ROME (CNS) — An Italian government official intervened to stop a hospital from withholding nutrition and hydration from a woman who has been in a persistent vegetative state for 16 years. The Dec. 16 decree by Maurizio Sacconi, Italy’s welfare minister, temporarily blocked Eluana Englaro’s physician and family from carrying out an Italian supreme court […]
Continue readingVATICAN CITY (CNS) — This year’s economic crisis could help people rediscover the true meaning of Christmas and the values of life, love and charity, Pope Benedict XVI said. After the “consumerist and materialistic scales have been shed, Christmas can then become an occasion to accept as a personal gift the message of hope that […]
Continue readingDETROIT (CNS) — Cardinal Adam J. Maida of Detroit emphasized the need for urgent government action to allocate at least enough money to help Detroit’s automakers stay afloat until a more comprehensive assistance package can be worked out in the new year. “People in households throughout southeast Michigan and all across the country are counting […]
Continue readingBy: By Msgr. Stuart Swetland Third Sunday of Advent, Dec. 14 Isaiah 61:1-2a,10-11; (Psalm) Luke 1:46-48,49-50,53-54; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8,19-28 Who are you? This question is often asked. In our modern world our identity can be our most guarded possession. We are asked to offer proof of identity all the time: traveling, shopping, on […]
Continue readingBeneath those clouds hanging over the Illinois Capitol in Springfield and the political scene in Chicago, two true sources of hope are found this month. In Springfield, one week before the arrest of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the first ever privately funded Nativity scene to be displayed in the Capitol Building was dedicated Dec. 2 in […]
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Photo Caption: Thirty-five Catholic parishes, schools, and institutions are contributing gifts to families in need through Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Peoria. By: By Jared Olar Through a tradition of giving and service, Advent and Christmas have become seasons of hope, especially for those in need — and this month parishes and schools throughout […]
Continue readingIn the wake of the arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday, the executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois said that “most public servants in Illinois are good and decent people called to serve for the right reasons,” but that “temptations are out there.” “We have seen too many examples of people […]
Continue readingCatholic school enrollment in the Diocese of Peoria is again slightly less than it was the year before, continuing a trend seen locally since 2003. “Enrollment across the nation is down,” said Brother William Dygert, CSC, diocesan superintendent of schools, placing the diocese’s numbers in a fuller context. “But our enrollment is not as down […]
Continue readingSTREATOR — From her office in the former convent of St. Stephen’s Parish, Sister Alice Ann Harcharik, OSF, can see St. Stephen’s School. “My, if this building could speak,” said Sister Alice Ann of the three-story structure, whose halls she once walked as a student and principal. Starting tomorrow, it will be up to the […]
Continue readingMOLINE — For 43 years, Sister Judith Terese McNulty, BVM, has called the Quad Cities home and she said she knows so many people now that she can’t misbehave — not that she would have the time. She volunteers at the Illini Campus of Genesis Medical Center in Silvis three days a week, helping people […]
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