Lenten Fish Fry at St. Francis of Assisi Church combines succulent flavor & philanthropy
ANN ARBOR, MI - Lent was always about two things growing up as a young Catholic -- giving up something I liked and not eating meat on Fridays. Yes, the spiritual meaning is deeper than that. It’s 40 days leading up to Easter and honoring Jesus’ sacrifice by making small sacrifices of our own. The “no meat on Fridays” part is about not consuming flesh on the day Jesus was crucified (the reason fish is not considered flesh is a longer explanation that can be found here).
mlive.com"She Used A Birkin As Her Book Bag": People Are Sharing Infuriating Stories About Out-Of-Touch Rich Students At Their Expensive Schools
"Two students couldn't decide if Bali or Cabo was a better place to vacation. They were only first graders in a really expensive Catholic school, btw."
news.yahoo.comPope clarifies homosexuality and sin comments in note
Pope Francis has clarified his recent comments about homosexuality and sin, saying he was merely referring to official Catholic moral teaching that teaches that any sexual act outside of marriage is a sin. Francis first made the comments in an interview Jan. 24 with The Associated Press, in which he declared that laws criminalizing homosexuality were “unjust” and that “being homosexual is not a crime.” As he often does, Francis then imagined a conversation with someone who raised the matter of the church’s official teaching, which states that homosexual acts are sinful, or “intrinsically disordered.”
news.yahoo.comCatholic school opening in Saline is region’s first in 20 years
SALINE, MI - A new Catholic school is coming to Saline next fall, becoming the region’s first Catholic parish school in 20 years. Prior to the pending opening of Saint Andrew, the most recent opening of a parish school in the Diocese of Lansing was in 2002 when Holy Spirit School opened in Brighton. Currently, there six Catholic schools operating in Washtenaw County, including three out of the Diocese of Lansing’s 35 total Catholic schools, with the diocese extending into the Ann Arbor, Jackson, Flint and Lansing areas. While there had always been interest expressed by parents for a school to be operated out of Saint Andrew Catholic Church, the COVID-19 pandemic re-initiated the discussion, Saint Andrew Catholic School Principal Michelle Sontag said. With the closest Catholic school about 25 minutes away in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Linden said the timing was right to open a new school in Saline.
mlive.comWest Michigan’s Catholic college, Aquinas, inaugurates its first female president
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Alicia Córdoba was inaugurated Friday as the ninth president of Aquinas College, the first woman to lead the Catholic school since founded in 1886. “(I’m) going to bring the enthusiasm, the passion and love for what Aquinas is, has always been and what it could be,” Córdoba told MLive after the Oct. 7 inaugural ceremony in the college’s Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center. Today, I felt it just arms enveloped, both human and spiritual all day today.”Related: West Michigan’s Catholic college, Aquinas, announces new president taking the reins July 1Aquinas College was founded by the Dominican Sisters. Sister Sandra Delgado, the order’s prioress, told the audience Friday that the day marked an historic event in the college’s history. Bishop David Walkowiak, of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, conducted the Blessing of the Presidential Medallion and Blessing of the new president and first gentlemen.
mlive.comSee 70 photos from Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s win over Forest Hills Eastern
GRAND RAPIDS - Catholic Central had a night to remember Friday. The Cougars knocked off Forest Hills Eastern 49-21 in a game between to undefeated teams, and it came on Catholic Central’s 2022 Homecoming Night. READ MOREGame Day Grand Rapids! Here’s MLive’s takeWeek 5 pick: Who do you like when state-ranked teams clash in Grand Rapids? Vote for Grand Rapids Fall Athlete of the Week 3Poll results: MLive readers select Grand Rapids area’s best football stadium
mlive.comPowers Catholic High School names new president
FLINT, MI – Timothy Gallic, a longtime Catholic school administrator across the country, will replace Rory Mattar as Powers Catholic High School president this fall. Gallic was named as Powers Catholic High School President by Most Reverend Earl Boyea, Bishop of Lansing, who oversaw the hiring process. The new Powers Catholic leader has a long history in educational leadership in Catholic institutions, according to a news release from the high school. He takes the Powers Catholic role after advising Catholic schools on how to grow enrollment, stabilize budgets and other consultant services. “I’m honored to be chosen to serve as the next President at Powers Catholic High School,” Gallic said in the release.
