Local News

They downplayed their stories of personal commitment and courage.

Instead, four missionaries speaking at the fourth annual St. Louis Mission Congress March 23 focused on how God led them to their roles and how much they benefited from the people they have encountered along the way.

Maureen and Al Daniels seemed to be pulled toward serving in Madagascar, and though they didn't jump on the impulse at first, they gradually accepted it as a calling.

Catholic men and women who experience same-sex attractions yet want to live in accordance with Church teaching on homosexuality can find solace in a local support group.

The St. Louis chapter of the organization Courage, endorsed by the Pontifical Council for the Family, was established in the archdiocese almost three decades ago to reach out to those with homosexual attractions. It is one of nearly 100 Courage chapters worldwide.

Catholic Church teaching is solidly behind the brief filed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8 cases that went before the U.S. Supreme Court March 26 and 27.

The cases weigh the constitutionality of same-sex marriage. In its brief in the Marriage Act case, the bishops' conference states that there is "no fundamental right to marry a person of the same sex."

Nadia Epps pressed her fingers to her lips and made clear that it was time for the students to be quiet: "Shhhhh!"

The fourth-graders at St. Gabriel School looked up to her and ceased their conversations.

Easter is a special time to rejoice in the salvation that Christ brings to humanity through His death and Resurrection.

But looking at the example of St. Mary Magdalene, it also can be an incredible moment of contemplation upon the gift that God has given the faithful, through his Son.

Earlier this month, a relic of St. Mary Magdalene made several stops in St. Louis as part of a tour that started in Illinois. A reliquary of her tibia, or leg bone, was on display at two St. Mary Magdalen parishes, in Brentwood and south St. Louis, as well as the Dominican Priory in Midtown.

The feast of Divine Mercy, or Divine Mercy Sunday, is observed on the octave of Easter and celebrates the fullness of Christ's Resurrection. This year, the feast will be celebrated on April 7.

The feast was initiated by St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun who kept a diary in the early 1900s of Christ's private revelations, telling her of His message of mercy.