State Backed Priest in China Ordained as Bishop without Vatican consent, excommunicated

by esteban307 Posted on July 22, 2012

Jesus Carries the Cross

Illicitly ordained Chinese bishop incurs automatic excommunication

The religious problems for Catholics in China continue as a state backed Chinese priest was ordained without the consent of the Vatican.  This resulted in automatic excommunication of the priest by the Catholic church.

Although we have challenges in the U.S. with religious freedom, there are problems in other parts of the world that represent even more challenges than what we face.  Jesus faced problems with the government, even having King Herod decreeing that the babies be put to death in order to find and kill Jesus.

Because of this, Mary and Joseph were forced to flee Israel with Jesus until the death of Herod.

Jesus faced more problems with the state in his final days when Pontius Pilate had him flogged and nailed to the cross.  Catholics all over the world face persecution and we should pray for those people who are less fortunate than us.

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St. Peter’s Young Adult Barbecue brings Catholics together

by esteban307 Posted on July 18, 2012

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The young adults ministry of St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church on Capitol Hill held its annual barbecue on July 8. The event was held in the basement of the church to avoid the impending rain and hail warnings in the D.C. area. The event, coordinated by the YA Social Chair, Kristen Weidner, attracted over 65 Catholic young adults. Robert Vega, the YA Coordinator of the group, said of the event, “I’m really pleased…Everyone seems well fed, happy, and a lot of thanks to that goes to Kristen (Weidner).”

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Daily Mass Reading and Devotion: July 15, 2012

by esteban307 Posted on July 17, 2012
Jesus Christ Photo, Jesus Christ Pictures
Jesus Christ mosaic at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. R. ESTEBAN / CATHOLIC DEVOTION NEWS

July 15, 2012 Mass reading number 2, from Ephesians 1:3-6

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.  In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.”

There are times during the day when you don’t want to get up.  You hear the alarm clock but you just don’t have the strength.  Your eyes are still drowsy and you haven’t had coffee yet.  Maybe you worked to hard the day before and you didn’t get enough sleep.  Maybe you are thinking about all the hardships you have been through and all the challenges of getting up and facing the grind of work.  You think to yourself, am I going to do this for the rest of my life?  How are you to motivate yourself to get through this?

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Photos of Theology on Tap Arlington

by esteban307 Posted on July 13, 2012

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The “Theology on Tap” 6-Pack series kicked off at Pat Troy’s Ireland’s Own restaurant this past Monday. The event was held by the Young Adult Ministry of the Diocese of Arlington and is a lecture series based on spiritual and sometimes controversial topics. The event attracted over 150 Catholic young professionals for the topic of evangelizing to people in a world that is ever increasingly hostile to Christianity. Check out the photos from the event!

[Editor's Note]: To listen to the lecture, go to the Diocese of Arlington website.

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Theology on Tap Arlington speaker presents tactics for evangelizing

by esteban307 Posted on July 12, 2012
Diocese of Arlington, Erin Kisley
Erin Kisley, the Coordinator of the Young Adult Ministry of the Diocese of Arlington, organizes a total of 33 “Theology on Tap” events in Alexandria and Fredericksburg per year.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Over 150 Catholic young adults gathered together at Pat Troy’s Ireland’s Own restaurant to kick off the “Theology on Tap” Six-Pack series this past Monday. The event, held by the Young Adult Ministry of the Diocese of Arlington, attracted young professionals from all over the D.C. metro area.

“Theology on Tap” presents a series of lectures given by leaders of the faith community. The lecture series occurs in different dioceses, such as the Archdiocese of Washington, and provides a venue for discussion of spiritual and sometimes controversial topics.

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“Nuns on the Bus” trip ends in Washington D.C.

by esteban307 Posted on July 11, 2012

Virgin Mary Picture | Blessed Mother Statue, Virgin Mary Pictures

After traveling over 2,700 miles, the “Nuns on the Bus” ended their road show in the city of Washington D.C. after starting their trip from Des Moines, Iowa. I had hoped to catch up with the nuns in Frederick, Md., where they were scheduled to meet with Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, but the event was cancelled because of a power outage (that storm again!).

