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A small act of mercy has come to light in Maui where Lahaina Church has been spared the devastation that has razed the rest of the historic town to the ground. A video posted to TikTok shows the Maria Lanakila Catholic Church in downtown Lahaina still standing amidst the rubble. The church, which has stood since 1846, is seen in a video posted to TikTok standing proud with its stain glass and tower structure in place even as the ground around it smolders.  Members of the church’s community took to Facebook to express their gratitude the building had been saved.  Jeffrey Chang wrote: ‘May She be the beacon of hope…to help the rest of the community.’ The Maria Lanakila Catholic Church in downtown Lahaina is seen still standing amidst the rubble Lahaina’...

“It’s an unprecedented disaster,” Patrick Downes, editor of the Diocese of Honolulu’s Hawaii Catholic Herald, told CNA on Aug. 10. “There are a lot of people instantly homeless.” The telegram sent on the pope’s behalf by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said that Pope Francis was “deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and the destruction caused by the wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui.” The pope expressed “his solidarity with all those suffering from this tragedy, especially those whose loved ones have died or are missing,” and offered “the assurance of prayers for the dead, injured, and displaced, as well as for the first responders and emergency personnel.” “As a sign of his spiritual closeness, the Holy Father willingly invokes upon all the people of Maui...

“We supported the bipartisan Pregnant Workers Fairness Act because it enhanced the protection of pregnant mothers and their preborn children, which is something that we have encouraged Congress to prioritize,” Burbidge said in a statement. “The act is pro-worker, pro-family, and pro-life. It is a total distortion to use this law as a means for advancing abortion and the complete opposite of needed assistance for pregnant mothers.” Burbidge argued that the proposed rules are contrary to the legislative intent.  “To include accommodations for obtaining an abortion is wrong and contrary to the text, legislative history, and purpose of the act, which is to help make it possible for working mothers to remain gainfully employed, if desired, while protecting their health and that of the...

Not long after having recovered her sight, Jimena told the Spanish radio station COPE that she woke up that morning “as I have been getting up for two and a half years, seeing super blurry, very badly.” She explained that she had gone to Mass with her friends “because we are at WYD and after receiving Communion I began to cry a lot, because it was the last day of the novena and I wanted to be cured and I had very much asked God please [cure me].” “When I opened my eyes, I could see perfectly,” the young woman continued, “it was overwhelming; very many thanks must be given for the miracle, because I saw the altar, the tabernacle, my girlfriends were there, and I could see them perfectly.” In addition, she said that she was able to read the novena prayer that she was praying and that she sti...

The Holy Father also shared his impressions of World Youth Day — the fourth he’s attended as pope. The attendance in Lisbon, he noted, was “impressive,” pointing to estimates that as many as 1.4 million or more attended the Saturday evening vigil. In addition to this youth event being “the most numerous” it was the “best prepared,” he added. “The young people are a surprise. Young people are young, they act youthful, life is like that. But they are seeking to move forward. And they are the future. The idea is to accompany them,” he said. “The problem is knowing how to accompany them,” the pope continued. “And that is that they shouldn’t detach themselves from their roots. That’s why I insist so much on dialogue between old and young, between grandparents with grandchildren. This dialogue i...

In his homily for the concluding Mass for World Youth Day in Lisbon, Pope Francis calls on young people to shine, to listen, and to be unafraid. By Christopher Wells At the concluding Mass for this year’s World Youth Day, Pope Francis echoed the words of the Apostles who witnessed the Transfiguration of Christ on the Mount: “It is good for us to be here!” At the same time, he challenged the young people  to ask themselves, “What will we take back with us to the valley of our daily lives?” Drawing on the day’s Gospel, the Holy Father proposed three verbs: to shine, to listen, and to be unafraid. Pope Francis greets young people To shine The Gospel reading recounts the event of the Transfiguration, where Jesus appeared to His three closest disciples with His face shining like the ...

Pope Francis prays the Rosary in the Chapel of the Apparitions in Fatima, Portugal, with young people who are sick and several prison inmates, and reminds pilgrims that Mary always reaches out to us and shows us the way. By Lisa Zengarini Mary always comes to our aid “in haste” and shows us the way forward for our lives. Pope Francis offered this reminder on Saturday as he addressed some 200,000 pilgrims gathered at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, where he travelled from Lisbon to pray for peace in the world and for young people on the fourth day of his Apostolic Journey to Portugal.  The Pope led the recitation of the Rosary with a group of around 100 young sick people and several prison inmates in the Chapel of the Apparitions and prayed silently in front of Our Lady of Fatima, pl...

Pope Francis leads the welcoming ceremony of the 37th World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, and reminds young people from across the globe that God calls each of us by name because He loves every person. By Christopher Wells A vibrant spectacle of colour and sound greeted Pope Francis and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims at the Welcoming Ceremony for World Youth Day 2023. The festive character was intended as a celebration of the faith and a demonstration of the unity and diversity of a Church that combines tradition and modernity, and featured a cast of some 50 young people from 21 different countries, as well as the WYD choir and orchestra, and numerous other musicians showcasing the Portuguese culture. A notable addition to this year’s opening ceremony was the choreographic performance ...

On the second day of Pope Francis’ visit to Lisbon for the 2023 World Youth Day, he meets with members of the “Scholas Occurrentes” community at its Portuguese headquarters in Cascais, and puts the finishing touch on a multi-coloured mural symbolising the beauty of unity in diversity. By Linda Bordoni Paulo, Mariana and Aledje were amongst the protagonists on Thursday at an event attended by Pope Francis and members of Scholas Occurrentes, at the Pontifical Foundation’s Portuguese headquarters in Cascais, south of Lisbon. They are three of the tens of thousands of young people, of different faiths and backgrounds, who belong to the worldwide Scholas movement for education, founded in 2013 and inspired by Pope Francis’ call for the transformation of global education in the spirit of e...

Church fire  Located in the Sicilian capital of Palermo, the Church of Santa Maria di Gesù caught fire on July 25 after a wildfire spread down the slopes of Monte Grifone. Wildfires have scorched the Italian island in the midst of searing summer heat, killing at least three people. Videos on social media showed flames billowing out of the second-story windows of the 15th-century church, which has been a place of pilgrimage for many Latin Americans with devotions to St. Benedict the Moor. Photos shared by the parish of the fire’s aftermath showed the church’s interior blackened and gutted, its wooden roof completely burned away. Religious artwork, such as the Madonna di Legno, was also destroyed. “The tragedy that struck the Church of Santa Maria di Gesù in Palermo made, in a few hours...