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The barefooted Irish monks that appeared in Europe to combat both Arianism and paganism were a sight to behold. Even the strangeness of their tonsure made them look formidable. Pope St. Gregory the Great summoned them to re-convert the wayward faithful and teach the clergy of the continent the inspired language of the New Testament, which for too long had been forgotten in the West. This army of missionaries from Eirin left behind a grateful legacy in the form of scores of churches and monasteries, from Italy to Germany, which the people named after St. Patrick. Columban (whose rule stressed that a monk should not lie down to sleep, but fall down) and his dozen, were the first of many such waves to come from Ireland to the continent for about two more centuries.

Vatican, Jun. 11, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) spoke of St. Columbanus, the 6th-century Irish monk, at his regular weekly public audience on June 11.

After his education and spiritual formation in an Irish monastery, Columbanus and a group of 12 companions became missionaries on the European continent, the Pope recalled. They spread the faith “where the migration of peoples from the north and the east had caused entire Christian regions to lapse back into paganism.” Full article here.

Brian Kelly :: Jun.12.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

The Pro-Life crusade is gaining major victories in some Central and South American countries.  This clip from Lifesite News:

San Salvador, Jun. 10, 2008 (LifesiteNews.com/CWN) - All 84 members of the Congress of El Salvador have signed a petition condemning abortion as an “abominable crime.”

The condemnation is included in a statement made by the “Yes to Life,” a petition that is moving from country to country in Central America with the purpose of affirming the region’s rejection of abortion, euthanasia, and other offenses against human life. Full article here.

Brian Kelly :: Jun.12.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

CWN reports

Brian Kelly :: Jun.10.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Aid to the Church in Need News

“Because we have so many vocations – and the number of seminarians we can take is limited by the government – people have to wait for a long time before entering seminary.” - Archbishop Kiet of Hanoi

According to a leading bishop, vocations are flourishing in Vietnam despite government restrictions.

In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, described how a growing number of seminarians started their studies this year. He said, “We have many vocations, this year our seminary received 300 seminarians, in two years time the number will be 400.”  Full story here.

Brian Kelly :: Jun.10.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Caracas, Jun 9, 2008 / 04:33 pm (CNA).- Various Venezuelan bishops are criticizing a new law on national intelligence that would force all Venezuelans to act as informants.  Cardinal Jorge Urosa of Caracas has reacted to the law by warning that the law would endanger the seal of confession.  Full story here.

Brian Kelly :: Jun.10.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Clip from CNA

In a short autobiography at Catholic Authors, the grandmother of eight wrote that curiosity about the saints led her into the Church and her career as a Catholic writer. She was especially interested in the life of Blessed Miguel Pro, the Jesuit priest and Mexican martyr.

“I find it horrifying that so few Americans realize the persecutions of the church that were right next door less than a lifetime ago. I find it equally sad that so few of our American Hispanic Catholics don’t know about their own heroes,” she wrote.

She reported that her son, Sam, tells people “My mom is the only person I know who can write a cookbook one year and follow it up the next year with The Catholic Book of the Dead!”

Full article here.

Brian Kelly :: Jun.10.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Vatican, Jun. 6, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) met on June 6 with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who was making his first formal visit to the Vatican since his return to the helm of the Italian government.  Read article here.

Brian Kelly :: Jun.06.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

New York, Jun. 5, 2008 (CWNews.com) - A Maryknoll priest who was a leading figure in Nicaragua’s leftist government during the 1980s has been elected president of the UN general assembly.

Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann, who was foreign minister of Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, will succeed Macedonia’s Srgjan Kerim in September, holding the position for a year. The president of the UN General Assembly ordinarily does not command media attention, but D’Escoto, with his penchant for controversy, may be an exception to that rule.  Read article here.

Brian Kelly :: Jun.06.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

San Jose, CA., Jun 5, 2008 / 03:44 am (CNA).- Last month, Bishop Mar Bawai Soro and nearly 1,000 Assyrian Christian families were received into communion with the Chaldean Catholic Church in California.  Bishop Bawai explained the process to CNA, and expressed his hope that other Assyrian churches will also consider uniting with the Catholic Church.  Full article here.

Brian Kelly :: Jun.05.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

LifeNews.com Note: The following is a statement from Priests for Life, a leading pro-life Catholic group that works to educate pro-life advocates on issues like abortion. Led by Father Frank Pavone, Priests for Life has been active in urging pro-life voters to make abortion their number one priority.

This is an excellent article.  It should be in the hands of every Catholic who thinks there are “other issues” that a voter can consider in a candidate which are just as important as murdering babies.  Read here.

Brian Kelly :: Jun.05.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

The ending of an article by Bryan Berry on Marian shrines and pilgrims in National Catholic Register caught my attention.  The Faith is alive in this Benedictine cloister:

“On busy Bayswater Road in central London, near the spot at Tyburn where Saints John Houghton, Edmund Campion, Oliver Plunket, and the other 105 Catholic martyrs were executed, stands a convent. Here is a shrine to the martyrs and Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist by the 25 cloistered nuns in the Tyburn Benedictine order.

“We pray for the conversion of England,” Mother Simeon, prioress of the order, said. The order’s charism reflects the martyrs’ sacrifice, she said, adding, “The martyrs died for their loyalty to the pope and for the Holy Eucharist, and they died praying for the conversion of their country.” Full article here.

Brian Kelly :: Jun.03.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Indian-American convert, Bobby Jindal, is doing all the right things in Louisiana.  Here’s a clip from a New York Times article:

Politicians here say they are certain that Mr. Jindal would balance a McCain ticket, and not just because he is an Indian-American. The Christian right has a new champion in Mr. Jindal, a serious Catholic who has said that “in my faith, you give 100 percent of yourself to God.”  Full article here.

Brian Kelly :: Jun.03.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

And no just that of Islam, mind you. The man who entered the Church without uttering a word of public apology for his pro-abortion and pro-same sex union policies as Britain’s Prime Minister is now going to start a foundation to promote global unity and tolerance among all religions. Maybe Gorbachev will join his crusade.  I’m sure both he and the “I’m still an atheist” Communist are committed comrades for global tolerance among all religions.

New York, Jun. 2, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Former British prime minister Tony Blair has launched a new foundation dedicated to fighting against religious extremism and harnessing the power of faith to fight against poverty and disease. Full story here.

Brian Kelly :: Jun.03.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Excerpt from Catholic News Agency:

“Her faith enabled her to see that the thrones of the powerful of this world are all transitory, while the throne of God is the only rock that does not change and does not fall. After centuries and millennia, her Magnificat remains the truest and most profound interpretation of history, while the theories of so many wise men of this world have been disproved by the facts over the course of the centuries.”  Full article here.

Brian Kelly :: Jun.02.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off