Por Tom Tracy
ORLANDO, Florida (OSV News) – Después de sufrir un catastrófico incendio en 2023, una iglesia católica en los suburbios de Orlando, Florida, informó que una vez más fue posiblemente víctima de un incendio provocado en su espacio de culto temporal.
En junio del año pasado, unos pirómanos prendieron fuego a la Iglesia católica de la Encarnación, una parroquia del Ordinariato de la Cátedra de San Pedro, con sede en Houston, una diócesis católica con tradiciones anglicanas que el Papa Benedicto XVI estableció en 2012.
La iglesia quedó destruida el 24 de junio como consecuencia del incendio provocado, y la comunidad parroquial de la Encarnación se trasladó posteriormente a un espacio temporal en Orlando mientras recaudaba fondos para reconstruir su iglesia.
El incidente está siendo investigado por las autoridades locales y federales.
En la madrugada del 16 de octubre se produjo un segundo incendio, cuyos daños se concentraron en torno al altar, con restos carbonizados que cubrían la mesa, los atriles, los biombos, las estatuas, el suelo y las paredes.
En la página web de la parroquia y en una grabación telefónica de la oficina parroquial, los responsables de la iglesia han confirmado que el nuevo incidente está siendo investigado de nuevo por el Departamento de Bomberos de Orlando como un incendio provocado.
En las redes sociales, los feligreses y amigos de la parroquia expresaron su incredulidad, su dolor y sus oraciones por el hecho de que la iglesia pudiera ser víctima de otro incendio provocado y en tan poco tiempo.
Los observadores creen que el primer incidente puede haber coincidido con el primer aniversario de la sentencia de la Corte Suprema de 2022 en el caso Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, que anuló la decisión del caso Roe vs. Wade de 1973, otorgando el poder decidir sobre las regulaciones del aborto a los estados.

GUEST COLUMN
By Geralyn Gray-Lewis, RN
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.” – Horton Hears a Who! by Dr. Seuss.

Many of our friends and family find themselves on the unexpected and sorrowful pilgrimage of infertility. We know as the cost of adoption rises, the availability of infants for adoption has also declined, as many women in crisis turn to abortion in their pains. adoption, likewise, has also declined as many women in crisis turn to abortion in their pain.

Thus, many couples find themselves pursuing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) as a means to build their family. However, as many embryos are often created and then frozen for future use, there exists an unintended consequence: surplus.

It is estimated that between 600,000-1 million embryos are frozen in reserve. However, life is fluid and often goals for family size are regrettably not realized, cost of continued freezing unsustainable or the embryos died before transfer. Ordinarily, such deceased tiny humans in IVF labs are disposed of as “medical waste.”

What should be our proper response to the “disposal” of deceased human embryos?

In 2018, Sacred Heart Guardians began offering a free, dignified, simple Christian cemetery burial for deceased embryonic children. This ceremony occurs every third month and to date 1,611 small humans have been cared for. Parents and family can attend the service in person headquartered in Minnesota or virtually. “This process provides a perpetually cared for place in this world for these special children and their families.”

In so, doing the Sacred Heart Guardians provide dignity to the child and great comfort to families.

For more information, visit www.sacredheartguarduians.org.

(Gerry Gray-Lewis is a parishioner of St. Richard Church in Jackson.)

(OSV News) — The season of Lent is an ideal time to grow in the spiritual life. Here are five great reads to help you on your way.

• “Salvifici Doloris” by Pope St. John Paul II

Written in the wake of his assassination attempt and published as an apostolic letter in 1984, “Salvifici Doloris” is a treatise on the redemptive value of suffering, one of the hidden gems of St. John Paul II’s bibliography. It explains that all suffering finds its meaning and is transformed by Jesus Christ, sheds light on the centrality of the cross in the Christian’s life, and ties together themes of suffering from Scripture to present a robust spirituality on suffering. With Lent’s focus on purification and the need to cling to Christ crucified, this letter is most fitting for the season.

• “Finding God in Suffering” by Father Christopher M. Mahar (Pauline Books & Media US, 2023)

Drawing richly from the teachings on suffering by Pope St. John Paul II, “Finding God in Suffering” tackles the age-old questions related to the topic, such as “what does suffering mean? Why does God allow it? How can it have a purpose? With Lent’s focus on Christ’s passion and death, this book can help others come to see their own connection to the Suffering Christ.

Drawing from decades of experience in pastoral counseling, author Father Christopher Mahar articulates the church’s teachings very clearly and with great empathy and hope. Each chapter is accompanied by reflection questions and prayer prompts, making the book a perfect tool to engage mind, heart and strength in the midst of suffering.

• “With God in Russia” by Father Walter Ciszek, S.J. (Ignatius Press, 1997)

An inspiring and challenging memoir of the American Jesuit priest’s imprisonment in a Soviet gulag, falsely accused of espionage and subversion. Much of Father Ciszek’s suffering was endured in hard labor camps in Siberia. While there, he embraced the horror of his situation as a means to carry on his priestly work, even celebrating the sacraments secretly. But, moreover, the brutality he faced was a proving ground for great virtue and holiness. Given the importance placed on interior renewal and holiness imposed by the significance of Lent, this book has much to ponder.

• “The Imitation of Christ” by Thomas à Kempis (Noll Library, OSV, 2018)

“The Imitation of Christ” is a handbook for spiritual life. The 15th-century text is divided into four books: “Helpful Counsels of the Spiritual Life,” “Directives for the Interior Life,” “On Interior Consolation” and “On the Blessed Sacrament.” It was written at a time when many recognized the need for reform in the church by holier living of its members. It focuses on the interior life and withdrawal from the world. It places emphasis on the devotion to the Eucharist as a key element of spiritual life. It can be a sure daily companion during Lenten prayer time.