mlive.comMozambique's jihadis spread into most populous province
Extremists allied with the Islamic State group have spread their attacks further south into Mozambique’s most populous province, Nampula, including an assault on a Catholic mission in which an Italian nun was among those killed
washingtonpost.comConnecticut Assistant Principal Placed on Leave after Admitting to Anti-Catholic Discrimination
An assistant principal of an elementary school in Greenwich, Conn., has been placed on administrative leave after he admitted to discriminating against Catholic and conservative teaching applicants.
news.yahoo.comIndiana court sides with Catholic diocese in teacher firing
The Indiana Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that religious freedom rights protect the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis from being sued by a teacher who was fired from his job at a Catholic high school for being in a same-sex marriage. Joshua Payne-Elliott argued in his lawsuit that archdiocese leaders wrongfully forced his firing in 2019 from his job of 13 years as a world language and social studies teacher at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis by mandating that all Catholic schools under its purview enforce a morality clause barring employees from entering into same-sex marriages. The state Supreme Court decision said religious institutions had the First Amendment right to decide matters of church governance for themselves.
news.yahoo.comVatican says they’re gifts; Indigenous groups want them back
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican Museums are home to some of the most magnificent artworks in the world, from Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel to ancient Egyptian antiquities and a pavilion full of papal chariots. The Vatican says the feathered headdresses, carved walrus tusks, masks and embroidered animal skins were gifts to Pope Pius XI, who wanted to celebrate the Church’s global reach, its missionaries and the lives of the Indigenous peoples they evangelized. The trip is aimed primarily at allowing the pope to apologize in person, on Canadian soil, for abuses Indigenous people and their ancestors suffered at the hands of Catholic missionaries in notorious residential schools. It is possible Indigenous peoples gave their handiworks to Catholic missionaries for the 1925 expo or that the missionaries bought them. The Vatican Museums declined repeated requests for an interview or comment.
mlive.comHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushes back after archbishop denies her Communion
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed back Tuesday on the decision by San Francisco’s conservative Catholic archbishop to deny her Communion over her support of abortion rights, saying she respects that people have opposing views but not when they impose them on others.
news.yahoo.comRift on Communion policy as US Catholic bishops open meeting
Divisions have flared up among U.S. Catholic bishops as they opened a national meeting highlighted by a sensitive agenda item: a possible rebuke of Catholic politicians, including President Joe Biden, who receive Communion while supporting abortion rights.
The Latest: Metro Manila, outlying provinces go on lockdown
___ROME — Police in Italy have been cracking down on violators of ordinances aimed at reining in what has been weeks of stubbornly high incidences of COVID-19 cases. North Macedonia has recorded more than 126,000 coronavirus cases and more than 3,600 deaths. ___TIRANA — Albania started a mass inoculation campaign Sunday ahead of the summer tourism season after acquiring 192,000 doses of Chinese coronavirus vaccine Sinovac earlier this week. The church drew media attention after reports it had opened the service to its entire congregation despite a tough coronavirus lockdown and sharply rising infection rate in the Netherlands. ___MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s government is acknowledging that the country’s true death toll from the coronavirus pandemic now stands above 321,000.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine research method creates conflict for Catholics
The pandemic has ended so many lives and vaccines are in high demand, but the J&J vaccine is born out of research that the church has long spoken out against. AdMichigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phasesWhile the Archdiocese of Detroit recognizes the need for more vaccines, the J&J vaccine emerged from research dating back to the 1970s that proves controversial for Catholics. “If no other vaccines are available, certainly take the J&J vaccine,” Smetanka said. The vaccines developed by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca are more morally problematic, however. If one does not have a choice of vaccine and a delay in immunization may bring about serious consequences for one’s health and the health of others, it would be permissible to accept the Johnson & Johnson or AstraZeneca vaccine.
