By Lauretta Brown (OSV News) – Only about 15% of U.S. adults who were raised Catholic said they had remained practicing Catholics attending weekly Mass into adulthood, according to data from the General Social Survey conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.
But what were some of the things that distinguished the families of those children who remained practicing Catholics as adults from those who left the faith entirely? Seeking answers to this question, researchers at Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate and the Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life conducted the “Future Faithful Families Project” study.
The interviews for the study were conducted with 28 individuals from June 2021 to February 2023 and included qualifying participants from past CARA surveys. The study noted “a greater lack of response from the adult children than the parents who had been interviewed,” but added that “it is well known in the social science research fields that it is often easier to recruit participation from older adults than young adults.”
A Catholic family is pictured having dinner together at their home in Valatie, N.Y. The recent “Future Faithful Families Project” study identifies families who successfully raised most — and in many cases all — of their children to a faithful adulthood. The study was conducted by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate and the Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life. (OSV News photo/Cindy Schultz via The Evangelist)
The study found that participants from these families generally described their households as “warmer and more affectionate than the average family.” Most of the participants also indicated “very good communication” within the family.
Another shared thread among those interviewed was having rituals of meals eaten together and prayer, with most indicating that faith was a part of family routines regardless of the routines themselves.
Additionally, all participants emphasized the importance of weekly Mass attendance and nearly all participants reported doing service work and giving to charity, with many doing so through their parish or a church organization.
Mark Gray, director of CARA Catholic Polls, co-wrote the study along with Greg Popcak, co-executive director of the Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life. Gray told OSV News that while the findings from these qualitative interviews were not meant to be taken as some sort of “checklist” of things to keep one’s child Catholic, parents could gain insight from the common responses.
For these families, he said, “their faith wasn’t just something that they went and did on Sunday morning; their faith was present in the household. It was present every day. It came out in conversations about the faith, with prayer, with things that are in the home.”
He also noted that when children would come to the parents with doubts about the faith, most of the parents “went on a journey with their children and said, ‘Well, let’s see why the church teaches this,’” as opposed to strictly shutting down questioning of the church’s teachings.
“It’s a lot of discussion, working through things, thinking about things rather than being this overbearing parental force,” he said.
The study also included an analysis of existing data from the General Social Survey, or GSS, going back to the 1970s, which showed a marked decline in the number of U.S. adults who were raised Catholic and stayed Catholic while still attending Mass weekly.
In the 1970s, “an average of 36% of those who were raised Catholic remained Catholic as adults and attended Mass weekly (peaking at 40% in 1977).” GSS data later showed “this average percentage declined to 32% in the 1980s, 25% in the 1990s, and 21% in the 2000s. In the 2010s, this averaged 15% and was 14% in the 2018 study.”
These numbers exclude those who converted to Catholicism but were not raised Catholic. The study also notes the large number of Catholics who have immigrated to the U.S.
Focusing on the 51% of U.S. adults who were raised Catholic and had remained so between 2010 to 2018, there were some commonalities. Among weekly Mass attendees who had remained Catholic, 81% were “more likely to have been living with both parents at age 16” compared to the 72% who attend Mass less often than weekly or the 63% who left the Catholic faith.
Gray said that the families they spoke with referenced things that “any parent can do,” noting the importance of the child to see their parent be “Catholic every day of the year, not just on Sundays” and for the parent “to listen to their children and have conversations with them, and guide them through what the faith teaches and why the faith teaches it.”
(Lauretta Brown is culture editor for OSV News. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @LaurettaBrown6.)
ST. CATHARINE, Ken. – Dominican Sister of Peace Barbara Ann Fava, OP (87), a native of Greenville, Mississippi, died on Feb. 8, 2024, at Sansbury Care Center, St. Catharine, Kentucky. Sister Barbara is survived by two sisters, Annette Willis (Lynn, Massachusetts) and Paula Fava (Brandon, Mississippi), and several nieces and nephews.
