A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
-
A pro-life display at a Saint Louis-area Catholic parish was defaced with red paint sometime between October second and third. Parishioners attending daily Mass Tuesday morning discovered the display — which consisted of a cluster of white crosses and a white banner facing the street reading “Pray to End Abortion” — with red spray-paint all over the crosses and the words, “Pro-life is a lie, you don’t care if people die” scrawled on the banner. The display was on the grounds of Saint Paul Catholic Church, a large parish with a school located in the suburb of Fenton, about 20 minutes outside of Saint Louis. SaintPaul, along with numerous other parishes around the archdiocese, held a public pro-life prayer service October 1 in honor of Respect Life Month. Father John Nickolai, Saint Paul’s pastor, told CNA that there appears to be no permanent damage to the church or school property. He said he encourages Catholics to “pray, fast, and make sacrifices for the conversion of hearts” in the face of the vandalism.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255566/pro-life-display-vandalized-at-st-louis-county-parish
All but a few ethnic Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region have fled their ancestral homeland following a violent takeover by Azerbaijan two weeks ago, the Armenian government announced Tuesday. According to the Armenian government, 100,617 Nagorno-Karabakh refugees — out of a population of 120,000 — have been “forcibly displaced.” The government said that 345 refugees are currently receiving medical care and that “many of them remain in critical and extremely critical condition.” Meanwhile, a small military clash close to the Armenia-Azeri border on Monday further evidenced rising tensions between the two neighboring nations.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255561/nearly-all-ethnic-armenians-have-fled-nagorno-karabakh
The National Eucharistic Congress on Monday opened its application form for young people to apply to become “perpetual pilgrims” during the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which kicks off during summer 2024. The ambitious two-month pilgrimage will consist of four cross-country Eucharistic processions — a combined distance of 6,500 miles — converging in Indianapolis on July 16, 2024, at the National Eucharistic Congress, which is expected to attract thousands. The general public is invited to sign up to join for small sections at different points of the pilgrimage; however, a group of four dozen full-time “perpetual” pilgrims will commit to making the entire journey, accompanied by priest chaplains for weeklong segments. The deadline to submit an application to become a perpetual pilgrim is Nov. 28. Interview and further screenings will follow, with final selection taking place in January 2024.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255551/national-eucharistic-congress-opens-permanent-pilgrim-application-process
Today, the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Italian deacon who brought renewal to the Church through his decision to follow Jesus' words as literally as possible. At Mass one morning, he heard the Gospel reading in which Christ instructed the apostles to go forth without money, shoes, or extra clothing. This way of life soon became a papally-approved rule, which would attract huge number of followers within Francis' own lifetime. Through his imitation of Christ, Francis shared in the Lord's sufferings. He miraculously received Christ's wounds, the stigmata, in his own flesh during September of 1224.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-francis-of-assisi-614