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A 108-foot-tall sculpture of Christ the Fisher located in La Concordia in the Mexican state of Chiapas was completely burned down after being struck by lightning September 10. Hours after the incident, the Secretariat for Civil Protection and the local municipal police went to the scene to assess the damage. “Due to the impact of lightning and combustible material, fire spread in its structure; it collapsed and burned,” Civil Protection reported on Facebook. After lamenting the accident, the parish expressed its desire that other “works and projects” be carried out for “the common good” and the “comprehensive growth” of the town. The authorities indicated that the decision to replace the statue had not yet been made.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255375/lightning-strike-destroys-monumental-statue-of-christ-in-mexico
Scandinavia’s top Church leader says he hopes the role of women in the Church’s mission is a focal point at the upcoming synodal assembly on synodality — and, therefore, that the conversation isn’t bogged down on the settled question of whether the Church can ordain women. The Church’s inability to sacramentally ordain women was confirmed in 1994 by Pope John Paul II. Pope Francis has also repeatedly affirmed this truth.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255369/ordination-of-women-should-not-be-focal-point-of-synod-says-scandinavian-cardinal
A foundation that is raising money for the descendants of people who were enslaved by Jesuits announced $27 million in new contributions, more than doubling the total fund, which has now reached $42 million. The new money came from two large donations: a $10 million contribution from Georgetown University and an estimated $17 million from the Jesuits. The Jesuit funding includes the estimated value of a former plantation that is owned by Jesuits and another $10 million. With the additional funding, the Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Foundation’s fund has now reached 42% of its five-year goal of $100 million. The organization’s final goal is to ultimately reach $1 billion. Jesuits participated in the slave trade in North America since colonial times to support missionary efforts and establish educational institutions, including Georgetown. In 1838, the university sold more than 272 enslaved people from their plantations to southern Louisiana to support its financial needs.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255364/jesuits-georgetown-donate-27-dollars-million-to-fund-for-slave-descendants
A panel of judges ruled that a California school district must allow a Christian athletic club to return to public schools after the district banned the group over its adherence to Christian teachings on sexuality.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255372/court-rules-california-district-cant-bar-christian-athletic-club-from-schools
Today, the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, which commemorates the seven great sorrows which Mary lived in relation to Her Son.
1. At the prophecy of Simeon: "You yourself shall be pierced with a sword - so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare."
2. At the flight into Egypt.
3. Losing the Holy Child at Jerusalem.
4. Meeting Jesus on his way to Calvary.
5. Standing at the foot of the Cross.
6. Jesus being taken from the Cross.
7. At the burial of Christ.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/our-lady-of-sorrows-595
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252292/our-lady-of-sorrows-what-are-mary-s-seven-sorrows