BETHLEHEM, West Bank (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI arrived in the Palestinian territories May 13 and immediately declared the Vatican’s support for an independent Palestine. “The Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized […]
Continue readingBETHLEHEM, West Bank (CNS) — Israel issued fewer than half the travel permits the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem had requested for Christians from the Gaza Strip to attend Pope Benedict XVI’s Mass May 13 in Bethlehem. “We gave 250 (names). We should have at least gotten 200. There was no explanation for anything,” said Father […]
Continue readingRating: A-II (PG) NEW YORK (CNS) — The following is a capsule review of a movie recently reviewed by the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Ambitious animated parable, set on a distant planet that’s being invaded by aggressive refugees from earth, in which a downed human airman (voice […]
Continue readingAs we enter wedding season, we invite readers to respond to two related questions:1) What one piece of marriage advice would you offer to a couple getting married in 2009? 2) What one piece of wedding day advice would you offer to engaged couples to help the planning and celebration go more smoothly and keep […]
Continue readingBishop Jenky explains the need for and benefits of the Annual Diocesan Appeal, now under way in parishes across the Diocese of Peoria. Hollywood actor J. Omar Castro gives a witness talk at the May 3 screening of the new DVD “Rosary Stars: Praying the Gospel” at the cathedral. 1,000 men from across the diocese […]
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Photo Caption: A combined choir of women religious sing at the “Rosary Stars” prayer service at St. Mary’s Cathedral on May 3. By: By Tom Dermody There was a Hollywood actor in St. Mary’s Cathedral Sunday, but the spotlight was squarely on the Blessed Virgin Mary and the rosary. “Although always put to a test, […]
Continue readingPONTIAC — Starting Mother’s Day weekend, the Christ Child Society of Central Illinois will donate five infant layette baskets a month to OSF St. James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center in Pontiac. The social service and pastoral care departments and the obstetrics department director will distribute the layettes to those who need them. The society’s mission […]
Continue readingPeople who say they care about the earth’s environment should put their money where their mouth is. That’s a lesson that has been taken to heart by a group of fourth grade students in Miss Megan Flynn’s class at St. Philomena’s School in Peoria. They were inspired to take positive action while preparing for their […]
Continue readingFAIRBURY — With a presentation last Friday of “The Song of Bernadette,” the Maiden Voyage Players made their seventh annual “voyage” into the world of theater. A group of 15 home-school students from St. John the Baptist Parish in Fairbury, the Maiden Voyage Players are directed by their pastor, Father Scott Archer. Father Archer also […]
Continue readingROCK ISLAND — As Mother’s Day approaches, Patti Stimpson remembers the years she was not allowed to leave bed before her son, Adam, and daughter, Katie, served her the special breakfasts they had made with their very own hands. In two weeks, she will sit in St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria and watch as her […]
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