In the early morning hours, monks can be seen walking on their alms round in Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Showing humility and detachment from worldly goods, the monk walks slowly and only stops if he is called. Standing quietly, with his bowl open, the local Buddhists give him rice, or flowers, or an envelope containing money. In return, the monks bless the local Buddhists and wish them a long and fruitful life.
Christians Celebrate Good Friday
Enacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in St. Mary's Church in Secunderabad, India. Only 2.3% of India's population is Christian.
Ancient interior mosaic in the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora
The Church of the Holy Saviour in Istanbul, Turkey is a medieval Byzantine Greek Orthodox church.
Dome of the Rock located in the Old City of Jerusalem
The site's great significance for Muslims derives from traditions connecting it to the creation of the world and to the belief that the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey to heaven started from the rock at the center of the structure.
Holi Festival in Mathura, India
Holi is a Hindu festival that marks the end of winter. Also known as the “festival of colors”, Holi is primarily observed in South Asia but has spread across the world in celebration of love and the changing of the seasons.
Jewish father and daughter pray at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Israel.
Known in Hebrew as the Western Wall, it is one of the holiest sites in the world. The description, "place of weeping", originated from the Jewish practice of mourning the destruction of the Temple and praying for its rebuilding at the site of the Western Wall.
People praying in Mengjia Longshan Temple in Taipei, Taiwan
The temple is dedicated to both Taoism and Buddhism.
People praying in the Grand Mosque in Ulu Cami
This is the most important mosque in Bursa, Turkey and a landmark of early Ottoman architecture built in 1399.
Savior Transfiguration Cathedral of the Savior Monastery of St. Euthymius
Located in Suzdal, Russia, this is a church rite of sanctification of apples and grapes in honor of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Fushimi Inari Shrine is located in Kyoto, Japan
It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. Fushimi Inari is the most important Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice.
Ladles at the purification fountain in the Hakone Shrine
Located in Hakone, Japan, this shrine is a Japanese Shinto shrine. At the purification fountain, ritual washings are performed by individuals when they visit a shrine. This ritual symbolizes the inner purity necessary for a truly human and spiritual life.
Hanging Gardens of Haifa are garden terraces around the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel
They are one of the most visited tourist attractions in Israel. The Shrine of the Báb is where the remains of the Báb, founder of the Bábí Faith and forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh in the Bahá'í Faith, have been buried; it is considered to be the second holiest place on Earth for Bahá'ís.
Pilgrims praying at the Pool of the Nectar of Immortality and Golden Temple
Located in Amritsar, India, the Golden Temple is one of the most revered spiritual sites of Sikhism. It is a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religions to worship God equally. Over 100,000 people visit the shrine daily.
Entrance gateway of Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple Kowloon
Located in Hong Kong, China, the temple is dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, or the Great Immortal Wong. The Taoist temple is famed for the many prayers answered: "What you request is what you get" via a practice called kau cim.
Christian women worship at a church in Bois Neus, Haiti.
Haiti's population is 94.8 percent Christian, primarily Catholic. This makes them one of the most heavily Christian countries in the world.
World Religions News
Religious school choice advocates envision next steps after significant wins
(RNS) — ‘After more than three decades of incremental growth, the tide has turned in the battle for parental choice and education,’ said Nicole Stelle Garnett, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame.
Symposium in Turkey held for the bicentenary of Blessed Anne-Catherine Emmerich’s death
A symposium was held Oct. 11-12 , 2024, on the occasion of 200th anniversary of Blessed Anne-Catherine Emmerich’s death and the 20th anniversary of her beatification in Izmir, Turkey. / Credit: Durukan Eser
ACI MENA, Oct 15, 2024 / 17:35 pm (CNA).
To mark the 200th anniversary of Blessed Anne-Catherine Emmerich’s death and the 20th anniversary of her beatification by Pope John Paul II, the Archdiocese of Izmir in Turkey held a symposium Oct. 11–12 in the presence of Archbishop Marek Solczyński, apostolic nuncio to Turkey, and Archbishop Martin Kmetec of Izmir.
Approximately 80 people from various Turkish cities as well as France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, İtaly, Canada, and the U.S. participated.
The first day took place at St. Helen Church in Karşıyaka, Izmir, followed by an evening concert at the city’s Cathedral of St. John. On the second day at the House of the Virgin in Ephesus, a relic of Emmerich was donated by the bishopric of Münster, Germany, to the archbishopric of Izmir. The symposium concluded with the feast of Theotokos, which took place on site.
As Father Adrian Baciu, OFM Conv, a parish priest in Karşıyaka, explained, Emmerich, who was born in 1774, was not a specialist in sacred Scripture or Church history, just a nun open to the Virgin’s inspirations.
