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Month: August 2020

St. Monica and the Gift of Spiritual Maternity

Posted by | Aug 27, 2020 | , , |

St. Monica and the Gift of Spiritual MaternityI was recently sharing a story about one of my daughters with my spiritual director. As children of two parents, with five theology degrees between them, my daughters are especially prone to curiosity and conversation about theological topics. In sharing one of their beautiful little moments of wonder in spiritual direction, this dear priest told […]

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St. Junípero Serra on Trial

Posted by | Aug 27, 2020 | , , |

St. Junípero Serra on TrialI was amazed by how a story in SF Weekly, a weekly tabloid newspaper in San Francisco, California, about frustration over partial historical narratives did not include those of a Catholic Church historian when it comes to Saint Junípero Serra, the 18th-century Spanish priest who Pope Francis called “the evangelizer of the west in the […]

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Aug. 27 Memorial of St. Monica, Memorial

Posted by | Aug 27, 2020 | |

St. Monica (333-387) was born in Tagaste, northern Africa and died in Ostia, near Rome. Monica was a Christian, but her husband Patricius was a pagan and a man of loose morals. Monica’s virtues and prayers, however, converted him, and he was baptized a…

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Memorial of Saint Monica

Posted by | Aug 27, 2020 | , |

You would think that with all our scientific advances and technological know-how, people would immediately brand pursuits such as fortune telling as irrational and foolish. There is just no way to accurately predict the future 100%, and deep down inside, every sensible person knows this. Despite this, countless people spend an immeasurable amount of time […]

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St. Monica

Posted by | Aug 27, 2020 | , |

Rewards of Persistent Prayer St. Monica (331-387) was the mother of St. Augustine (whose feast day is August 28). Monica, her pagan and licentious husband Patricius, his cantankerous mother, and her three children (including Augustine) all lived together in North Africa. There was plenty of potential for family strife and discord, but Monica’s patience and […]

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Full text: Sister Dede Byrne’s speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention

Posted by | Aug 27, 2020 | , |

CNA Staff, Aug 26, 2020 / 08:22 pm (CNA).- Sr. Deirdre “Dede” Byrne, POSC, was among the speakers at the 2020 Republican National Convention. Now a Catholic religious sister, Byrne previously served as a surgeon, retired army officer, and missionary. The full text of her speech, delivered August 26, is below:

Good evening. I am Sister Dede Byrne, and I belong to the Community of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Last Fourth of July, I was honored to be one of the president’s guests at his Salute to America celebration. I must confess that I recently prayed while in chapel, begging God to allow me to be a voice, an instrument for human life. And now here I am, speaking at the Republican National Convention. I guess you’d better be careful what you pray for. My journey to religious life was not a traditional route, if there is such a thing. In 1978, as a medical school student at Georgetown University, I joined the Army to help pay for my tuition, and ended up devoting 29 years to the military, serving as a doctor and a surgeon in places like Afghanistan and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. After much prayer and contemplation, I entered my religious order in 2002, working to serve the poor and the sick in Haiti, Sudan, Kenya, Iraq and in Washington, D.C. Humility is at the foundation of our order, which makes it very difficult to talk about myself. But I can speak about my experience working for those fleeing war-torn and impoverished countries all around the world. Those refugees all share a common experience. They have all been marginalized, viewed as insignificant, powerless and voiceless. And while we tend to think of the marginalized as living beyond our borders, the truth is the largest marginalized group in the world can be found here in the United States. They are the unborn. As Christians, we first met Jesus as a stirring embryo in the womb of an unwed mother and saw him born nine months later in the poverty of the cave. It is no coincidence that Jesus stood up for what was just and was ultimately crucified because what he said was not politically correct or fashionable. As followers of Christ, we are called to stand up for life against the politically correct or fashionable of today. We must fight against a legislative agenda that supports and even celebrates destroying life in the womb. Keep in mind, the laws we create define how we see our humanity. We must ask ourselves: What we are saying when we go into a womb and snuff out an innocent, powerless, voiceless life? As a physician, I can say without hesitation: Life begins at conception. While what I have to say may be difficult for some to hear, I am saying it because I am not just pro-life, I am pro-eternal life. I want all of us to end up in heaven together someday. Which brings me to why I am here today. Donald Trump is the most pro-life president this nation has ever had, defending life at all stages. His belief in the sanctity of life transcends politics. President Trump will stand up against Biden-Harris, who are the most anti-life presidential ticket ever, even supporting the horrors of late-term abortion and infanticide. Because of his courage and conviction, President Trump has earned the support of America’s pro-life community. Moreover, he has a nationwide of religious standing behind him. You’ll find us here with our weapon of choice, the rosary. Thank you, Mr. President, we are all praying for you.
 

 

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Hurricane Laura brings hardship to Caribbean, Gulf Coast

Posted by | Aug 27, 2020 | , |

Denver Newsroom, Aug 26, 2020 / 06:01 pm (CNA).- Hurricane Laura caused flooding in several Caribbean territories over the weekend, killing at least 24 people and causing thousands to be without utilities. The storm is now approaching Texas and Louisiana.

The storm first approached the Caribbean Aug. 23 and has killed at least 20 people in Haiti, and three in the Dominican Republic.

Nikki Gamer, media relations manager for Catholic Relief Services, told CNA that while the specifics of the storm’s damages have not yet been evaluated, the victims in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico will be needing more help with basic necessities.

“We’re just beginning to understand the impacts of the latest storm, but what we do know is that whatever the damage, it will be yet more terrible news for the people of Haiti,” CRS’ Haiti country representative Chris Bessey stated.

“In recent years, they’ve dealt with a prolonged economic downturn, drought, worsening food insecurity, political upheaval, COVID-19, and now a devastating storm. Yes – the Haitian people are resilient. But that doesn’t diminish the fact that communities here are struggling under tremendous hardships.”

The storm knocked out power for more than 1 million people in the Dominican Republic and, while utilities had been restored to 400,000 people earlier this week, tens of thousands of people were still without power Aug. 24.

The flooding has collapsed several homes in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. It also forced more than 1,000 people to be evacuated across the country and cut off road access to over 120 isolated communities.

In Puerto Rico, the storm brought 67 mph gusts of wind and dumped 3 to 6 inches of rain in the territory’s southern and eastern regions.

Cuba and Jamaica were also affected.

Bessey expressed concern that the storm would also heavily damage farms and further aggravate food problems in Haiti. He said that prior to the storm, CRS had already been providing basic necessities to families struggling from the pandemic and would further assess additional needs following the storm.

“We’re especially alarmed by reports that the storm has caused widespread damage to agricultural lands in the hardest-hit areas, which likely means that hunger will continue to get worse,” said Bessey.
 
“When COVID-19 hit, CRS was already supporting the most vulnerable families to manage the growing food insecurity. In fact, we quickly adjusted our activities to be COVID-safe while providing cash to families as well as information on healthy foods that they can purchase locally, which helps build up the economy. This experience and understanding of community priorities and ongoing work has given us the flexibility to assess the additional needs following the storm.”

The storm is expected to make landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border in the early hours of Aug. 27. More than a half million people in the coastal areas of the two states have been ordered to evacuate.

The National Hurricane Center has said that “large and destructive waves” will be life threatening and may cause flooding up to 30 miles inland.

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