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  • World

    Faith wobbles sometimes; what counts is calling for God's help, pope says

    8/10/2020

    VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Everyone, including the pope, experiences trials that can shake his or her faith; the key to survival is to call out to the Lord for help, Pope Francis said. "When we have strong feelings of doubt and fear and we seem to be sinking, (and) in life's difficult moments when everything becomes dark, we must not be ashamed to cry out like Peter, 'Lord, save me,'" the pope said Aug. 9, commenting on the day's Gospel story in his Angelus address.

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  • Nation

    Survey shows wide support among Americans for COVID-19 worship restrictions

    8/10/2020

    WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Americans overwhelmingly back pandemic-related restrictions on worship services, saying houses of worship should not be exempt. Americans, by a 4-to-1 margin, said houses of worship should be subject to the same social-distancing rules as other organizations. The ratio backing this view was 3-to-1 for Christians, 4-to-1 for Jews, and 9-to-1 for those who are religiously unaffiliated.

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  • World

    Pope sends aid to Lebanon

    8/10/2020

    VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has sent 250,000 euros ($295,000) to Lebanon to help the Catholic Church and Catholic charitable organizations assist people impacted by the massive explosion Aug. 4 in Beirut.

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  • World

    Mary foretold COVID-19 pandemic, alleged visionary claims

    8/10/2020

    TREVIGNANO ROMANO, Italy (CNS) -- An Italian woman who claims to regularly experience supernatural visions said Mary told her in September 2019 that a new disease would soon emerge from China. "Pray for China, because new diseases will come from there, all ready to infect the air by unknown bacteria," wrote Gisella Cardia in a message she alleges came from Mary.

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  • Local

    Cardinal ordains five priests for Boston, one for Society of Jesus

    8/7/2020

    BOSTON -- While the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the postponement of many events typically held in the spring, perhaps none was so significant as the Rite of Ordination to the Order of Presbyter, which was originally scheduled for May. This much-anticipated event finally took place on Aug. 1 as Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley ordained five diocesan priests and one Jesuit priest during an invitation-only Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

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  • Local

    Chrism Mass celebrates unity of priesthood, sacraments

    8/7/2020

    BOSTON -- Under normal circumstances, the Chrism Mass typically takes place on Holy Thursday, the day Jesus ordained his apostles as the first priests. This year, however, the archdiocese's Chrism Mass was postponed for almost four months in light of state restrictions to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The event took place instead on Aug. 4 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

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  • Local

    Police probe arson attack at Weymouth church

    8/7/2020

    Police are investigating two fires at Sacred Heart Church in Weymouth, Massachusetts, as arson. Both fires began overnight Aug. 2. The fire damage was discovered on the morning of Aug. 3, and the fires were set near the entrances of the church. It is unclear the extent of the damage. The fires were described by local media as being "small."

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  • Local

    From Cardinal Seán's blog

    8/7/2020

    Last Wednesday, I had a Zoom meeting with the bishops who were involved in the V Encuentro of Hispanic/ Latino Ministry. Our meeting was chaired by Bishop Arturo Cepeda of Detroit. The V Encuentro process was more than just a one-time gathering but was really a four-year process, taking place between 2016 to 2020. From 2016 to 2018, we had local and regional gatherings to plan and prepare.

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  • World

    Vatican says baptisms that used a modified formula are not valid

    8/6/2020

    VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Changing the words of the formula for baptism render the sacrament invalid, said the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Specifically, a baptism administered with the formula "We baptize you ..." instead of "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" is not valid because it is the person of Christ through the minister who is acting, not the assembly, the congregation said.

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  • Local

    Police probe arson attack at Weymouth church

    8/4/2020

    Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 3, 2020 CNA.- Police are investigating two fires at Sacred Heart Church in Weymouth, Massachusetts, as arson. Both fires began overnight Sunday. The fire damage was discovered on the morning of Monday, August 3, and the fires were set near the entrances of the church. It is unclear the extent of the damage. The fires were described by local media as being “small.”

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