It was Emmerich’s poet friend, Clemens Brentano, and her doctor, William Wesener, who transcribed the detailed explanations of her reported visions. The writings and dictations contained in the original manuscript are preserved in the diocesan library of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and are substantial.
The symposium speakers discussed the person of Anne-Catherine Emmerich and her visions of the last years of the Virgin Mary’s life. They also discussed Sister Marie de Mandat-Grancey, a French Daughter of Charity who was involved in the discovery of the House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus, Turkey, as well as the mission of the Lazarists and the Daughters of Charity in Izmir.
Emmerich was unaware of the historical studies and opinions concerning Mary’s last days in two different places according to the two traditions. The Ephesian tradition, much earlier than the Jerusalem one, is rooted first and foremost in Jesus’ request to the apostle John: “Take her home with you.”
Seventy years separate the visions and writings of Emmerich’s visions and writings from the discovery of the stone house on July 29, 1891 — Panaya Kapulu — that the apostle John had built for Mary on the Bülbüldağ mountain near the ruins of Ephesus.
The speakers also discussed the stigmata of Emmerich, who was nourished for several years only with the Eucharist, and the miraculous signs that accompanied her life.
As pointed out by Baciu, two aspects illustrate the place of Emmerich and the writings about her visions in the Church.
First, she dictated her visions concerning Mary’s last days in Ephesus, including her death and Assumption, described in great detail, in August 1821, before the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was proclaimed in 1854. Emmerich is thus a prophetic voice among the people of God, he noted. The enduring influence of her visions, which have become a form of reflection and prayer, have shaped the faithful’s understanding of the mysteries of faith.
Second, even if Emmerich’s writings are not strictly historical or theological in academic terms, their impact on believers remains undeniable, he said, drawing them to her writings and to sacred sites such as Ephesus. They play an important role for the Church and resonate in the hearts of God’s people, he said, guiding them on their spiritual journey and strengthening their faith.
This article was first published by ACI Mena, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Cincinnati priest made parochial vicar after destroying hard drive of possible child porn
Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains, Cincinnati. / Credit: Mitchell Chabot/Shutterstock
CNA Staff, Oct 15, 2024 / 16:35 pm (CNA).
A priest in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has been reassigned to a parochial vicarship months after resigning from another parish after it became known he had destroyed possible child sex abuse material without notifying police.
Father Barry Stechschulte was appointed parochial vicar of a family of parishes in the western part of Ohio, near the border with Indiana. That appointment went into effect on Monday, according to the archdiocesan website.
In July, Stechschulte announced his departure from St. Susanna Catholic Parish in Mason, Ohio, weeks after a bombshell media report revealed that in 2012 he ordered the destruction of a hard drive reportedly containing inappropriate pictures of children — and potentially child pornography — and then delayed reporting the incident to police.
The pastor did not report the incident to law enforcement until 2018. In an apology to parishioners prior to his departure the priest said he had wanted to protect others from seeing the contents of the hard drive.
Several hundred members of St. Susanna called for the pastor’s resignation after the revelation, stating that his failure to report the potential child sexual abuse material had “severely compromised” the parish’s confidence in him.
Stechschulte indicated in his resignation that he would be sent to another parish at some point. He wrote at the time that he would “step down as pastor, effective immediately, to be reassigned elsewhere in the archdiocese.”
The archdiocese did not immediately return a request on Tuesday for comment about the reassignment. Archdiocesan spokesman Mike Schafer told Cincinnati ABC affiliate WCPO last week that he “[could not] comment further as this is a personnel matter.”
The revelation about Stechschulte destroying the hard drive came as part of a report by WCPO, which earlier this year published an extensive exposé on a yearslong controversy involving Dayton-area priest Father Tony Cutcher.
Cutcher left ministry in 2021 amid a scandal involving “hundreds of text messages he exchanged with a 14-year-old boy.”
Part of the report touched on the 2012 incident in which Stechschulte discovered “what looked like child pornography” on a computer at Holy Rosary Church in St. Marys, north of Dayton. Cutcher had previously served at that parish.
Deacon Marty Brown later told police he “took the hard drive out of the computer and destroyed it with a blow torch at the request of Stechschulte.”
The archdiocese confirmed to WCPO last week that Brown himself is presently on a leave of absence.
The family of parishes in which Stechschulte is serving comprises seven total churches located just a few miles from the Indiana border.
Parish families in the archdiocese are served by one or more parochial vicars as well as a pastor, the archdiocese says on its website.
‘The Mystics Would Like a Word’ finds the practical lessons in ancient feminine wisdom
(RNS) — ‘Studying the mystics can help us learn to mine the depths of ourselves and learn how to discern what we trust within ourselves,’ said Shannon Evans of her new book based on the lives of Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, Thérèse of Lisieux and others.
