by David Mayernik Jr. Editor I began typing this column at home, sitting on my couch as five-plus inches of snow was falling outside, making it too dangerous to drive to the Chancery on the North Side of Pittsburgh. Now, … Continue reading →

Bishop larry james Kulick ordained feb. 11 at blessed sacrament cathedral Archbishop William Skurla lays his hands on Bishop Larry Kulick, the Sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg, Pa., Feb. 11 at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral. Archbishop William Skurla was … Continue reading →

Press release by the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of SS. Cyril and Methodius father deacon daniel galadza guest speaker at 21st annual ss. cyril and methodius lecture Father Deacon Daniel Galadza will deliver both in person and through livestream the 21st … Continue reading →

VATICAN CITY — As Christians pray, fast, and give alms during Lent, they also should consider giving a smile and offering a kind word to people feeling alone or frightened because of the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis said.

“Love rejoices in seeing others grow. Hence it suffers when others are anguished, lonely, sick, homeless, despised or in need,” the pope wrote in his message for Lent 2021.

The message, released by the Vatican on Feb. 12, focuses on Lent as “a time for renewing faith, hope and love” through the traditional practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. And, by going to confession.
Throughout the message, Pope Francis emphasized how the Lenten practices not only promote individual conversion, but also should have an impact on others.

“By receiving forgiveness in the sacrament that lies at the heart of our process of conversion, we in turn can spread forgiveness to others,” he said. “Having received forgiveness ourselves, we can offer it through our willingness to enter into attentive dialogue with others and to give comfort to those experiencing sorrow and pain.”

The pope’s message contained several references to his encyclical “Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship Continue reading →

In times of doubt and suffering, Christians must not focus on their problems, but instead lift up their eyes to God, who leads them toward the hopeful promise
of great things to come, Pope Francis said on the feast of the Epiphany. “This does not mean denying reality, or deluding ourselves into thinking that all is well. Rather, it is a matter of viewing problems and anxieties in a new way, knowing that the Lord is aware of our troubles, attentive to our prayers and not indifferent to the tears we shed,” the pope said.

The pope celebrated Mass with a little over 100 people, all wearing masks and seated socially distanced from each other, at the Altar of the Chair St. Peter’s Basilica Jan. 6.

In accordance with an ancient tradition, after the proclamation of the Gospel on Epiphany, a singer from the Sistine Choir chanted the announcement of the date of Easter 2021 (April 4) and the dates of other feasts on the church calendar that are calculated according to the date of Easter.

After celebrating Mass, the pope prayed the Angelus in the library of the Apostolic Palace.

In his Angelus address, the pope said that Christ is “the star who appeared on the horizon, the awaited Messiah, the one through whom God would inaugurate his kingdom of love, of justice and of peace. Continue reading →