standing and express sincere appreciation for his many years of service to the People of God in the Archdiocese of Chicago." Other parishes impacted by the investigation included: All parishioners received a similar letter Killeen retired in 2019, but still celebrates mass occasionally at St. Francis Xavier Parish and St. Cletus Parish, both in La Grange and St. John of the Cross Parish in Western Springs "This period away from ministry has been challenging for him," Cupich wrote "He deserves our respect and gratitude and I hope you will join me in thanking him for his long-standing dedication." Cupich urged anyone who believes they have been abused by a priest "You will be received with respect and compassion," his letter reads To report abuse, please refer to the Archdiocesan website at www.archchicago.org Patch Editor Lorraine Swanson contributed to this report Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. He was ordained a priest in 1815 and became curate in Ecully He was then sent to the remote French community of Ars in 1818 to be a parish priest the priest immediately began praying and working for the conversion of his parishioners Although he saw himself as unworthy of his mission as pastor he allowed himself to be consumed by the love of God as he served the people Vianney slowly helped to revive the community’s faith through both his prayers and the witness of his lifestyle He gave powerful homilies on the mercy and love of God and it is said that even staunch sinners were converted upon hearing him His reputation as a confessor grew rapidly and pilgrims traveled from all over France to come to him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation Firmly committed to the conversion of the people he would spend up to 16 hours a day in the confessional Plagued by many trials and besieged by the devil he spent much time in prayer and practiced much mortification while working without rest in unfailing humility including the bishop and priests of the diocese who already viewed his life as a model of priestly holiness The Holy Curé of Ars was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1925 Over 450,000 pilgrims travel to Ars every year in remembrance of his holy life CNA is a service of EWTN News, Inc. Show Breaking News BarCloseLocal News Anthony Talcott ST – A Florida priest could face charges after an argument over Communion resulted in allegations that he bit a woman police said the incident happened around 1:20 p.m Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church along Brown Chapel Road police said they learned that a woman had attended Mass at the church to participate in her niece’s Communion whom News 6 has decided not to name because he was not arrested and does not yet face formal charges reportedly refused to give the woman Communion bread claiming she hadn’t performed the necessary steps to be given the holy sacrament While the woman argued that she had performed the necessary steps and was “now accepted by God,” the priest allegedly became upset and tried to ram a “cookie” into her mouth [EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos] the woman tried to grab another Communion bread that the priest was holding who explained that he had previously told the woman the steps necessary to receive Communion ‘Did you confess between the Mass before and this?’ Because she can do it,” he can be heard saying on released body-camera video You don’t have authority to judge me.’ I’m not judging you; I am asking: ‘Did you confess?’” The priest said that the woman pushed him after he refused to give her Communion and she then grabbed the tray of bread out of his hands “The Catholic faith considered the Communion bread the body of Christ and he was trying to protect it,” the affidavit reads “(The priest) advised that (she) pushed him and would not let go of the Communion tray and the only way he thought to extract her from it was to bite her arm.” the priest stated that he considered the event a matter of self-defense Another released body-camera video shows a recording of the incident on someone’s cellphone though it’s not necessarily clear from the video who struck first The state will determine whether the priest will be charged with battery The Diocese of Orlando on Thursday released a statement about the incident a woman came through (the priest’s) Holy Communion line and appeared unaware of the proper procedure it was determined that she was neither prepared nor disposed to participate in Communion (The priest) gave the woman a blessing and advised her to receive the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) before coming back to receive Holy Communion (Eucharist) Mass on Sunday and stood in (the priest’s) Communion line (The priest) asked if she had been to the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) to which she stated it was not his business (the priest) offered the woman Holy Communion on the tongue the woman forcefully placed her hand in the vessel and grabbed some sacred Communion hosts (the priest) struggled to restrain the woman as she refused to let go of the hosts When the woman pushed him and reacting to a perceived act of aggression (the priest) bit her hand so she would let go of the hosts she grabbed “It should be noted (the priest) had no prior knowledge of the woman’s background while the Diocese of Orlando does not condone physical altercations such as this (the priest) was simply attempting to prevent an act of desecration of the Holy Communion “The full video and the police report show the woman initiated physical contact and acted inappropriately The priest was trying to protect the Holy Communion from this sacrilegious act the Eucharist is considered ‘the source and summit’ of worship and faith The act of participation in Holy Communion therefore calls for a proper understanding It is not something a person can arbitrarily demand and is certainly not a mere ‘cookie’ as the complainant called it “The Diocese of Orlando believes all people of all faiths should be respected and that their religious ceremonies or services should never be disrupted.” Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: ClickOrlando.com initially named the priest but we have decided to remove it because he was not arrested and has not been formally charged Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Contests and Rules Contact Us / Follow on Social Media Careers at WKMG Closed Captioning / Audio Description Public File Current EEO Report Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Info FCC Applications EEO Report Disability Assistance Copyright © 2025 ClickOrlando.