The Vatican’s congregation for worship has ruled that priests are not to leave the altar to make the Sign of Peace with the faithful at Mass. In a recent circular, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments listed several “abuses” of the Sign of Peace that are to be stopped. These Read more
The practice of lay people giving the homily at Mass is coming to an end in a United States diocese, where it had been happening for 40 years. Bishop Salvatore Matano of Rochester diocese in New York state is drafting guidelines to clarify that homilies at Mass are reserved for the ordained. Bishop Matano said he is trying Read more
An Austrian bishop has warned that the Eucharist is in danger of “drying up”, because the Church is not prepared to change rule on who can be a priest. Former Vienna auxiliary Helmut Krätzl has called on bishops to take up Pope Francis’s request to “make courageous suggestions” in order to stop eucharistic scarcity. “We Read more
Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has asked his fellow priests to stop bidding their parishioners “good morning” at the start of Mass. In an article posted on the Philippines bishops’ conference website, Cardinal Tagle said saying “the Lord be with you” is already sufficient. “With all due respect, my brother-priests, I do not see the Read more
A cardinal and 12 bishops celebrated Mass on the United States-Mexico border to commemorate those who died while trying to cross it. Hundreds of would-be migrants trying to cross from Mexico into the US die each year in the desert of dehydration or hypothermia or in shootings by border patrols or vigilantes. The bishops also Read more
A United States cardinal and several bishops will offer Mass on the US/Mexico border for thousands of migrants who have died there. “The US/Mexico border is our Lampedusa. Migrants in this hemisphere try to reach it, but often die in the attempt,” said Bishop Eusebio Elizondo. Bishop Elizondo chairs the US bishops’ Committee on Migration. Read more
Pope Francis, Wednesday, urged the faithful to look after those who are going through a tough time. The pontiff was speaking against a background of recent floods in rome and the consequences of the global economic crisis. “We all go to Mass, because we love Jesus and want to share in His Passion and His Read more
Something extraordinary is happening in English churches. Imagine you arrived at an unfamiliar church just as the service was starting and you heard: “Almighty God, unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid…” Right, you’d think, CofE, Book of Common Prayer. But this is the beginning of Read more
A 15 minute Sunday Mass recently cost Peru priest, Fr Jesus Apolaya Camacho his freedom. Fr Camacho, Sunday 12 May, managed to preach and celebrate Sunday Mass so quickly that devout parishioners decided to take matters into their own hands and locked the parish priest into the chapel for around an hour after Mass. Camacho was Read more
I was motivated to write the book A Catholic Guide to Depression because I believe that our Catholic tradition – including the writings of the Church Fathers and saints – has something important to say to those suffering from this terrible affliction. Depression is often misunderstood; most people mistakenly believe it’s nothing more than intense Read more