A Dominican for 63 years, Sister Barbara earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies/English/Education from Siena College (Memphis); a Master of Arts in Theology from Catherine Spalding College (Louisville, Kentucky) and a Master of Arts in History from Memphis State University (Memphis). She ministered as a teacher at St. Dominic (Springfield, Kentucky); St. Joseph (Mattoon, Illinois); Bishop Donahue High (McMechen, West Virginia); Owensboro Catholic (Owensboro, Kentucky); St. Catharine Academy (St. Catharine, Kentucky) and as an instructor at St. Catharine College. Sister also served as parish and campus minister at St. Clare Parish (Berea, Kentucky) and Memphis State University Catholic Center. In 1993, Sister Barbara taught adult education (GED classes) in Marks, Mississippi until 2002. Sister returned to St. Catharine Motherhouse (Kentucky) where she began the ministry of Dominican coordinator at Sansbury Care Center. She held this position from 2002 until 2012. Beginning in 2013, Sister Barbara spent several years at Springbank Retreat Center (Kingstree, South Carolina) where she served on the staff and assisted with the retreat programs on a part-time basis until 2022.
Early 2024, Sister Barbara moved to Sansbury Care Center (St. Catharine, Kentucky) where she began a ministry of prayer and presence.
A funeral for Sister Barbara was held on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at Sansbury Care Center Chapel, with burial in the St. Catharine Motherhouse cemetery.
Memorial gifts in Sister Barbara’s memory may be sent to Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr., Columbus, OH 43219-2098. To make a secure online donation or to view a full obituary, please visit www.oppeace.org
Bishop Peter M. Muhich of Rapid City, S.D., revealed Feb. 14, 2024, that he is entering hospice due to cancer. He is pictured in an undated photo. (OSV News photo/courtesy Diocese of Rapid City)
NATION RAPID CITY, S.D. (OSV News) – The Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota, announced “with sorrow” that its shepherd, Bishop Peter M. Muhich, died Feb. 17. “Bishop Peter, 62, was in hospice care after suffering from esophageal cancer. Please continue to pray for the soul of our shepherd,” the diocese said in a statement. “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may your perpetual light shine upon him.” Funeral arrangements are pending. Two days earlier a message from the Diocese of Rapid City called for a novena for their bishop Feb. 15-22, the feast of the chair of St. Peter. “In our prayers for Bishop Peter leading up to this feast, we are also giving thanks for his leadership and imploring the Lord that we may enjoy this leadership for more years to come,” it said. On Feb. 14, Bishop Muhich had announced he was moving into hospice treatment, and planned to offer his suffering from cancer to increase devotion to the Eucharist. “I have reached another step along my journey with cancer. Despite the best efforts of my health care team, all treatment options have been exhausted and there is no more that can be done without causing greater harm to my system,” Bishop Muhich said in an announcement released by the diocese. On Feb. 15, a message from the Diocese of Rapid City called for a novena for their bishop Feb. 15-22, the feast of the chair of St. Peter.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (OSV News) – The Nashville Diocese announced Feb. 9 that Father Juan Carlos Garcia, a former associate pastor at St. Philip Catholic Church in Franklin, who was ordained nearly four years ago, has been indicted by a grand jury on multiple sex abuse charges. A Williamson County grand jury indicted the priest on one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child, one count of aggravated sexual battery, four counts of sexual battery by an authority figure and two counts of sexual battery. The Nashville Diocese removed Father Garcia from his parish post and from public ministry in January while the Franklin Police Department investigated reports of sexual misconduct. The police began their investigation of Father Garcia after representatives of the Nashville Diocese contacted the police department to provide information it had received regarding alleged misconduct. He was booked into the Williamson County Jail Feb. 9 and as of midday Feb. 13, he remained in custody. Father Garcia, ordained to the priesthood in 2020, was assigned to St. Philip in July 2022. In early November, St. Philip officials reported to the Diocese of Nashville Safe Environment Office that a teen in the parish had made a report of improper touching involving Father Garcia. Per diocesan protocols, a report was immediately made by the diocese and St. Philip representatives to the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services.