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group Numerous riders involved when peloton falls on waterlogged downhill as no results are recorded for the stage The breakaway was neutralised after the mass crash on stage 5 of the Critérium du Dauphiné(Image credit: Getty Images)Please note - race gallery features images of injury from the mass rash on stage 5 The commissaires brought the race to a halt after the peloton was hit by two almost simultaneous crashes on a stretch of wet downhill road on the run-in to the finish in Saint-Priest the commissaires and the race organisation it was later decided to cancel the remainder of the stage the organisation explained that they were unable to ensure medical support for the peloton in the closing kilometres given that the ambulances following the race were all required to bring riders to hospital It was decreed that the peloton would ride the final kilometres into Saint-Priest together but there would be no stage winner and no time awarded for the general classification “In accordance with the jury of commissaires of the UCI it's been decided that due to the fact there are no ambulances can take care of the security of the riders because they are all busy going to different hospitals the race will be neutralised,” was the Englishlanguage statement on race radio “The race will be neutralised and the peloton will ride all the way to the finish line under the escort of the Garde Republicaine there will not be a winner for today's stage.” Over 50 riders appear to have come down in the two crashes and the Belgian spent some time sitting on the roadside before rising gingerly to his feet Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) and Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) The Visma-Lease a Bike pairing of Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk were both forced to abandon the race due to the injuries they sustained in the crash Van Baarle appeared to have sustained a shoulder injury Evenepoel and Chris Froome were later involved in discussions with their fellow riders and with the commissaires over whether the stage would continue at all Romain Combaud (dsm-firmenich PostNL) signalled his doubts about the stage’s resumption ASO confirmed that the day’s racing had been definitively neutralised Combaud applauded the decision to suspend the stage in the aftermath of the crash "It was a very good decision," Combaud said "I think we had no more ambulances left so that was the reason and I think it was the right decision The organiser reacted immediately to neutralise the race and we had the information immediately in our earpiece It was a wise decision and it was pleasing for us riders." Escapees Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Tobias Bayer (Alpecin-Deceuninck) had been leading the peloton by 20 seconds at the time of the two mass crashes behind them which took place on roads that had been made slick by heavy rain showers the peloton resumed slowly on its way towards Saint-Priest Results powered by FirstCycling This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. The Rev. Paul Bombardier is the new priest at St. Patrick’s Church in Northfield. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ St. Patrick’s Church at 80 Main St. in Northfield. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ NORTHFIELD — The new priest at St. Patrick’s Church says the community has embraced him “with open arms and warm hearts.” The Rev. Paul Bombardier started at the 80 Main St. church on Dec. 7 after Bishop William Byrne reassigned him from Holy Cross Catholic Church in Springfield following about 6½ months there. “It’s been really great,” he said of his new post. “I want to help the parish continue to grow, because since being here our Mass attendance has doubled, which shocks me.” Before Bombardier’s arrival, St. Patrick’s Church had been without a resident pastor for about a year, as the Rev. Thomas Lisowski was on medical leave. “I think I can speak for the majority of the parishioners when I say we feel very blessed to have Fr. Bombardier as the new pastor,” parish council member Mary Johnson wrote in an email. “He seems like a great fit for this little country parish, which draws people from Vermont and New Hampshire as well as locally. In the short time he has been here, he has initiated some new programs and definitely brought a breath of fresh air into the life of the parish.” “So it’s really, literally, going back to my roots,” Bombardier said of his job in Quebec, adding that it was “a lot like parish ministry, without the administrative stuff.” He was there for seven years before returning to the United States and serving in Springfield. Before getting necessary approval from Bishop Mitchell Rozanski to go to Canada, Bombardier was assigned to Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge after a stint at a parish consisting of St. Joseph Parish in Shelburne Falls, St. John the Baptist in Colrain and St. Christopher in Charlemont. “It’s forced me to grow, which is never a bad thing,” the 71-year-old said sitting in his new rectory in Northfield. “And I’ve always maintained that God sends me where I need to be — not just for the people there, but for me, too.” Bombardier attended Westfield State College and worked at a National Blank Book Co. warehouse before studying for the priestho od at the American College of the Immaculate Conception in Leuven, Belgium. “I always wanted to study abroad,” Bombardier recalled, mentioning he was ordained a priest on Aug. 7, 1982. “[It’s been] very challenging, in both a good and a negative sense, which is the story of life in general.” Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120. By using this site, you agree with our use of cookies to personalize your experience, measure ads and monitor how our site works to improve it for our users Shelby Priest recently joined the Saint Michael’s Institutional Advancement staff as development coordinator. She previously was in the Finance Department at Pete’s RV Center in South Burlington for nine years, and prior to that, she worked for several local Vermont companies where she gained experience in event planning, project management and marketing. (posted July 2022) “If we really understood the priest on earth but of love.” St John Vianney’s whole life could be summed up in this saying attributed to him Known as the “Curé d’Ars,” Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney was born on 8 May 1786 in France in the town of Dardilly as a young man he was functionally illiterate; but thanks to his mother’s teaching Vianney was able to memorise and understand numerous prayers a priest who had not sworn loyalty to the revolutionary government The same priest gave him his First Communion in a barn John Vianney felt the call to the priesthood “I will win many souls for God.” But the path to ordination was not an easy one It was only thanks to some wise priests – including Father Balley that he finally received Holy Orders on 13 February 1815 Father John Vianney was sent to the town of Ars was little more than a small French village Here the young priest dedicated all his efforts to the spiritual care of the