WASHINGTON—The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will gather in Baltimore for the June 11-14 USCCB Spring General Assembly.   The bishops will discuss and vote on bishop-accountability measures to respond to the abuse crisis, will also hear reports from the National Advis...
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Q. Recently the Gospel read at Sunday Mass was from the 21st chapter of John, where Jesus appears to the apostles after his resurrection and tells them to lower their nets into the sea -- and they catch 153 fish. Our visiting priest said in his homily that the number 153 related to the number of re...
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Q. I belong to a Catholic community in Florida that has been in existence for 32 years. For all that time, we have had only one pastor. The problem is that we have never seen a parish financial report, and I have been told that our parish's weekly income averages $30,000. I approached the pastor la...
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Q. As a longtime practicing Catholic, I would like to know whether the church has a position on whether those who are now in heaven can observe, and are aware of, how we are living our lives here on earth. Also, can we pray to our deceased loved ones for help and guidance in the same way that we pr...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis' new norms on protecting minors and strengthening accountability are the latest steps in driving home the message that the days of keeping abuse allegations covered up or ignored are over, said the Vatican's top abuse investigator.     
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Q. My understanding is that the church teaches that bishops and priests are the successors of the apostles. Can this line really be traced back to one of the original apostles? (Lancaster, Ohio) A. The Twelve Apostles were the privileged eyewitnesses sent to proclaim the teachings of Jesus. The Gos...
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WASHINGTON – According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate’s survey of the Ordination Class of 2019, encouragement and accompaniment are keys to fostering priestly vocations.  Of all responding ordinands, 92 percent reported being encouraged to consider the priesth...
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NEW YORK (CNS) – When Paris' Cathedral of Notre Dame caught fire, the world held its collective breath. The spire fell, and the wooden roof was reduced to ash, but the holy relics were saved, and the interior preserved from the worst ravages of fire. Now more than $1 billion has been raised t...
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RAKOVSKI, Bulgaria (CNS) – In the Catholic heart of Bulgaria, Pope Francis celebrated a special Mass for 245 children receiving their first Communion and thanked them for helping him, their parents and grandparents remember their own first Communions.        ...
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Q. What is the Catholic Church's position on Medjugorje? (There is a parishioner who says that the Blessed Mother has a daily message for us.) (Coshocton, Ohio) A. As of this date, there has been no official determination by the church as to the authenticity of the Marian apparitions to which you r...
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