VATICAN VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The second assembly of the Synod of Bishops on synodality will meet Oct. 2-27 and will be preceded by several formal studies coordinated by the synod general secretariat working with various offices of the Roman Curia. The Vatican announced the dates for the assembly Feb. 17, indicating that the desire of some synod members to spend less time in Rome was not accepted. The fall assembly will be preceded by a retreat for members Sept. 30-Oct. 1, the Vatican said. And in response to a formal call by members of the first assembly of the synod, Pope Francis has agreed to the establishment of “study groups that will initiate, with a synodal method, the in-depth study of some of the themes that emerged.” In a chirograph, or brief papal document, released Feb. 17, the pope said that “these study groups are to be established by mutual agreement between the competent dicasteries of the Roman Curia and the General Secretariat of the Synod, which is entrusted with coordination.” However, the papal note did not list the topics to be studied nor the members of the groups. The synod office said it hoped the approved groups and their members could be announced by mid-March.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – One day, Jesuit Father Jorge Bergoglio, the future Pope Francis, wanted to make sure a group of visitors did not go home hungry, so he whipped up a huge omelet loaded with onions and potatoes. One of those guests, Claudio Perusini, who still remembers that meal fondly, was in Rome for the canonization of Argentina’s first female saint Feb. 11. It was his inexplicable recovery from a devastating stroke in 2017 that became the second miracle needed for the canonization of Blessed María Antonia de Paz Figueroa, known as Mama Antula. Perusini met the pope when he was 17 on a trip with five others for an ordination. After the ordination, then-Father Bergoglio, who was provincial superior of the Jesuits, invited the group “to the residence of the Catholic university, where he cooked us an enormous omelet with 30 eggs,” onions and potatoes, he told the Punto Medio program on Radio2 in Argentina.
“He divided it into six and served each of us, and since then I have been friends with him,” he told the radio in late October after the Vatican announced Pope Francis had approved the miracle attributed to the intercession of Mama Antula. The last time Perusini saw the pope was in 2014 when he and his wife, María Laura Baranda, had an audience at the Vatican. “I brought him ‘dulce de leche,’ ‘alfajores’ (cookies) from Santa Fe, drawings from my children and craft beer that I make,” he told the radio. The pope gave away the food, but not the beer, he said.
WORLD LVIV, Ukraine (OSV News) – As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine reaches the two-year mark, the Knights of Columbus are calling for nine days of prayer to end the bloodshed. The national chaplains of the Knights in Ukraine, Metropolitan Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lviv and Ukrainian Greek Catholic Bishop Mykhailo Bubniy of the Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Odesa, recently announced a “Novena for Peace and Healing in Ukraine.” In their joint appeal, the bishops invited “the brotherhood of the Knights and people of good will around the world” to begin the novena on Feb. 15, nine days ahead of the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty on Feb. 24, 2022. The war has been declared a genocide in two collaborative reports by the New Lines Institute and the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights. Szymon Czyszek, director of international growth in Europe for the Knights of Columbus, previously told OSV News that his organization’s members are “doing heroic work, and they are willing to risk their lives to bring aid to people in places like Avdiivka and … other villages that (are) close to the front line.” To date, the Knights have provided close to $22.4 million in aid to Ukraine, even as their organization, along with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, was outlawed by a Russian occupation official in the Zaporizhzhia region.