However, they did make it to their final destination here in the capitol.

A WashingtonPost article by Michelle Boorstein stated that the “Nuns on the Bus” tour was a type of response to the intense scrutiny from the Vatican after a Doctrinal Assessment on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious that cited problems such as “Radical Feminism”.

Even though there was speculation of conflicting views between the U.S. bishops and the “Nuns on the Bus” due to the overlapping of the road show and the “Fortnight for Freedom”, CNN’s article by Anna-Lysa Gayle and Jeffrey Elizabeth Copeland shows that both organizations were working towards the same goal. The article states that the nuns said “We agreed with the United States Congress of Catholic Bishops, the House budget is a moral sin and it is unpatriotic and we will not rest until politicians like Paul Ryan set it aside”. Fair enough? They are helping each other.

Yes, Catholics are many, but we need to stand together on these social issues. The CNN article quoted Sister Mary Wendln, a nun that rode on the bus, as saying, “I think it’s important to show a sense of solidarity for the Ryan cuts, because of the different places that we stopped on the trip”.

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“Hebrews” starts off St. Peter’s D.C. Young Adult Bible Study

by esteban307 Posted on July 10, 2012

St. Peter's D.C. Roman Catholic Church hosts Young Adult Bible Study

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The St. Peter’s Catholic young adult bible study summer session kicked off on June 25 on Capitol Hill. 30 Catholic young adults gathered for the scripture study and pizza in the basement auditorium of the church.

The bible study attracts young adults who are from all parts of the U.S. and overseas.  Most come to pursue work and educational opportunities in the D.C. metro area.

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Christ in the City Md.: Photos of St. Mary’s Church and Adoration

by esteban307 Posted on July 9, 2012

ROCKVILLE, Md. – Christ in the City Md. was held at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church on Thursday by the Young Adult Ministry of the Archdiocese of Washington. The event drew over 60 Catholic young adults from the D.C. metro area. St. Mary’s is a small church with a school and a cemetery next to the church. St. Mary’s celebrated its 200 year anniversary as a parish this year. View photos of the church and the Christ in the City event.

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Why did Jesus cleanse the temple?

by esteban307 Posted on July 8, 2012

Jesus Christ at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

In the Gospel of John (2:13-25), Jesus walks into the temple area in Jerusalem and found “those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there.” Seeing people profiting from the pilgrims coming to the temple, Jesus “made a whip out of cords and drove them out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and over-turned their tables”. To those selling doves, he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”

An article from the Catholic Exchange written by Gayle Somers clarifies why there was a marketplace. According to the article, pilgrims were often from lands far away from the temple and bought the animals for sacrifice out of convenience instead of bringing the animals with them from their homelands. From her article, Somers writes, “moneychangers were set up in this area to exchange foreign currency for the appropriate coins needed to pay the annual Temple tax.  These services were licensed by those in charge of the Temple.  As we know, when services are licensed and taxes are collected, there are always opportunities for corruption and extortion. ”

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“Fortnight for Freedom” Mass ends two weeks of celebration

by esteban307 Posted on July 5, 2012
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
5,000 Catholics overflowed seating capacity at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for the “Fortnight for Freedom” closing Mass. R. ESTEBAN / CATHOLIC DEVOTION NEWS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The “Fortnight for Freedom” came to a close at a Fourth of July Mass held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. 5,000 Catholics from all over the U.S. gathered to bid farewell to the fortnight celebration for religious freedom. Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the celebrant of the Mass, was joined by concelebrants Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, and Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore.

The Mass started with a message of thanks from Cardinal Wuerl honoring Catholics who contributed to the success of the “Fortnight for Freedom”.  Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, addressed the congregation and said, “The Holy Father expresses his hope that the faithful will be strengthened in their religious and patriotic commitment to our goal, that most charished of American freedoms. Freedom of religion.”

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