Catholic News

The January 13, 2013 issue is online:

In this special Wedding Planning issue, writers from around the country share tips not only about preparing for weddings, but on the art of making a happy marriage as well.

Bishop Brungardt addresses the Newtown killings; Bishop Emeritus Gilmore writes of the "Prayer of Silence."

Says Pope Francis:

‘Be honest, discover what you hold dear to your heart’

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis told a group of young people to be honest with themselves and others and figure out what they hold dear: money and pride or the desire to do good.
He also told them he has made plenty of mistakes in life, being guilty of being too bossy and stubborn.
“They say mankind is the only animal that falls in the same well twice,” he said.
While mistakes are the “great teachers” in life, “I think there are some I haven’t learned because I’m hardheaded,” he said, rapping his knuckles on his wooden desk and laughing. “It’s not easy learning, but I learned from many mistakes, and this has done me good.”
The pope spoke to six young students and reporters from Belgium March 31.
When asked why the pope agreed to do the interview with them, the pope said because he sensed they had a feeling of “apprehension” or unease about life and “I think it is my duty to serve young people,” to listen to and help guide their anxiety, which is “like a seed that grows and in time bears fruit.”

Dominican Sisters of Peace release

corporate stance on gun legislation

The Dominican Sisters of Peace are a congregation of 575 Sisters and 550 lay Associates who live and minister in 36 states and in Honduras, Kenya, Nigeria, Peru, and Vietnam. They are committed to greater involvement in the global community and simplicity of life, with diverse ministries that include education, health care, social work, spiritual direction and parish-based ministries. They work to create environments of peace by promoting non-violence, unity in diversity, reconciliation, and justice through solidarity, especially for women and children.
Corporate Stance:
In the United States, we will advocate for common-sense gun control laws, such as requiring universal background checks before purchasing guns; banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines; promoting strategies to prevent gun violence; and providing adequate financial resources to establish mental health programs for victims and perpetrators, and prevention programs for at-risk people.
“Gun violence in the United States claims more than 31,000 lives every year, with more than a half million injured,” explains Sister Judy Morris, OP, who coordinates the social justice efforts of the Dominican Sisters of Peace. “With responsible, common-sense legislation, thousands of lives can be saved.”
According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, “Gun violence acts very much like a social contagion. It spreads like a virus. The homicide rate in the U.S. is seven times higher than the combined homicide rate of 22 other developed countries.”
This corporate stance does not advocate taking away the Second Amendment right to bear arms, clarifies Sister Judy, noting that a majority of gun owners support reasonable gun control laws. The Dominican Sisters of Peace are joined by many religious and justice groups around the United States in calling for reasonable gun control laws, including the National Council of Churches, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence.
A corporate stance is a deliberate public statement made by a religious congregation expressing a position on an issue of human concern, Gospel values, and /or societal systems. Before the congregation takes a corporate stance, members prepare by studying and discussing all sides of the various issues involved; a vote is then taken, with a two-thirds majority needed to pass.
Once a corporate stance is adopted, the congregation dedicates resources - including time, energy, and personnel - to put into action efforts that support the stance. With the passage of this corporate stance, specific actions will be planned in the coming weeks to educate the public about the issues, to promote responsible gun-control legislation, and to support mental-health and violence prevention initiatives.

The FEB. 10, 2013 issue of the Southwest Kansas Register is online. This special issue includes a celebration of vocations within the Diocese of Dodge City, as well as a pull-out section on Lenten Word Working.

Kansas church, dubbed

‘Cathedral of the Plains,’

named minor basilica

By Doug Weller
Catholic News Service
VICTORIA, Kan. (CNS) -- Capuchin Father Jeff Ernst’s voice leapt with emotion when he heard the news: St. Fidelis Church in Victoria [12 miles east of Hays] would be named a minor basilica.
“It’s exciting,” he said from his office at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Lawrence. “The state of Kansas doesn’t have any” basilicas.
Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Salina received the news from the Vatican in early March that it had granted the diocese’s application to have St. Fidelis designated a minor basilica. He will dedicate the church as a minor basilica June 7.
“This is a great day for the people of Victoria, but an equally great day for the people of the Diocese of Salina,” the bishop said. “St. Fidelis Church has long been a place of pilgrimage and prayer. Indeed, many have been drawn to the mystery and love of God by spending time in this inspiring church.”
Worldwide, there are more than 1,600 minor basilicas; only 78 of them are in the United States.
The Catholic Church has four major basilicas: St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City and the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and Basilica of St. Mary Major, all in Rome.