‘Responding to the signs of the times’ to revitalize Hispanic ministry — and the whole Church
Alejandro Aguilera-Titus (at left), lead staff for Hispanic/Latino Ministry at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, speaks during the 2024 Conference of the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors for Hispanic Ministry, which took place from Oct. 8–11. Next to him is Lorianne Aubut of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, and Edwin Ferrera of the Archdiocese of Seattle. / Credit: Emily Chaffins
Just ask Father Brian McWeeney — the Archdiocese of New York’s director of Ethnic Apostolates — who witnessed this firsthand in New York. “When COVID was coming towards the end, the first churches that were filled were the mostly Hispanic churches,” he noted.
The 2024 annual conference, which took place in Miami Oct. 8–11, was not McWeeney’s first. He said NCADDHM conferences rejuvenate him in his ministry to various ethnic groups, including Hispanics.
“This conference is especially important in conjunction with the Eucharistic Revival and the Synod [on Synodality],” he said, referring to the 16th General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops occurring in Rome Oct. 2–27, 2024. “The synod is calling for communion, participation, and mission. This conference gives us a concrete way of communicating with each other about how to do this in our areas.”
This year’s theme — “Pathways to Unity from a Synodal Experience” — was intended to “respond to the signs of the times,” as NCADDHM President Ignacio Rodríguez put it. Since synodality emphasizes conversation, Rodríguez said the conference is a place “to share resources, to [enable us to] hear from them firsthand, to help equip them with the right language — so when they go back to their communities, they can better respond to their reality.”
Approximately 200 professionals from 65 dioceses converged in Miami for the conference, which ran with synodality in mind. Speakers could present in English or Spanish according to their preference. Organizers encouraged hotel guests to attend the conference Mass on Oct. 9; some guests staying at the hotel were seeking refuge from Hurricane Milton, which made landfall near Siesta Key, Sarasota County, that same day.
Speakers presented a wide range of topics, including ministering to young adults, people with disabilities, immigrants, people with same-sex attraction, and more.
During the “Synodality Through Discernment in the Light of the Gospel” panel on Oct. 9, Alejandro Aguilera-Titus pointed out Hispanic culture’s unique lens regarding the Catholic faith. In doing so, he cited one of the bishops’ statements about Hispanic culture found in the pastoral plan.
“The beauty of our faith, our dynamic involvement in ecclesial movements, our authentic Marian devotion, our Catholic culture, our love for the family — those things have been said many times — but there is something else that they [the USCCB] told us for the first time,” said Aguilera-Titus, who is the lead staff for Hispanic/Latino ministry at the USCCB.
“They said that, by the mysterious ways of God, God has wanted you, the Hispanic/Latino people, to be missionaries to the Church of the United States,” Aguilera-Titus emphasized.
In other words, although the pastoral plan is aimed at serving Hispanics in particular, the Church in the United States has discovered a paradoxical effect: These efforts to serve Hispanics have the potential to enhance the entire Church — to make it better attuned to Christ.
“As we often do from the peripheries of the Church, we are transforming the Church,” Aguilera-Titus said, “because we see Jesus as the center. That makes it possible for us to be more disposed to creating a Church of communion within the cultural and human diversity of our brothers and sisters in this great nation of the United States.”
Lorianne Aubut, the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, director of Hispanic ministry, presented her diocese’s story as an example of the national pastoral plan’s capabilities. She described how Bishop Donald J. Hying, the Hispanic ministry, and various other organizations across the diocese have collaborated to create a diocesan plan based on the USCCB national pastoral plan.
“Our diocese’s pastoral plan was inspired by the story of Christ on the road to Emmaus, with encounter at the center of who we are,” Aubut said. In order to create their plan, they practiced both “spiritual discernment” and “practical discernment to create missionary disciples … and a strategic pastoral plan.”
“Every meeting we had with our bishop we discerned in prayer, before the Mass, what was going to happen in that meeting, how we were going to transform our diocese through the movement of the Holy Spirit,” Aubut said.
To pinpoint their diocese’s needs, they asked for the community’s participation. “More than 900 people from our Hispanic diocese went to listening sessions with the bishop, and 60% of those 900 voiced their opinions and petitions,” she explained.
Together, they identified that the community’s priority was marriage and family, so the diocese hired a coordinator for marriage and family to exclusively serve the Hispanic community.
After a process of prayer and research, “the Holy Spirit showed us” that the strategic plan should integrate the areas of “marriage and family, youth, evangelization, catechesis, sacraments and liturgy, the accompaniment and care of the poor and the immigrant, and also the devotion and spirituality of Hispanics,” Aubut said.
For Father McWeeney, it is hearing stories like Aubut’s that makes attending the conference so moving.
“The conference gives hope for the Church,” he said. “We might get discouraged when we think we’re by ourselves. Here, there are so many hardworking people, and we get ideas about how to deal with our particular challenges.”