MAKURDI, Nigeria (OSV News) – Nigeria is one of the countries in the world with the best Mass attendance. As many as 94% of self-identified Nigerian Catholics surveyed said they attend weekly or daily Mass, according to a study published in early 2023 by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. The World Values Survey, which conducted the poll, doesn’t survey all countries in the world, but among those asked, Nigerian Catholics had the highest Mass attendance, followed by Kenya (73%) and Lebanon (69%). At the same time, both Christian Concern and Open Doors, organizations that track Christian persecution in the word rank Nigeria as one of the worst countries for Christians to live in after North Korea, and followed by India, Iran, China, Pakistan and Eritrea as top countries for Christian persecution. Father Moses Iorapuu, director of social communications for the Diocese of Makurdi, said that Christianity should continue to grow in an environment as hostile as Nigeria, because “this is the mystery of our faith: The blood of the martyrs remains the seed of Christianity.” Nigeria’s Intersociety advocacy group said over 100,000 unarmed and defenseless citizens have died directly or indirectly outside the law in the hands of security forces in the past eight years, between August 2014 and December 2023. Emeka Umeagbalasi, director of Intersociety, said the killings are part of a government agenda to “Islamize Nigeria.”
VALPARAISO, Chile (OSV News) – Since wildfires devastated areas in the province of Valparaíso and other regions of Chile early February, authorities and international agencies have multiplied their efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the communities. OSV News spoke with Lorenzo Figueroa, director of Caritas Chile, about what he called a tremendous catastrophe, saying that in addition to at least 131 lives lost, the number of those missing and the extent of the damage has yet to be determined. “There is talk of up to 20,000 houses affected,” said Figueroa, for whom psychological damage is also a determining factor during and after these emergencies. Figueroa highlighted the community’s participation in the recovery and assistance efforts amid this natural and human tragedy. “Their knowledge, their experience. They know their territory and are active protagonists,” he explained. And after the emergency aid organizations leave “the community is no longer the same because they remain organized” to face emergencies, he added. For Figueroa, the support of other organizations is fundamental, not only financially but also in terms of experience, training and human resources, which add up when it comes to providing the necessary support to the victims. “The action of Caritas all over the world is an expression of humanitarian action in which we express ourselves as a family and the help of CRS and USAID allows us to take care of our common home, our people and those most in need,” Figueroa said.
BRANDON – Parishioners of St. Jude parish in Pearl participated in the Brandon Mardi Gras Parade on Friday, Feb. 9. Pictured is Bishop Joseph Kopacz blessing the participants and their float. See additional pictures at mississippicatholic.com. (Photos by Tereza Ma)
PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS HERNANDO – Holy Spirit, Cocktails and Catholicism, Friday, March 8. Doors open at 6 p.m. with talk and cocktails after with Debbie Tubertini with the Office of Family Ministry for the diocese. She is speaking on marriage. Details: church office (662) 429-7851.
JACKSON – Bishop Chanche Awards, Saturday, March 2 at 11 a.m. at Cathedral of St. Peter. Honoring parishioners with outstanding service to the diocese.
JACKSON – Sister Thea Bowman School, Annual Draw Down, Saturday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose building. Grand prize $5,000; tickets $100 (admits 2), second chance insurance $20. Enjoy great food, entertainment, silent auction, door prizes and more. Casual attire. Details: contact Shae at (601) 351-5197 or stbdrawdown@gmail.com.
NATCHEZ – St. Mary Basilica, Presentation on St. Peter’s Rome, Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the Family Life Center. All history buffs are invited to join Dr. Elizabeth Boggess dscussing the Rome of St. Peter’s time and the history of Jewish communities in Rome from the Diaspora to the present. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.
ROBINSONVILLE – Good Shepherd, Labor of Love – Day of Service, Saturday, March 9. Adult volunteers and grades 9-12, come help our fellow parishioners at Good Shepherd with a list of items that need to be fixed, cleaned and organized. Details: church office at Christ the King Southaven (662) 342-1073.
SOUTHAVEN – Christ the King, Lenten Lunch and Learn, Saturday, March 16 at 11 a.m. Topic: Conversations Overheard by the Cross. RSVP by Sunday, March 10. Details: church office (662) 693-1321.
SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT BROOKHAVEN – St. Francis, Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration, Wednesday evenings from 6-7 p.m. during Lent. Details: church office (601) 833-1799.
St. Francis, Parish Lenten Mission, March 18 and 19 from 6-8 p.m. Gifts of the Holy Spirit presented by Father Bill Henry. Details: church office (601) 833-1799.