faithful But it was for his dedication to the Sacrament of Confession that the Curé of Ars is best known He was always available to hear Confessions and offer forgiveness spending up to sixteen hours a day in the confessional Crowds of penitents travelled from every part of France to make their Confession to the holy priest Ars became known as “the great hospital of souls.” St John Vianney himself would keep vigils and fast to assist the expiation of the sins of the faithful “I’ll tell you my recipe,” he told one of his confreres Having given his whole life for God and his parishioners which is visited by some 450,000 pilgrims every year He was beatified by Pope St Pius X in 1905 and canonized twenty years later by Pope Pius XI the same Pope proclaimed him the “heavenly patron of all parish priests throughout the world.” During the centenary of his death in 1959 Pope St John XXIII dedicated an encyclical to St John Vianney pointing him out as exemplary model for priests Pope Benedict XVI inaugurated a “Year of Priests” on the 150th anniversary of his birthday into heaven in order “to deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a stronger and more incisive witness to the Gospel in today’s world." the Capuchin friar who co-founded the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit and was beatified in 2017 is known to many as an inspiration and is a miracle away from being declared a Catholic saint Casey would join a rare group of American saints While there are more than 10,000 saints in the Roman Catholic Church fewer than a dozen are from the United States. More: Michigan COVID-19 survivor says vision of the Blessed Solanus Casey saved his life Casey has been lauded as "one of the premier citizens of our city" by Detroit Catholic Archbishop Allen Vigneron who added that Pope Francis "sees great holiness in Father’s life." The late priest is known for his great faith humility and love of the violin. His significance also is tied to Detroit which has wrestled with revitalization and deeply entrenched poverty The beatification ceremonyFor the beatification ceremony nearly 70,000 people — from parishes across metro Detroit as well as from other nations Guam and Panama — packed Ford Field. many said they were saved by Casey's intercession Bernard Francis Casey was born in Oak Grove He was one of 16 siblings — 10 boys and six girls — whose parents were Irish Catholic immigrants looking to escape famine. he moved with his family to a larger farm in Wisconsin. Michigan man: Vision of the Blessed Solanus Casey healed him The disease left him with a speech disorder he wondered whether he could become one. He spent several years doing different jobs Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee He was unsure whether to become a Jesuit Casey said, the Blessed Mother told him: "Go to Detroit," where the Capuchins are based. who lived in the 17th century and who Casey was not a stellar student and as a result But he drew crowds asking for his blessings Unemployed workers came to the center begging for food and Casey would give them large sandwiches and cups of coffee. Pope John Paul II declared Casey venerable in 1995 In 2017, Pope Francis announced he would be beatified saying there was proof of a miracle caused by Casey's intercession A favorite expression of Casey's that is often quoted: "Give thanks ahead of time." He meant trust God and give thanks to Him no matter what because God never abandons you. Casey's memory continues through the soup kitchen and his dedication to the poor Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com Beyond the trauma to the priest and those present during the attack at St Joseph’s Church the incident also poses a risk to broader peace and stability in Singapore says former journalist and NMP Nicholas Fang Composite of a view of St Joseph's Church along Upper Bukit Timah and its parish priest (Photos: Facebook/St Joseph's Church Bukit Timah SINGAPORE: The stabbing of a Catholic priest at St Joseph’s Church on Saturday (Nov 9) was a shocking attack that stunned many who are unused to such violent assaults in the usually staid and peaceful Singapore That parish priest Father Christopher Lee was attacked during the monthly children’s mass was all the more horrific Beyond the trauma to those in the church at the time of the attack the incident also poses a risk to broader peace and stability in the country speculation on the motives of the attacker often spreads as quickly as news of it happening There is also the possibility of fear and panic spreading over the potential for more attacks taking place Attacks that involve religion are particularly fraught with risk of inflaming sentiments between racial and religious groups regardless of whether religion played a part in the attack digital and social media platforms allow for fear unhappiness and inaccurate information to spread much faster than in years gone by In the hours following the attack for example speculation in Telegram groups favoured by anti-vaccination individuals centered on whether the attacker had been affected or influenced by the COVID-19 vaccination The attack underlines the importance of how different stakeholders react in the immediate aftermath of a crisis political office holders and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) took to social media to clarify salient details about the attack to tamp down on speculation rumours and potential misinformation and disinformation Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and the SPF shared on Facebook that the attacker was a Singaporean Sinhalese who had previously declared himself to be Christian, and who had a history of causing serious hurt and drug offences It was made clear that the attacker was believed to have acted alone Community and Youth Edwin Tong posted a statement condemning the attack The SPF held a media briefing just after midnight to provide all available information at that time Relevant stakeholders also emphasised that Father Lee’s injuries were not life-threatening and that he was conscious and in a stable condition when taken to the hospital Some might say that these efforts could be seen as excessive given the scant details available at the time and question why a more cautious approach could not be adopted when it came to releasing information about the attack But the recent tragic outbreak of violence in the United Kingdom earlier this year underlines why a surfeit of caution when it comes to information-sharing might not have been the best option In July, three children were tragically killed in a stabbing attack in Southport As the shock of the heinous attack swept the nation little information was released about the suspect other than he was a 17-year-old because laws in the UK make it a criminal offence to identify a suspect who is a minor until legal proceedings begin But the lack of information from media organisations