Archdiocese of Detroit urges Catholics to return to mass when general dispensation expires in March
DETROIT – The Archdiocese of Detroit is urging Catholics to return to mass on Sundays and Holy Days starting March 13, when dispensation from the obligation will expire. The dispensation from the obligation to attend mass was first issued when coronavirus pandemic swept into Michigan in March 2020. The Archdiocese of Detroit has extended that dispensation several times in the past 10 months, most recently in November when it was announced it would be extended until Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Now, Catholics in the Detroit area are being advised to “to return to the heart and foundation of their faith” as they resume other activities. These individuals should also prepare to return to Mass in recognition of its preeminence in our lives as Catholics,” Archbishop Vigneron said in a letter to the faithful.
Poles hold more protests over abortion; activist released
The poster, she said, celebrated the recent liberalization of the abortion law in Argentina and expressed hope Poland would be next. Mass nationwide protests have recurred repeatedly since then, growing into the largest protest movement in post-communist Poland. The court's judges argued that allowing abortion when there are congenital defects is unconstitutional because the Polish Constitution protects human life. Suchanow and Marta Lempart, the leaders of the Women’s Strike group that has spearheaded street protests against the law, are now looking for inspiration to Argentina. AdIrene Donadio, a leading strategist with International Planned Parenthood Federation, a group promoting reproductive health and choice, said her organization is appalled that such a restrictive law could be imposed in a European Union member state.
9 retired nuns in Michigan die of COVID-19 in January
The women lived at the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters in Adrian, 75 miles (120 kilometers) southwest of Detroit. Eight nuns in suburban Milwaukee died of virus complications in one week in December, including four in one day. AdNine of the 12 deaths of Adrian Dominican sisters this month were linked to COVID-19, Siemen said. After more than nine months without a COVID-19 case among residents, the Adrian Dominican Sisters announced an outbreak on Jan. 14. That's the heartache of this virus,” Siemen said.
Poland: Near-total abortion ban takes effect amid protests
(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)WARSAW – A near-total ban on abortion has taken effect in Poland and triggered a new round of nationwide protests three months after the constitutional court ruled that the abortion of congenitally damaged fetuses is unconstitutional. Members of Poland's ruling Law and Justice party, which is aligned with the Roman Catholic Church, had sought the new restriction. The protesters are demanding a full liberalization of the abortion law and the resignation of the government, neither of which seem likely in the short term. Some protesters Wednesday covered their faces with green bandanas, which are the symbol of the abortion rights movement in Argentina. The constitutional court is made up mostly of Law and Justice appointees who ruled on a motion brought by lawmakers from the party.
New protests as Polish court seals divisive abortion ruling
People gather in Warsaw, Poland Wednesday Jan. 27, 2021 to protest after the country's top court on Wednesday confirmed its highly divisive ruling that will further tighten the predominantly Catholic nation's strict anti-abortion law. The Constitutional Tribunal published the justification of its decision, which means it can now be officially printed and take immediate effect. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)WARSAW – New protests broke out in Polish cities Wednesday, shortly after the country's top court confirmed its highly divisive ruling that will further tighten the predominantly Catholic nation’s strict anti-abortion law. Last year's marches — some of which led to clashes with police — were highly critical of the ruling right-wing Law and Justice party. It was made in response to a motion from over 100 ruling party lawmakers, whose names have not been made public.
‘A really welcome change’: Pope officially expands women’s roles in Catholic Church
Pope Francis has changed church law to explicitly allow women to do more things during Mass, Monday Jan. 11, 2021, while reaffirming they cannot be priests. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, FILE)DETROIT – The role of women in the Catholic Church is expanding and it’s no longer based on the decision of an individual Bishop. “It’s a really welcome change from the Pope,” Katie Lacz, of Women’s Ordination Conference, said. Advocates for gender equality in the Catholic Church are praising the decision by Pope Francis. Pope Francis has now made it canon law.