MERIDIAN – St. Patrick, Parish Lenten Mission, Feb. 25-27 from 6-7 p.m. Mission featuring Father Phil Krill, a retired priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. All are welcome. Details: church office (601) 693-1321.
NATCHEZ – 2nd annual Believe Conference, April 19-21, 2024. Featured speakers are Anne Trufant, Catholic speaker and founder of The Mission on the Mountain; Barbara Heil, Catholic speaker and founder of From His Heart Ministries; and Joanne Moody, minister author, and founder of Agape Freedom Fighters. Cost: $100 for the weekend; $50 for students. Lunch included on Saturday. Details: visit https://www.themissiononthemountain.com.
SOUTHAVEN – Christ the King, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, Thursdays, April 4, 18, 25; May 2, 9, 16, 23 30; and June 6 from 6:30-8 p.m.How do these Jewish roots help us, today to understand his real presence in the Eucharist? Facilitator is Don Coker. Details: church office (662) 342-1073.
COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. – Women’s Morning of Spirituality, Saturday, April 13 at Catholic Church of the Incarnation (360 Bray Station Road). Continental breakfast in the gym at 7:15 a.m; Program begins in Sanctuary at 8:15 a.m.; Mass at 12:15 p.m. Opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration, Reconciliation, Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet. Details: church office (901) 441-6157.
JOB OPENING JACKSON – The Department of Faith Formation is looking for a full-time administrative assistant. The successful candidate will provide administrative assistance exercising quality pastoral skills for those in pastoral and formational ministry in the Diocese of Jackson. Details: 3-5 years’ experience in an administrative role providing direct support to a multicultural intergenerational department. Understanding basic accounting a plus. High school diploma or GED certificate required; completion of college degree in business preferred. Contact fran.lavelle@jacksondiocese.org with questions or for full job description. Send a cover letter and resume no later than March 11, 2024.
TRAVEL “SPIRIT OF IRELAND AND SCOTLAND” WITH FATHER O’CONNOR – Join Father David O’Connor on a trip to Ireland and Scotland, June 8-17. Itinerary includes: flight to Dublin, two nights in Belfast, ferry to Scotland, two nights in Glasgow, Inverness and Edinburgh and return flight from Edinburg. Travel in a luxury coach from arrival time until departure, a professional driver/guide, 4-star hotels. Tour highlights include City of Belfast, Titanic, historic and architectural sites, wonderful landscapes and lakes of the Scottish highlands, Scottish food and entertainment. Cost: $4,955 (per person sharing) or $5,950 single. Only a few spots left! For more information/reservations contact Cara Group Travel at (617) 639-0273 or email bookings@caragrouptravel.com.
IRELAND AND SCOTLAND WITH FATHER AUGUSTINE – Join Father Augustine on a trip to Ireland and Scotland, Sept. 6-18. Trip includes stops in Galway, Our Lady of Knock, Cliffs of Moher, Killarney, Dingle Peninsula, Dublin, Edinburgh and St. Andrew’s Cathedral. Cost: $5,499 – all inclusive, including airfare. To register, contact Proximo Travel at (855) 842-8001 or visit www.proximotravel.com.