and local police led to unfounded speculation that resulted in a slew of Islamophobic and anti-immigrant posts on social media False claims about the suspect’s origins spread like wildfire and there were also claims that he had arrived in the UK on a small boat in 2023 Authorities said there was evidence of potential state-backed efforts to amplify the spread of the false information These and other factors led to some of the worst violence the UK had experienced in more than a decade with riots and protests breaking out across England and Northern Ireland The anonymity order on the suspected attacker’s identity was only lifted later due to the unrest erupting He was identified as a teenager born to Rwandan parents in Cardiff The costs of the outbreak of violence in the UK are still being toted up but the damage to social bonds and cohesion between racial and religious groups may persist for years to come There is no guarantee that being more forthcoming with facts and information would have helped the UK authorities lower temperatures and reduce the chances of violence breaking out but it is clear that the reticence did not help open and digitally connected country like Singapore it is not hard to imagine a more disastrous outcome if speculation falsehoods or even foreign-backed efforts were used to exploit the St Joseph’s Church attack and destabilise its multi-racial and multi-religious society The attack is a stern reminder to Singaporeans to be mindful of how fragile peace and security are We all have a part to play to protect that peace whether it is by refraining from sharing unverified information or engaging in speculation should a crisis break out Nicholas Fang is a former Nominated Member of Parliament and journalist He is founder and managing director of strategic communications consultancy Black Dot and also runs a market research agency that operates a leading independent fact-checking platform in Singapore Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app We know it's a hassle to switch browsers but we want your experience with CNA to be fast Upgraded but still having issues? Contact us Francis Church in Hoboken has been advising as a spiritual consultant on the upcoming film “Cabrini,” produced by Angel Studios about the life and ministry of St from the studio that produced “The Chosen” and “Sound of Freedom,” gives a dramatic look into the life of Mother Cabrini and the uphill battle she faced ministering to the immigrant poor of New York the film is the latest fruit of a lifelong devotion to the first American saint who has impacted his family for generations His account begins with a story passed down within his family His great-grandmother knew Mother Cabrini personally as they were both community leaders among New York Italian immigrants at the turn of the 20th century was just beginning her ministry and working to open a school in the city for Italians his great-grandmother helped her develop religious education classes and sewing classes for young immigrant women who had an enormous influence on his vocation to the priesthood “I always had a great devotion to (Mother Cabrini) because a very special church for me is Our Lady of Pompeii in Greenwich Village” in New York the online news outlet of the Archdiocese of Newark “It was my grandmother’s parish and she had a tremendous effect on my spirituality That was my way of keeping in touch with her And they always had a shrine in the back of Mother Cabrini because Mother Cabrini actually worked there.” This personal connection to a saint and what she stood for has since had an influence on his priesthood Bochicchio began reading more about Mother Cabrini He found that he had a calling to work with Italian immigrants due to his background and that he had the perfect model in the patron saint of immigrants As one of many technical advisers on the set of “Cabrini” but also as a Catholic priest Bochicchio accompanied the cast and crew on work retreats where they would work on the film and he would celebrate Mass every day and give spiritual reflections on the saint he would receive every revision and be asked to comment on its accuracy He recalls one such retreat up to Buffalo where he was supposed to celebrate Mass with the cast and crew but a scheduling conflict meant that most of the big-name actors couldn’t attend some Italian American men from the Buffalo area who were on set as extras heard that there was Mass and soon the tiny hotel room was filled with Italians — some of whom might well have been descendants of those Mother Cabrini once helped “It was the highlight of the trip,” he said Bochicchio was invited to play a role in the movie as a member of the Board of Directors of a hospital that Mother Cabrini opened “We went through the scene nine times,” he said confer with one another and then approve (the decision for the hospital).” he did have an impact on the film as an adviser One example was the inclusion of the Bible passage from Philippians 4:13 — “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” — which was a favorite of Mother Cabrini’s she’s holding the Scriptures and it’s open to that quote,” Msgr After seeing a private screening of the movie at its 90% completion “I brought it to his (the producer’s) his attention He called me the next day and said it’s back in.” Having seen the almost-finished product of the movie Bochicchio notes that while Angel Studios takes some liberties with Mother Cabrini’s story the depiction is ultimately riveting and real The movie highlights how she stood up to cardinals and politicians in advocacy of the poor how she overcame a fear of drowning to bring her ministry to the world and her great care to educate and uplift the vulnerable “She was not a strong woman physically “(The movie shows how she was) boldness in a good sense of the word where she set her mind to something and she stood up respectfully but very clearly to those who opposed her.” where in response to being dismissed by a powerful figure The story of Mother Cabrini is particularly meaningful for what the Catholic Church and the world is facing right now “I think one of the things that makes her timely is that immigration is uppermost in people’s minds today In an age when women are trying to find their place in the Church she could be a great guide,” he said While the movie focuses on Mother Cabrini’s ministry in New York an epilogue at the end of the film lists all the places that she impacted — including the Archdiocese of Newark There is a statue of Mother Cabrini at Independence Park which is the site of the old Mount Carmel Church where she founded a school for Italian immigrant children which is now the site of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary A painting of Mother Cabrini on the ceiling there was done by Italian artist Gonippo Raggi Almost every Italian parish in the Archdiocese of Newark bears her statue and she is