• “Legacy of Mercy” by Gretchen R. Crowe (OSV, 2022)

Legacy of Mercy is an odyssey into the heart of forgiveness, making it a perfect book to pray with during the season of Lent.

Written by OSV News’ editor-in-chief, the book tells the story of raising and losing a son; the story of forgiving his murderers; and the story of a mother responding to her son’s death not with vengeance or self-pity, but with love and a desire to serve others in need.

On May 31, 1999, Rachel Muha experienced a mother’s worst nightmare. Her youngest son, Brian, and his friend Aaron Land were taken by force on a journey of about 20 miles, spanning three states, that ended in torture and death. They were roommates and students at Franciscan University of Steubenville, and the murders shocked the campus and the wider community.

Even before her son’s body was found, Rachel publicly forgave her son’s killers. It was a life-changing moment, not just for her but for everyone who heard her powerful act of forgiveness and love. Rachel has continued to choose mercy and forgiveness every day since then, now leading a ministry that serves inner-city children in the hope that they won’t choose the same life that Brian’s murderers did.

This list originally appeared at Simply Catholic, an online ministry of Our Sunday Visitor.

By David Agren
MEXICO CITY (OSV News) – Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa has been released from prison and sent into exile along with 18 imprisoned churchmen as the Nicaraguan government expelled its most prominent critic, whose presence behind bars bore witness to the Sandinista regime descent into totalitarianism, along with its unrelenting persecution of the Catholic Church.

Vatican News confirmed Jan. 14 at 10:41 p.m. Rome time that with the exception of one priest who remained in Venezuela, all released priests, including Bishop Álvarez and Bishop Isidoro Mora of Siuna, have arrived in Rome “in the last few hours” and are “guests of the Holy See.”

Nicaraguan independent media 100% Noticias posted a photograph on X, formerly Twitter, of the two freed bishops concelebrating Mass in Rome.

Independent Nicaraguan media reported Jan. 14 that the churchmen had departed Nicaragua on a flight for Rome after the government reached an agreement with the Vatican for their release and exile. Auxiliary Bishop Silvio José Báez of Managua – who left the country in 2019 – also confirmed the news at his weekly Mass in Miami, and was visibly moved.

“This is the power of the people of God’s prayers,” he said. “The criminal Sandinista dictatorship of (President) Daniel Ortega has not been able to defeat the power of God.”

The Nicaraguan government acknowledged the churchmen’s release in a Jan. 14 statement, which “deeply thanked” Pope Francis and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, “for the very respectful and discreet coordination carried out to make possible the Vatican trip of two bishops, fifteen priests and two seminarians.”

The statement continued, “They have been received by Vatican authorities, in compliance with agreements of good faith and good will, which seek to promote understanding and improve communication between the Holy See and Nicaragua, for peace and good.”

The statement struck an unusually respectful tone – far from the government’s frequent accusations of terrorism and coup mongering against church leaders, who attempted to unsuccessfully facilitate a national dialogue after mass protests erupted demanding Ortega’s ouster. The Nicaraguan government also severed relations with the Vatican and expelled the nuncio, Archbishop Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, in 2022. The Vatican subsequently closed its embassy in March 2023.

“We recognize the chance for direct, prudent and very serious dialogue, a responsible and careful dialogue,” the government statement said.

The release of 19 churchmen – including Bishop Mora and more than a dozen priests detained during a wave of detentions over the Christmas period – provoked reactions of joy among Nicaraguans in exile, along with statements of defiance.

“With great joy, I thank God that my brother bishops, priests, and seminarians are out of prison. Justice has triumphed. The power of the prayer of God’s people has been displayed,” Bishop Báez said on X, formerly Twitter.

Ambassador Brian A. Nichols, assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs in the U.S. Department of State, said on X that the regime “expelled 19 unjustly detained Catholic clergy, including Bishop Álvarez.”

“We are reassured to see the release of these religious leaders. All people have the right to worship at home and abroad. We continue to call for the release of all those unjustly detained and the restoration of the fundamental freedoms of the Nicaraguan people,” Nichols emphasized.

Bishop Álvarez has become the face of resistance in Nicaragua, raising his voice against the increasing intolerance of the Sandinista regime – which has subdued the business community, forced the free press out of the country and attempted to control the Catholic Church.

The bishop spent more than 500 days in custody after police arrested him in August 2022 during a pre-dawn raid on his diocesan curia, where he had been holed up protesting the seizure of Catholic media outlets. In February 2023, He was sentenced to 26 years in prison on charges of conspiracy and spreading false information – one day after he refused to leave the country.

Bishop Álvarez refused subsequent attempts at exiling him – as expulsion or refusing priests reentry to the country after traveling abroad became a common tactic.

“The dictatorship feels safer or more comfortable with religious people outside the country than inside the country,” Arturo McFields Yescas, a former Nicaraguan diplomat in exile, told OSV News.

“When they are inside (the country) they consider them a threat, a danger, a counterweight to their official narrative. And when they are outside, (the regime) feels that they no longer have that critical voice, or that voice of truth, which spoke to the people and people listened to,” he said.

(David Agren writes for OSV News from Mexico City.)

Bishop Rolando Álvarez sentenced to 26 years and 4 months in prison by Nicaragua a day after the regime deports 222 political prisoners to U.S.