Living Our Faith

Answering God’s call to the priesthood

lisajohnston — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:38:23 +0000

Barbara Watkins | bwatkins@archstl.org

Thumbnail (for Multimedia Slideshows)

When Archbishop Robert J. Carlson ordains five new priests for the Archdiocese of St. Louis next week, no one will be happier than Jesuit Father John Horn, president-rector of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.

"I'm very proud of these men," Father Horn said. "I regard them as younger brothers and as spiritual sons, all at the same time. I am joy-filled to see them go to the altar and be ordained."

Bullies aren't cool at John F. Kennedy Catholic High School

Wed, 09 May 2012 19:28:31 +0000

Barbara Watkins | bwatkins@archstl.org

Bullying is not cool at John F. Kennedy Catholic High School.

The archdiocesan high school in Manchester is proactive in preventing bullying behavior, according to associate principal Patty McMullen-Hellwig. "If we hear any rumblings or anything, we try to reach out to the students before it starts," she said.

But it's more than official policy. The school culture at Kennedy, from the students on up, does not look kindly on bullying behavior.

A call to generosity | Annual Catholic appeal reaches many, every minute, every day

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:58:39 +0000

Joseph Kenny | jkenny@archstl.org

Rita French may need to take a deep breath from time to time, but then she'll pull a new trick out of her bag -- anything to reach the children in her third-grade class at St. Louis Catholic Academy in north St. Louis.

A portion of the students are from stable families, though they struggle financially. Others have had rougher lives and ever rougher times financially.

Patience, progress: Differing opinions on dealing with Cuba's regime

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:26:01 +0000

Francis X. Rocca | Catholic News Service

HAVANA -- The Cuba that Pope Benedict XVI visited March 26-28 is a country where the Catholic Church enjoys significantly more freedom and official recognition than it did when Blessed John Paul II made the first papal visit to the island in 1998.

After papal request, Cuba makes Good Friday 2012 a national holiday

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:25:48 +0000

Carol Glatz | Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican spokesman praised Cuba's decision to accept Pope Benedict XVI's request to make Good Friday a national holiday this year.

"It is certainly a very positive sign," Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said April 1.

Good Friday, the commemoration of Jesus' passion and death, falls on April 6 this year.

During the pope's private meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro in Havana March 27, the pope asked for further freedoms for the Catholic Church in the communist nation, including the declaration of Good Friday as a holiday.

Evangelization faces challenge from Cubans who syncretize religion

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:25:36 +0000

Wallice J. de la Vega | Catholic News Service

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba -- In this Caribbean nation of 11.3 million, one of the greatest challenges to Catholic evangelization comes from Cubans who practice traditional African religions.

The fusion of diverse spiritual currents was occurring even before the Catholic Church began expanding throughout the world. When colonizers brought Christianity to the New World, it was expected that other religious systems would adhere to the mother Church.

Pope reviews trip to Mexico, Cuba, says religious freedom is needed

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:33:31 +0000

Carol Glatz | Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI said that during his recent journey to Mexico and Cuba, he experienced "unforgettable days of joy and hope."

While he went as "a witness of Jesus Christ," it was also an opportune occasion to call for reform, especially in allowing greater religious freedom, he said.

At his weekly general audience April 4 in St. Peter's Square, the pope told an estimated 11,000 pilgrims and visitors about his March 23-28 visit.

"I reminded everyone that Cuba and the world need change," he said.

The new face of Natural Family Planning

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:46:10 +0000

By Jennifer Brinker | jbrinker@archstl.org

It was a month before she had to decide her specialty in medical school, and Brooke Jemelka found herself at a crossroads.

She had been concentrating on pediatrics during her studies at Texas A&M University, but by the end of her third year, she was starting to question what she wanted to do with her life.

Then she delivered her first baby, "and my whole life changed," said Jemelka, a native of Yoakum, Texas.

Take charge of your fertility through NFP

lisajohnston — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:08:21 +0000

Billings Ovulation

Women observe the external mucus that is produced when estrogen is alerting them to approaching ovulation. When progesterone is high, cervical crypts produce a thick mucus that is very difficult for sperm to penetrate and usually not visible externally.

Highland Educational Building, St. Anthony's Medical Center, (314) 525-1622

Couple to Couple League (Sympto-Thermal)

Couples are taught to observe mucus and cervix signs, which signal the approach of ovulation, and the temperature sign which typically accompanies ovulation.

Vatican workshop looks at helping couples overcome infertility

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 23:36:27 +0000

Cindy WoodenCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY -- The majority of the world's fertility specialists have spent so much time and effort trying to promote and perfect in vitro fertilization that they have wasted resources and time that could have been used to find ways to prevent and treat infertility, a U.S. physician told a Vatican audience.

Cardinal Dolan: "It's all about humility, and it's all about service and love and being close to God and His people."

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:42:30 +0000

Jennifer Brinker, Joseph Kenny and Barbara Watkins

For Charles Samson, a St. Louis seminarian studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, the consistory weekend, in his mind, was like a series of snapshots.

Samson, a member of St. Clement of Rome Parish in Des Peres, was one of two St. Louis seminarians chosen as servers at a Feb. 19 Mass at St. Peter's Basilica with Pope Benedict XVI and the new cardinals.

While processing around the altar with incense, Samson caught sight of Cardinal Dolan, who was sitting with the other cardinals.

Abp. Carlson calls faithful to prayer during Lenten season

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:10:10 +0000

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, we begin our annual Lenten journey. This is a spiritual pilgrimage that will reach its ultimate fulfillment in the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus during the Easter Triduum six weeks later. The imposition of blessed ashes on our forehead on Ash Wednesday signifies the purification of our minds and hearts, which is the fruit of our Lenten observance of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Working together with new mission advancement initiative, our Catholic schools will be Alive in Christ!

teakphillips — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:05:48 +0000

By Barbara Watkins | bwatkins@archstl.org

Working together with new mission advancement initiative, our Catholic schools will be Alive in Christ!

The time for discussion is over, and the time for action has begun.

On Feb. 2, Archbishop Robert J. Carlson presented at John F. Kennedy Catholic High School in Manchester his priorities for Catholic education in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and the steps to be taken to achieve them.

File Attachment:

Summary of the Alive in Chirst mission advancement initiative

Priorities of the Alive in Chirst mission advancement initiative

Change in March for Life tone is a happy surprise

lisajohnston — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:31:52 +0000

By Lisa Johnston | lisajohnston@archstl.org

When the opportunity to help chaperone my son's pro-life club at St. Louis Priory School to the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. came along, I realized how many years had passed since I had last walked the streets of our nation's capital in witness to the cause for life.

Despite 'overwhelming' needs, Holy Redeemer parishioners are constant in aid to Haiti

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:12:55 +0000

By Barbara Watkins | bwatkins@archstl.org

Harry Bahr agrees that the situation in Haiti is "overwhelming," citing the poverty, the lack of clean water, the sickness and the devastating aftereffects of the 2010 earthquake. But that doesn't stop him or his fellow parishioners at Holy Redeemer in Webster Groves from returning each year to offer their help.