the patron saint of the archdiocese’s Italian Apostolate Joe Jordan is social media specialist at Jersey Catholic More about “Cabrini” the movie can be found on the Angel Studios website. An official theatrical trailer of the movie can be viewed on Youtube here The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s priest-penitent privilege law exempts The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from revealing information from a confidential spiritual confession which also had ruled in favor of the church in a lawsuit filed by three children of Paul Adams a former church member who died by suicide in 2017 while in jail after he was arrested for child pornography for filming and distributing his sexual abuse of the girls “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints agrees with the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision,” the church said in a statement “We are deeply saddened by the abuse these children suffered from their father two bishops and other church members and alleging they had been negligent not to report Adams after he made a private spiritual confession to his bishop in 2010 and was excommunicated in 2013 Arizona law requires clergy to report child sexual abuse but the law contains an exemption for clergy who learn of abuse through confessions The church said it was following Arizona law’s clergy-penitent privilege, which shields spiritual confessions from government, police investigations and courts to preserve what some faiths call the “confessional seal.” “Let me be perfectly clear,” Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said last year during the church’s semiannual worldwide general conference gathering Those who perpetrate these hideous acts are not only accountable to the laws of man but will also face the wrath of Almighty God.” the local Latter-day Saint bishop who heard the confession from Adams asked him to report the abuse to police Adams also declined to give the bishop permission to make the report himself based on Adams confidential confession The bishop asked Adams’ wife, Leizza, to report. She refused and later served a prison sentence for failure to report sexual abuse Adams rarely attended church or spoke to his local church leaders He continued the abuse and began to abuse her sister as an infant The church did not learn until after Adams’ arrest in 2017 that Adams had continued to abuse his oldest daughter and begun to abuse an infant daughter born after his excommunication, the church said Last year, the church said in a statement “What happened to the Adams children in Arizona at the hands of their parents is sickening A county judge had ruled in August that Adams waived his privilege to keep his confession confidential when he shared videos of him abusing his daughter in private online forums The Arizona Court of Appeals overturned the county judge’s decision in December The children appealed to the Supreme Court The Supreme Court made its ruling on April 7 but did not publicly release it, according to the Associated Press. The Supreme Court affirmed the appeals court’s finding that church disciplinary records regarding Adams are confidential under Arizona law and that attorneys cannot compel church leaders to answer questions about Adams’ 2010 confession or 2013 excommunication. For her first talk in the home state of Alcoholics Anonymous’s two Yankee Protestant founders Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, author Dawn Eden Goldstein stressed the spiritual basics — humility, love and service – behind the good works of both non-denominational AA and one of the fellowship’s best Catholic friends, the late Jesuit priest Fr. Ed Dowling. Goldstein built her late-afternoon Tuesday talk at Saint Michael’s College in McCarthy Recital Hall on Oct. 17 around her new book Father Ed – a Dowling biography that describes the priest’s keen interest in and profound influence upon AA and his close friendship with Wilson, who grew up in southwestern Vermont. “Dr. Bob” came from the Northeast Kingdom. Dawn Eden Goldstein. (Photo by Mark Tarnacki) Goldstein talked for about an hour, primarily on the theme of Fr. Ed’s essential humility, alongside his delight in connecting the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits, to AA’s “Twelve Steps,” leading to a lifetime close friendship with Wilson that amounted to being the AA founder’s “spiritual sponsor,” as the late Wilson once put it. Tuesday’s speaker, a former prominent rock ‘in’ roll writer and copy editor for major newspapers, was received into the Catholic Church in 2006 after being raised in Judaism and then having a born-again Christian experience in 1999. Goldstein told her warmly welcoming Saint Michael’s audience of about 50, including several Edmundites and area friends of the AA fellowship, that Bill and Dr. Bob’s Vermont connection made this talk particularly meaningful for her. The speaker said as a non-alcoholic, she personally identified closely with Fr. Ed’s words that his not being an alcoholic made him “underprivileged,” given the great gifts that he had witnessed through AA. Goldstein signing books for Edmundite Frs. David Theroux and Fr. Richard Berube, S.S.E. (Photo by Mark Tarnacki) She said Fr. Ed, who died in 1960, “loved ministering to humble people” – that is, “the least of these” of Matthew’s Gospel, which were words Dowling “took very much to heart.” Goldstein said that fact motivated her to speak on three points relating to Father Ed, Wilson and humility: “How Fr. Ed as a young Jesuit gained his love of humility; how he brought his life of humility into work of AA and friendship with Bill; and how his encounter with the humility of AA members strengthened him in his ministry.” Goldstein said Dowling felt what really saved him in his early spiritual crisis was “the negative path to God.” He said that if he ever found himself in Heaven, “it will be by backing away from hell,” she related. “That’s how young Puggy found humility and made his surrender,” said Goldstein, who characterized this as a perfectly valid spiritual path, both in AA experience and Catholic theology. She told the story of Fr. Ed fatefully meeting Wilson in New York City in November 1940, a meeting that by grace led to such profound impacts through AA upon so many lives. Before their meeting, the priest was convinced Wilson must have derived his AA “12 Steps” from the Ignatian spiritual exercises that were such a passion for Dowling, so he asked Wilson about it. Bill responded, “never heard of them!” They laughed together, breaking the ice for what became the closest of bonds from then on. Though Bill had written the AA “steps” based on wisdom from earlier spiritual sobriety movements like the Protestant Oxford Groups and fellow alcoholics’ experiences with spiritual deliverance from suffering, he had not completed all those steps personally before meeting Dowling, Goldstein said, so