Michigan nuns call for immediate removal of Trump from office
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)Michigan members of a Catholic religious institute are calling on lawmakers to immediately remove President Donald Trump from office following the deadly riot that shook the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. The Adrian Dominican Sisters -- who founded and sponsor Siena Heights University in Michigan -- specifically singled out senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow and Rep. Tim Walberg on Friday to take action to remove President Trump from office. Several Cabinet members and White House employees have resigned from their posts following the deadly siege of the U.S. Capitol. President Trump has since publicly condemned the violence in Washington, and even conceded to President-elect Biden for the first time on Thursday evening. Pelosi told Democrats that the top military official assured her steps are in place to prevent a Trump nuclear launch.
Bosnian city of Mostar holds 1st local election in 12 years
(AP Photo/Kemal Softic)MOSTAR – MOSTAR, Bosnia-Long-entrenched ethno-nationalists were projected to win the first local election in Bosnia’s southern city of Mostar in 12 years, but early results of Sunday's vote also indicated multiethnic parties and alliances would be a strong part of the future city council. Mostar is split between Muslim Bosniaks and Catholic Croats, who fought fiercely for control over the city during the country’s 1992-95 war. It hasn’t held a local election since 2008, when Bosnia’s constitutional court declared its election rules discriminatory and ordered them changed. Thus, the lawmakers from multiethnic parties appear set to become tiebreakers in all but certain disputes between the dominant Bosniak and Croat nationalists. Prior to the war, ethnically mixed couples made up 10% of all marriages in Mostar, and the city was markedly cosmopolitan.
Archdiocese of Detroit moves to reorganize Catholic parishes
DETROIT – The Archdiocese of Detroit has announced plans to form 51 new families of parishes in an effort to better serve worshippers. The idea to form 51 families of parishes was conceived years ago amid a priest shortage, and is designed to help the diocese become more missionary. The Deacon says the transition will help spread resources and keep the doors of the churches open. “This allows us to keep the parishes open with fewer clergy and that’s our goal,” Houghton said. Officials say the transition will happen in two waves: one in January 2021 and the second in July.
Archdiocese of Detroit extends Mass dispensation due to COVID surge
DETROIT – For months, mass at St. Clare Montefalco Parish in Grosse Pointe Park has been different in many ways, but still celebrated weekly. Allen Vigneron, extended a blessing. Announced on Friday, the dispensation from the obligation to attend mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation was extended to Ash Wednesday, Feb, 17, 2021. Those who stay at home should keep holy the Lord’s Day by reading scripture or watching mass virtually. You can read the full letter from Reverend Allen H. Vigneron, Archbishop of Detroit here.
Archdiocese of Detroit: Mass dispensation extended until Ash Wednesday
DETROIT – The Archdioceses of Detroit announced Friday that mass dispensation for Catholics will be extended until Ash Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2021. DispensationAfter carefully considering these and other factors, I am extending the dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation for people living in or visiting the Archdiocese of Detroit until Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021. At the same time, one should not take advantage of the dispensation without a true need. To that end, many of our parishes have been broadcasting their services over the internet during these last several months. With assurances of my prayers for you, I remain,Sincerely yours in Christ,The Most Reverend Allen H. VigneronArchbishop of Detroit
A more conservative court hears same-sex foster parent case
The case is a big test of religious rights on a more conservative court. Catholic Social Services, which is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, says its religious views keep it from certifying same-sex couples as foster parents. Kavanaugh, for his part, suggested Wednesday there should be a way for Catholic Social Services to continue to work with foster families. Even liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor seemed to recognize the court was sympathetic to Catholic Social Services. Catholic Social Services did not, and the city stopped placing children with the agency, which sued.
Pelosi to church: 'Follow science' on COVID-19 restrictions
WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed back Friday against the Catholic archbishop of San Francisco's criticism of COVID-related restrictions, saying he should “follow science” rather than advocate for fuller in-person gatherings for Mass and worship. “With all due respect to my archbishop, I think we should follow science on this,” Pelosi said. Pelosi noted that faith and science are sometimes seen at odds. “Around here, people say to me, You're a person of faith, why do you believe in science?" “I say, I believe science is an answer to our prayers.
