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Meet the Nun with the Gun
(from left:) White Mass Committee members: Tom Liautaud, PharmD, and Dr. Pat Ryan, MD with Sister Dede and Archbishop José H. Gomez; photo: Victor AlemánSister Deirdre “Dede” Mary Byrne plays down the three-part description she’s often tagged with: soldier, surgeon, and sister. It’s true that she retired as a colonel in the U.S. Army after 29 years of service in 2009. But the 63-year-old woman religious points out that for many of those years of service, she was comfortably at home in Washington, D.C., as part of the Army Reserve.The sister of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary was honored by the Mission Doctors Association Oct. 13 at the annual Mass for Healthcare Professionals — better known as the “White Mass”— at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, California.
Pope Francis says a missionary is not a "mercenary of the faith"
A missionary "is not a mercenary of the faith or a producer of proselytes". He is rather a humble mendicant who feels the absence of brothers, sisters and mothers, "with whom to share the irrevocable gift of reconciliation that Jesus grants to all".
This was underlined by Pope Francis during the Holy Mass celebrated at the Supachalasai National Stadium in Bangkok, during the second day of his apostolic visit to Thailand.
Read more Pope Francis says a missionary is not a "mercenary of the faith"
What is Advent, Anyway?
Advent begins this year on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019. Most Catholics, even those who don’t often go to Mass, know that Advent involves a wreath with some candles, possibly a “calendar” of hidden chocolates, and untangling strings of Christmas lights. But Advent is more than that. Here are a few points that might help you have a great Advent this year:
Advent—A Time of Waiting and Longing for the Messiah
The people of Israel waited generations for the promised Messiah to arrive. Their poetry, their songs and stories, and their religious worship focused on an awaited savior, whom God had promised, over and over, would come to them to set them free from captivity, and to lead them to the fulfillment of all that God had chosen for them.Marathon man –The Catholic faith and family of Eliud Kipchoge
Recently Kenyan marathoner Eliud Kipchoge broke a finishing tape, and a barrier long-thought to be completely unbreakable. Kipchoge became the first person to run a marathon in less than two hours, finishing a 26.2 mile course in Vienna in 1 hour 59 minutes 40 seconds.
A Remarkable Feat!
Eliud Kipchoge at the 2018 London Marathon; photo: Paul HudsonSometime after the run was over, away from the spotlight, Kipchoge did what he is reported to do after every race: he knelt down, bent his forehead to the ground, and made the sign of the cross, in thanksgiving for a good run. In his hometown, his friends and family say that Kipchoge’s extraordinary accomplishment might have something to do with his deep Catholic faith.Read more Marathon man –The Catholic faith and family of Eliud Kipchoge
Touchdown Jesus
I was in the middle of writing something completely different until the opening of college football season snuck up on me and Notre Dame was on a nationally televised opener over the Labor Day weekend.
Notre Dame fans … or else
Now, imagine an extended Catholic family living under the same roof where a grandfather who had been born in the middle part of the 19th century also dwelled — a man so tightly wound that he wore a suit and tie every day of his life, though he had been retired for decades. He had attended Notre Dame, and so it was only natural that everyone in that same household would be Notre Dame fans … or else.
View from east side of the Notre Dame Stadium showing the fans at a home game
Crystal Cathedral captures the American Catholic story in miniature
Editor: We are proud to state that The Most Reverend Thanh Thai Nguyen, Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Orange County was trained and ministered as a La Salette Missionary for a number of years before becoming incardinated into the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida. After becoming a bishop, he led a Vietnamese Pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in Attleboro, Massachusetts.
Bishop Kevin Vann of Orange, California, likes to tell the story of once visiting Orange County while he was still serving in Fort Worth, Texas, with no idea of what the future might hold.
Read more Crystal Cathedral captures the American Catholic story in miniature
Vatican II – a New Vision for Our Catholic Church
St. Peter’s Square in Vatican CityAmong the many salient events that framed my life, living in Rome during most of the Second Vatican Council ranks near the top. Being in the presence of so many bishops, theologians and other church leaders confirmed my desire to have a more active part in our Church which, the Council told us, is by her very nature fundamentally missionary.It was during those formative years that I informed my superiors that I was ready and willing to minister “in the missions”—a process that, for me, would expand over the next five years. Prayer, reflection and preparation helped me realized that I had been a missioner from the time of my baptism. My “going out” to minister and serve was just another means of witnessing to my baptismal reality.
Vatican II – A Truly Life-Changing Event
This year, on October 11, the Church will mark the 57th anniversary of the opening of that life-changing event we call Vatican II. The four council sessions, which ranged from 1962 to 1965, were times of intense introspection mingled with a deeper sense of dialogue. Some 2,400 bishops brought to the Vatican an experience of the Church alive in a wide variety of cultures and traditions.Pope Francis to visit Madagascar
Editor: Our own La Salette Bishop, Most Reverend Donald Pelletier, M.S., along with other bishops, will be present to welcome Pope Francis to Madagascar.
The Pope Mobile is ready to transport Pope Francis during his visit to Madagascar as well as Mozambique and Mauritius"With the grace of God, in a few days I will be among you! I wish to extend my cordial greetings to you, along with thanks for all that you have done and are doing to prepare for my visit.
“Above all, I thank you for your prayers, both personal and in families, in parish communities, as well as in hospitals and prisons", says Pope Francis in a video message to the Malagasy population on the eve of his visit to the island.
A Special Papal Visit
From September 4-10, 2019, the Pope will carry out a pastoral visit under the motto "Hope, Peace, Reconciliation" in three countries of southern Africa: in addition to Madagascar, Mozambique and Mauritius.Look to Newman for an education in friendship
Addressing students and faculty at the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit, held Thursday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Catholic University president John Garvey invoked Cardinal John Henry Newman, saying that relationships are an essential part of the educational process.
The value of a good education
“A good education is more than books, lectures, papers, and tests. This Newman knew well. A good education gets us outside ourselves. It counteracts the tendency to stick with settled ways of thinking,” Garvey said.What Does It Mean To ‘Be Born Again’?
What does it mean to “be born again, to “be born from above”? If you’re an Evangelical or Baptist, you’ve probably already answered that for yourself. However, if you’re a Roman Catholic or a mainline Protestant then the phrase probably isn’t a normal part of your spiritual vocabulary and, indeed, might connote for you a biblical fundamentalism that confuses you.
What does it mean to “be born again”? The expression appears in John’s Gospel in a conversation Jesus has with a man named Nicodemus. Jesus tells him that he “must be born again from above.” Nicodemus takes this literally and protests that it’s impossible for a grown man to re-enter his mother’s womb so as to be born a second time. So Jesus recasts the phrase metaphorically, telling Nicodemus that one’s second birth, unlike the first, is not from the flesh, but “from water and the Spirit.”