Bill took his “fifth step,” of admitting the nature of his wrongs to another human being, to Fr. Ed. While Bill strongly considered converting to Catholicism, stemming in part from his great admiration and affection for Fr. Ed, he decided not to — “concerned that if he did people would think AA was only for Catholics and he wanted it to be for everyone. In his heart, it was evident he felt close to Catholicism though,” the speaker said. At the conclusion of her talk, Goldstein answered audience questions, telling one questioner that she personally believes Dowling is a saint. Following questions, Goldstein set up a table in the McCarthy lobby to sign copies of her Father Ed book, using what she said is her standard, simple but powerful repeated inscription for such book-signings: “love and service.” The road to hell is paved with the bones of priests and monks and the skulls of bishops are the lampposts that light the path “Is that true?” in two senses of the question “Is it true that a saint really said this?” Second “Is what this saint allegedly said true or is it a faulty piece of thinking they never would have said?” Concerning the former question: I can’t seem to find any original source containing this quotation. In fact, these descriptions of hell sound more like the medieval author Dante Alighieri than any of the early Church Fathers. The earliest connection between this quote and Chrysostom seems to come from the Protestant Reformer John Wesley unconverting minister is the murderer-general of his parish ‘Hell is paved with the skulls of such Christian priests!’” But even if Chrysostom didn’t really say this is it still a helpful piece of wisdom to share I even think that in some contexts sharing this quote can come off as smug and uncharitable I told you those priests can’t be trusted!” It’s okay to highlight the unique dangers clergy face and to warn people that they shouldn’t infer from the existence of an infallible Church the existence of impeccable (or even relatively sinless) churchmen The British priest and apologist Ronald Knox put it this way Peter had better not look too closely into the engine-room.” It’s probably not edifying to share quotes that make it seem that priests and bishops are just the kind of people who will end up being damned even though he did worry about the clergy’s souls In his commentary on Acts of the Apostles he writes “The soul of a bishop is for all the world like a vessel in a storm: lashed from every side I do not think there are many among bishops that will be saved The authors of the New Testament expressed a similar concern for the clergy for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness.” In his letter to Timothy “If any one aspires to the office of bishop he desires a noble task.” He then gave Timothy a litany of requirements for anyone who would hold this office and warned against ordaining those who were recent converts or couldn’t manage their own households Paul feared that if one of these men were ordained “he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil” or “he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (1 Tim In my book Why We’re Catholic I describe how I once spoke with a woman who struggled to reconcile her Catholic faith with the clergy abuse scandal “If they’re really men of God in Christ’s Church She thought for a moment and then said, “The priests!” This echoes St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, who said, “When people want to destroy religion they begin by attacking the priest; for when there is no priest there is no sacrifice: and when there is no sacrifice including those that have recently hit the Church should serve as a reminder that we should pray for one another and encourage one another in practical ways you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ” (6:1-2) Instead of sharing apocryphal quotations that can come off as an opportunistic “I told you so,” we should share prayers for priests so they can bear the unique burdens they face as the shepherds of Christ’s flock. This prayer from Pope Benedict XVI is a great example: Grant that all who are ordained to the ministerial priesthood may be ever more conformed to you May they preach the Gospel with pure heart and clear conscience Through the prayers of the blessed Virgin Mary draw all priests and the flocks entrusted to their care to the fullness of eternal life where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit For more from Trent on dubious Catholic quotes, check out his book What the Saints Never Said His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America announced his appointment for the new proïstamenos (presiding priest) for the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine: The Reverend Protopresbyter Andreas Vithoulkas the Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The Archbishop made his announcement today in a special meeting with the Friends of Saint Nicholas (FoSN) the non-for-profit organization tasked with raising the funds to secure completion while also managing all construction issues in this final phase of rebuilding FoSN’s Board of Directors also includes the President of the Saint Nicholas Church Parish Council His Eminence also elevated the position of proïstamenos of the Saint Nicholas Church and National Shrine to henceforth hold the distinguished title of “Archiepiscopal Vicar.” as we prepare to illuminate the exterior of the Church officially marking the Twentieth Anniversary of 9/11 Although the Church will not commence its liturgical life until the Spring of next year there are now pastoral decisions that require a priest-in-charge And as Archiepiscopal Vicar for the Shrine Father Andreas will emphasize the connectivity with the Holy Archdiocese of America and help to build that bridge of connectivity with the Friends Father Andreas has been an outstanding Chancellor he will serve in a dual capacity as Chancellor for a suitable time of transition – both for the Shrine and for the Archdiocese I have no doubt that he will navigate both roles splendidly during this period the Chairman of FoSN stated after the meeting: the Archbishop has made the right move at the right time We are now at the stage of construction where it makes sense for the appointment of the Parish Priest We are gratified that His Eminence has selected Father Vithoulkas and has granted the title of “Archiepiscopal Vicar” to him in recognition of the enormously public role of the National Shrine the President of the Board of the Saint Nicholas Parish also commented: We are deeply grateful to His Eminence for the appointment of Father Andreas to our parish We look forward to working together with him to reconnect the parishioners of Saint Nicholas with their beloved church and establish the ministries of the National Shrine and I know that I speak for all the members of our parish when I say to Father Andreas: “Welcome!” Father