JACKSON – Sister Thea PreK students, Kendrea Bass, Amirah Wilson and Rhyleigh Deans enjoy some hula-hoop activities. (Photo by Christopher Payne)
JACKSON – Pre-K5 students at St. Richard School process as floats through the parking lot for the schools annual Mardi Gras celebration. (Photo by Chelsea Dillon)
MADISON – St. Joseph Spirit Steppers, Emerson Erwin, Cambell Miller, Stella McCarty and Sophia Liberto enjoy dancing in the Mardi Gras parade at St. Anthony School. (Photo by Candace Sigler)
NATCHEZ – Cathedral fifth grader, Anna Cooper throws beads to the crowd of students at school. (Photos by Cara Moody)
VICKSBURG – Sisters of Mercy Early Learning Center had a “Red, White and Blue Day” on “Celebrate our Nation” day recently at the school. Pictured: Mary Blake Brown, Emma Parrish, Emery Weeks, Hadley and Hunter Strickland. (Photo by Lindsey Bradley)
JACKSON – Deacon Denzil Lobo places ashes on Sister Thea Bowman School second grader, Azaria Weems, on Ash Wednesday. (Photo by Christopher Payne)
NATCHEZ – Religion teacher, JoAnn Waycaster places ashes on the forehead of Cathedral School senior, Gracie Bradley on Wednesday, February 14 at St. Mary Basilica. (Photo by Cara Moody)
SOUTHAVEN – Father Hendrick Ardianto, SCJ, distributes ashes to Cash Fortin during Sacred Heart School’s Ash Wednesday Mass. (Photo by Laura Grisham)
MADISON – St. Francis of Assisi student Avery Cook receives ashes from Father Albeenreddy Vatti. (Photo by Chiquita Brown)
GREENVILLE – Kent Tonos, Father Sanchéz and Fletcher McGaugh get ready to process out of St. Joseph School Mass on Ash Wednesday. (Photo by Elese Serio)
TUPELO – En fotos, algunos momentos de la Misa del Día Mundial del Matrimonio el pasado 11 de febrero en St. James de Tupelo con el Obispo Joseph Kopacz. entre los matrimonios que celebraron sus votos se encontraban varios matrimonios de inmaculado Corazón de María Houston: Azucena y Erick Carrasco, Servando y Laura Murillo, Jose y Rocio Espericueta, Arturo y Sonia Torres, Martin y Fabiola Bedolla, Jose Luis y Maricruz Rojas, Victor y Marina Rodriguez, Jorge y Ana Gonzalez , Erick y Azucena Zarate y Jose y Rocio Espericueta. (Fotos de Danna Johnson, LEM y Debbie Tubertini)
Miércoles de Ceniza
JACKSON – Como cada año, al comenzar la Cuaresma, católicos reciben la señal de la cruz, después de Misa de Miércoles de Ceniza, coincidiendo esta vez con el Día de San Valentín. (arriba) El obispo Joseph Kopacz en la Catedral de San Pedro, el 14 de febrero dibuja la cruz en la frente de cada feligres asistente a la Misa. (Foto de Tereza Ma)
Mardi Gras – Martes de Festival – Martes Gordo
BRANDON– La parroquia de St Jude Pearl participó en un desfile local de Brandon por las festividades de Mardi Gras – Martes de Festival o Martes Gordo – donde se come y se bebe cada año antes de Miercoles de Ceniza. (izq.) En las tres fotos se ven algunos de los jóvenes que acompañaron al obispo Joseph Kopacz y al Padre César Sánchez en la carroza de este año, el martes 13 de febrero. (Fotos de Tereza Ma)
Mardi Grass en Cancillería
JACKSON – Los trabajadores de la oficina diocesana, celebraron el Mardi Gras, el martes 13 antes del Miercoles de Ceniza. En fotos, algunos de los detalles que identifican a esta celebración festiva de los católicos a nivel mundial. (Fotos de Tereza Ma y Berta Mexidor)
Dios de todos los tiempos, Siempre trabajas para salvarnos, y ahora nos regocijamos por el gran amor que le das a tu pueblo elegido. Bendice y protege a todos los que están a punto de convertirse en Tus hijos a través del bautismo, y a todos los que buscan la plena comunión con nosotros. Concédelo por nuestro Señor Jesucristo, tu Hijo, que vive y reina contigo en la unidad del Espíritu Santo, Dios por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.
Esta oración de apertura se proclama en el Rito de Elección de los Catecúmenos, los elegidos que se preparan para el Bautismo, la Confirmación y la Eucaristía; y Candidatos, aquellos que se preparan para la Confirmación y la Eucaristía, todos los que buscan entrar en plena comunión en la Iglesia Católica a través de sus comunidades parroquiales.
Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz
En este momento, enfrentamos enormes riesgos; escuchamos la dolorosa súplica de tanta gente. De hecho, estamos viviendo una tercera guerra mundial que se libra poco a poco. Sin embargo, encontremos el coraje para ver nuestro mundo, no como si estuviera agonizando sino en un proceso de dar a luz, no al final sino al comienzo de un gran nuevo capítulo de la historia.
Esta es la Orden de Iniciación Cristiana para Adultos (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, OCIA, por sus siglas en ingles), el proceso a través del cual los adultos, principalmente pero también aquellos por encima del uso de la razón, como la hermana Thea Bowman, Sierva de Dios, a los nueve años, disciernen si el Espíritu Santo los está dirigiendo al seno de la Iglesia Católica. Este año, el Rito de Elección en la Diócesis de Jackson tuvo lugar en St. Francis en Madison y St. John en Oxford. La OCIA es un proceso lleno de esperanza y alegría para individuos, familias, comunidades parroquiales y diócesis. También puede ayudar al católico tradicional en su viaje de Cuaresma para escuchar el llamado del Señor al arrepentimiento para vivir de una manera digna de nuestro llamado y para la renovación de nuestras promesas del Bautismo en Pascua.
‘Tú siempre estás trabajando para salvar, oh Dios’, es el versículo inicial de la oración anterior y el Papa Francisco en su discurso de Cuaresma relata las palabras de Dios a Moisés en la Zarza Ardiente para hacer surgir la presencia activa de Dios en nuestro mundo y en nuestro vidas.
“Cuando el Señor llama a Moisés desde la zarza ardiente, inmediatamente muestra que es un Dios que ve y, sobre todo, oye: ‘…Los he oído quejarse por culpa de sus capataces, y sé muy bien lo que sufren. Por eso he bajado, para salvarlos del poder de los egipcios; voy a sacarlos de ese país y a llevarlos a una tierra grande y buena. (Éxodo 3:7-8)
En la plenitud de los tiempos el encuentro personal de Dios con toda la humanidad alcanza su cumplimiento en Jesucristo quien dice “yo estaré con ustedes todos los días, hasta el fin del mundo.” (Mateo 28:20)
En su discurso de Cuaresma, el Papa Francisco habla a menudo del camino desde la esclavitud en sus múltiples formas hasta la libertad a través de la fe en Jesucristo. “En el relato del Éxodo hay un detalle significativo: es Dios quien ve, se conmueve y libera; Israel no pide esto. El faraón ahoga los sueños, bloquea la visión del cielo, hace parecer que este mundo, en el que se pisotea la dignidad humana y se niegan los vínculos auténticos, nunca podrá cambiar. Él puso todo bajo esclavitud a sí mismo.
Preguntémonos: ¿Quiero un mundo nuevo? ¿Estoy dispuesto a dejar atrás mis compromisos con lo viejo? El faraón, que fácilmente representa al maligno, aliado con cualquiera de los ídolos que construimos, quiere que seamos súbditos; el Dios y Padre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo quiere hijos amados. ¡Que diferencia!
Una parte esencial de la Liturgia del Bautismo es una serie de preguntas dirigidas a los padres y padrinos, así como a los catecúmenos adultos. Nos colocan en el desierto con Jesús que rechazó los encantos y las tentaciones del diablo.
“¿Rechazas a Satanás, y todas sus obras, y todas sus promesas vacías?”
“¿Rechazas el encanto del mal y te niegas a dejarte dominar por el pecado?”
Nuestras respuestas afirmativas expresan nuestro compromiso con la guerra espiritual contra el pecado y el mal que la oración, el ayuno y la limosna contrarrestan eficazmente.
Al final de su mensaje de Cuaresma, el Papa Francisco se esfuerza por unir a los fieles. “En la medida en que esta Cuaresma se convierta en un tiempo de conversión, una humanidad ansiosa notará un estallido de creatividad, un destello de nueva esperanza. Permítanme repetir lo que les dije a los jóvenes que conocí en Lisboa el verano pasado: sigan buscando y estén preparados para correr riesgos.