Metro Detroit priests baptism found invalid due to wrong wording
UTICA, Mich. A Metro Detroit Catholic priest got an unwelcome and startling bit of news earlier this month. After emailing the question to one of his seminary instructors about the situation the word came back it was invalid. Because the deacon who did the baptism did not use the properly approved words the rest of the priests spiritual life has been deemed non-existent. But in a couple of weeks time the Archdiocese of Detroit saw to it that he received all the sacraments officially. Anyone concerned about their own personal situation is encouraged to contact the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Warren De La Salle football team forfeits playoff game amid allegations of hazing in team locker room
WARREN, Mich. The Warren De La Salle football team has forfeited its playoff game amid allegations of hazing in the team locker room, school officials announced. The announcement to end the season comes on the even of the Michigan high school football playoffs. Officials at the high school learned this week of a hazing incident involving the varsity football team and its players. De La Salle Collegiate is a Lasallian Catholic school, De La Salle President John M. Knight said. And what is right according to our Lasallian Catholic values.The De La Salle football team has won three state championships in the last five years, including two in a row.
Michigan judge denies request to halt LGBT adoption ruling
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - A federal judge has denied Michigan's request to halt his preliminary injunction that preserved a Catholic adoption agency's ability to refuse to place state wards with LGBT couples. Judge Robert Jonker in Grand Rapids declined the stay Tuesday. It had been sought by state Attorney General Dana Nessel and the state Department of Health and Human Services, while the case is appealed. Nessel has denied having hostility toward faith-based agencies that contract with the state. She says Michigan law allows child-placing agencies to turn away families in private cases based on their sincerely held religious beliefs, but not when they place state-supervised children.
Charge added against 80-year-old former Michigan priest
CNNLANSING, Mich. - Prosecutors have added a sexual assault charge against a former Catholic priest, accusing him of abusing a 5-year-old boy after a family funeral in Genesee County in 1987. MORE: 5 priests charged with 21 criminal sexual conduct charges in sex abuse investigationVincent DeLorenzo, who worked at several Michigan churches, was charged in May with criminal sexual conduct in other alleged incidents. The attorney general's office said Tuesday that it filed an additional charge. Michael Manley, an attorney for the 80-year-old, says DeLorenzo "maintains his innocence." He wasn't charged at the time.
Michigan priest imprisoned teenage boy in janitor's room with plastic wrap, masking tape, AG says
LANSING - A Catholic priest in Michigan has been charged with false imprisonment after holding a teenage boy against his will in a janitor's room of a church by wrapping him tightly in plastic wrap and using masking tape over his eyes and mouth, according to the attorney general. Stanley is accused of imprisoning the boy against his will in the fall of 2013 at St. Margaret's Catholic Church in Otsego. Officials said Stanley immobilized the boy by wrapping him tightly in plastic wrap and using masking tape as additional binding and over his eyes and mouth. Stanley left the boy bound and alone in the room for longer than an hour before letting him go, according to authorities. Authorities said it is apparent from Kalamazoo diocesan records that Stanley had used binding materials in this way for decades.
Catholic bishop in Texas accuses Trump of racism
But one church leader has now gone one step further, becoming likely the first Catholic bishop in the United States to publicly accuse Trump of racism. Some of the language in the manifesto reflects ideas from President Trump, Fox News and the modern Republican party. "The shooter in El Paso posted a manifesto online, consumed by racist hate," Trump said in remarks from the White House. A number of progressive pastors and bishops in the United States have already denounced the President's actions and rhetoric, particularly on Twitter. But Garcia-Siller's tweets are different, for two reasons: First, he represents the country's largest religious group, Catholics, who have about 71 million members in the United States.
Michigan AG updates on Catholic priest sex abuse claims
Attorney General Dana Nessel held a news conference Friday to update her office's investigation into possible sexual abuse by Catholic priests in Michigan. Five men have been charged with criminal... Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.