Andreas currently serves as Chancellor of the Archdiocese — a position that he will continue to hold — and has been ministering to the Saint George Greek Orthodox Church in Midtown Manhattan. His appointment to Saint Nicholas fills a gap left since the former priest, Father John Romas, passed away five years ago. A brief biography of Father Andreas may be found here: https://bit.ly/FrAndreas Get the Orthodox Observer delivered to your inbox Download VCF • Join our Mailing Lists • Donate The information contained on the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is for informational purposes only Certain individuals and institutions are presented for reference purposes only and may not be under the supervision or jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese The Holy Archdiocese does not exercise any administrative oversight or assignment authority over clergy that are not part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Mary’s Catholic Church celebrated the beatification of Father Michael McGivney — a priest who worked at the parish from 1877-1884 which took place on Saturday at the Archdiocese of Hartford marked the first of an individual from Connecticut beatification is the step before sainthood saints are people recognized for their exceptional holiness and are prayed to in an act of intercession McGivney is called Blessed Michael McGivney. an individual must have a miracle attributed to them and an additional miracle must be attributed to them in order for the individual to become a saint a miracle needs to be unexplainable by science Pope Francis approved McGivney’s beatification after a family in Tennessee prayed to him to save their unborn son who was expected to die of hydrops fetalis and he was unexpectedly healed this is one of only 16 American cities with a saint or a blessed,” Father Joachim Kenney “It’s an extremely grace-filled opportunity.” According to a short documentary on McGivney by the Knights of Columbus McGivney was conscious of anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic discrimination in New Haven as well as the challenges of working class individuals in the late 1800s the documentary claims that McGivney worked to ensure the family was still financially supported McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus at St Mary’s in 1882 to address family separation and create stronger bonds in the Catholic Church the Knights of Columbus have over 1.9 million members worldwide and provide insurance “People were just very struck by his [McGivney’s] goodness and charity and the way he reached out to people and his kind of tireless work,” Kenney said and in particular for the Knights of Columbus in general visited the sick and elderly and regularly ministered to prisoners during his lifetime Kenney said that McGivney once celebrated the Mass with and accompanied a man directly prior to his execution Mary’s –– located on Hillhouse Avenue –– hosted a festival throughout the weekend The festival included events such as a performance by the Catholic folk group a young adult vigil with praise and worship prayer and a candlelight Mass in addition to regular services all events followed the state’s COVID-19 guidelines A screen installed on Hillhouse also streamed the festival events live for public viewing Yale students also took part in the festival “The great beauty of the veneration of holy figures in the [Catholic] Church is that in some sense it makes the faith closer to us,” Tommy Schacht ’21 more than just the Virgin Mary in the abstract makes the Virgin Mary closer to people from Mexico It kind of grounds the faith a lot closer to us [to] have someone who walked these church steps emphasized that the beatification of someone from her parish was a once-in-a-lifetime event McGivney would have been familiar with Yale and the experience of its students Mary Margaret Schroeder ’24 echoed Click’s sentiment “Everything he did in his short life was really inspiring,” Schroeder said “Just to know that you just kind of have to start small “It was just really beautiful to see just a reverence and joy that everybody had,” Abigail Chavez who traveled from New York for the festival just to recenter myself and what’s important to then go back out into life more recharged.” McGivney became ill during the flu pandemic of 1890 and passed away from pneumonia at 38 He was declared “Venerable” by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 approved for beatification by Pope Francis in May and beatified on Oct 9: A previous version of this article stated that McGivney was a pastor at St Interested in getting more news about New Haven? Join our newsletter! An allegation of sexual abuse involving a former priest at St Ignatius High School has been confirmed and deemed credible A letter has been sent to alumni who attended the school from 2007 to 2017 informing them about a sexual abuse allegation in 2011 involving the late Father Frank Canfield who worked at the school from 2006 to 2014 it learned about a sexual abuse allegation involving Canfield dating back to 2000 at Saint John's Jesuit High School in Toledo Ignatius then reached out to alumni last October asking if any former students had a similar encounter with the priest One former student contacted the school to inform them about their experience with the priest That encounter was then reported to the Midwest Province Jesuits which investigated the allegation and deemed it credible last month "meaning there is reasonable certainty that it occurred." The school is encouraging alumni who were victims of abuse to report the incident to the school and to law enforcement The school released the following statement about the matter: Father Rother was shot and killed inside the rectory of his church in Guatemala Pope Francis has recognized the Oklahoman as the first American-born Martyr and he’s farther along the path to Sainthood An Oklahoma-born priest who holds a unique distinction is on track to become a Saint Father Stanley Rother was an associate pastor at Tulsa's Holy Family Cathedral His name is listed just inside the cathedral door along with other priests who've served the parish Father Rother is closer to becoming Oklahoma's first saint with Beatification now set for September in Oklahoma City Reverend Stanley Rother grew up on a farm in Okarche His younger brother Tom Rother still lives there "I drove the truck for him when we cut wheat," said Tom Rother taking care of the calves and the hogs just like any normal farm boys." His older sister Marita Rother watched her brother follow a calling to priesthood he answered another call as a missionary in Guatemala He immediately felt a connection with the people in the small farming village of Santiago Atitlan I think it started to grow on him after he got his languages and began working more with the people it was a very exciting thing for him," said Sister Marita "He loved it and the people loved him." Rother helped the people of Santiago Atitlan build a small hospital and a school as well as the first Catholic radio station as the violence of the Guatemalan Civil War closed in he was giving them a better education and the government didn't want that," Sister Marita said "He loved those people and he wasn't going to stay home," said Tom he returned to Guatemala and on the night of July 28 three gunmen broke into his church and shot him ‘Well they got Stan,'" Sister Marita remembers my mom especially because that was her pride and joy," said Tom The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City had long suspected his death was more than a senseless murder "He had known that his life was in danger," said Fr Father Oswalt has spent 10 years working on Rother's cause - to have him declared the first native-born American martyr saint who spilled their blood for the faith then that in itself was a step toward sainthood," he said Archbishop Coakley presented a formal petition to the congregation in Rome which summarized the facts and testimony concerning the life and death of Rother nine theologians gave a majority vote to declare Rother a martyr "I think from the very beginning there was a sense that his death was not just a senseless murder," said Archbishop Coakley "His life was unique in that he literally gave his life in a violent way in witness to his faith and it really bears the marks of the classic definition of martyrdom." The area where Rother was killed is now a chapel and a monument stands where his heart and a jar of his blood remain "It was kind of very poetic and beautiful that the heart of the man remain behind so they cherish his memory there," Archbishop Coakley said he wasn't a great scholar but he was a real pastor a real shepherd and he was generous and he faced danger to stay and to care for his people." His body was returned to Oklahoma and buried in his hometown of Okarche "A saint really is someone who stands out in God's eyes and people's eyes as special and it was pretty obvious that was what he was doing," said Sister Marita The next step in Father Rother’s path to sainthood is the Beatification Mass taking place September 23rd at Oklahoma City’s Cox Convention Center proof of a miracle is required before the Pope canonizes or declares him a saint Go here for a list of other American Saints and Blesseds Fact sheet on Rother's road to Sainthood whose work has also been recognized with awards by several other journalism groups including the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalism and broadcasting associations in Louisiana and Texas including reporter and story of the year when he worked in Shreveport Go here for a list of other American Saints and Blesseds Fact sheet on Rother's road to Sainthood and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox A city without a Christmas market is like a Christmas tree without tinsel or a New Year's Eve dinner without champa.. and here are the ones in Lyon that are well worth a visit During the Christmas season we all remember the magic of these markets Whether it’s the nougat that sticks to your teeth the smell of chestnuts or the snowflakes falling in the aisles… The Christmas market generally acts as a prologue to the nativity It’s the perfect start to the festive season Here’s a guide to the best Christmas markets in and around Lyon Enjoy the magic of Christmas in Lyon from November 22 to December 24 every day until 8pm and on Friday and Saturday until 10pm Lyon’s most elegant Christmas Market will once again take place at the Hôtel-Dieu The stalls will offer you the finest local products for your Christmas gifts Thursdays and Fridays from 2pm to 8pm (and on Saturdays from 10am) bougiess and other accessories and decorations will be on sale at the Soleil d’Hiver Christmas Market It’s also an opportunity to meet the designers and buy your Christmas presents while supporting local creation and craftsmanship For those who want to go “local” for the holidays The Cité des Halles Christmas Creators’ Market takes place over 3 days at the Cité des Halles Le Christmas Corner is back at Atelier Muguette with a host of festive delights leather goods and more: a selection of 100% handmade creations from Lyon it’s pretty and there’s something for everyone the famous Saint-Priest Christmas Market returns with its many exhibitors to the Esplanade des Arts and Place Ferdinand Buisson with the scent of mulled wine wafting in from the December chill You’ll find everything you need to fill the space under the tree! And if you’re 2/3 short on your list, think about a gift card for a great experience in Lyon it was as if a light were lit in the darkness of misery that nestled amidst the glories of the Ara Pacis and the lustrous travertines of the noble palaces The center of the city had the dirty face of the outskirts his kind face and happy heart led those who met him to the warmth of God to which warmth he added some bread when he was able - or a caress on the forehead to those who complain about the pallets of the Hospital of the Incurables lost in a dialogue so intimate with God that he could make his bed on the steps of a church or even atop the stone of a catacomb recalls Pope Francis in his Message marking the 500th anniversary of St made him a “passionate proclaimer of the Word of God” This was the secret that made him a “chiseler of souls” “His spiritual fatherhood,” Francis observes “His spiritual fatherhood shone through all of his work by the conviction that grace does not quell nature but heals it strengthens it and perfects it.” Quoting St Pope Francis goes on in that Message to say and everyone quickly became his friend." Pope Francis adds chose the most entertaining ways to educate in Christian virtue At the same time he proposed a healthy discipline which entailed the exercise of willingness to receive Christ concretely into one’s life.” among the fetid hovels perfumed day by day by a charity made of flesh and - not a project drawn on paper and dropped from above as a cold almsgiving “Thanks also to the apostolate of St Philip,” writes again Pope Francis “the commitment to the salvation of souls returned to be a priority in the Church’s action; it was again understood that Pastors must be with the people in order to guide them and support them in the faith.” Philip himself became a pastor after ordination to the the priesthood in 1551 the cell of the future Congregation of the Oratory that in 1575 received the blessing of Pope Gregory XIII but we must honor our equals and the inferiors and try to be the first to give honor.” Also striking especially from a soul as contemplative as Mary at the feet of Jesus “It is better to obey the sacristan and the porter when they call than to remain in one’s room at prayer.” Philip Neri closed his eyes in the early hours of May 26 The dynamism of his love has never gone out