Necesitamos coraje para pensar así”.
Al ponernos la armadura de Dios reclamamos nuestra dignidad como hijos de Dios, como embajadores de Jesucristo, ministros de la reconciliación, en efecto, nuevas creaciones. (2 Corintios 5:20)
De hecho, el Reino de Dios está cerca para que lo recibamos.
Por Lucien Chauvin MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (OSV News) – María Antonia de San José de Paz Figueroa puede ser la santa más nueva del mundo, pero ya se le atribuye un “milagro” político en su Argentina natal.
Una imagen de la Beata María Antonia de Paz Figueroa, conocida como “Madre Antula”, San Luis, Argentina, quien fue canonizada por el Papa Francisco, en la Basílica de San Pedro del Vaticano, el 11 de enero de 2024. (Foto CNS/cortesía de la Arquidiócesis de Buenos Aires)
Paz Figueroa, una laica del siglo XVIII conocida en toda Argentina como Mamá Antula, fue canonizada el 11 de febrero en el Vaticano. Mantuvo viva la misión docente de los jesuitas después de que la orden fue expulsada de Argentina y estableció la Casa de Ejercicios Espirituales que aún se mantiene en pie. Se le atribuyen dos milagros, el primero, curar a una monja, que fue certificado en 2016, y el segundo, curar a un padre de dos hijos tras un derrame cerebral, fue reconocido en octubre pasado, lo que llevó a su beatificación.
Es la primera santa nacida en Argentina y una de las cinco santas con vínculos con el país. “Mamá Antula, nuestra nueva santa, emprendió la misión de los jesuitas y estuvo presente en su ausencia. Se esforzó en realizar ejercicios espirituales para restaurar la vida y hacer la obra de Dios, no sólo sanando a las personas, sino sanando el medio ambiente. Tuvo paciencia y, sobre todo, la capacidad de perseverar porque creía en Dios”, dijo el obispo a OSV News.
La canonización, coincidiendo con la primera aparición de la Virgen María en Lourdes, Francia, reunió a los argentinos más conocidos del momento, el Papa Francisco, quien anteriormente fue el arzobispo Jorge Mario Bergoglio de Buenos Aires, la capital, y el presidente Javier Milei. quien fue inaugurado el pasado mes de diciembre.
Milei calificó al Papa de “imbécil” y “representante del mal en la tierra” durante la campaña presidencial del año pasado. El Papa ignoró en gran medida esos comentarios y desestimó las críticas calificándolas de hipérbole de campaña; y Milei cambió de tono poco después de ser elegido.
Los dos se reunieron en la canonización de Mamá Antula y en una reunión el 12 de febrero en el Vaticano. “La presencia y el abrazo del presidente y el Papa hablan de temas de encuentro, respeto y reconciliación. Es la forma en que nuestro Dios obra y nos enseña que todos somos hermanos y hermanas sin importar nuestras diferencias”, dijo el obispo Olivera.
El Papa Francisco y el presidente argentino Javier Milei se saludan y ríen después de la Misa de canonización de Santa María Antonia de Paz Figueroa, conocida como Mama Antula, en la Basílica de San Pedro en el Vaticano el 11 de febrero de 2024. Ella es la primera santa de Argentina. (Foto CNS/Medios Vaticanos)
La canonización de Mamá Antula se produjo en un momento importante para ambos hombres, ya que ofrecen una visión nueva, a veces controvertida.
El Papa Francisco continúa enfrentando críticas por la publicación a mediados de diciembre de “Fiducia Supplicans” (“Fideicomiso de súplica”) sobre “el significado pastoral de las bendiciones”, que permite a los sacerdotes y otros ministros ofrecer bendiciones informales y no litúrgicas a parejas homosexuales. y parejas en situaciones matrimoniales “irregulares”, siempre y cuando quede claro que no están bendiciendo la unión de la pareja. La disensión proviene de la región, incluso en Argentina y el vecino Uruguay, que también venera a Mamá Antula.
El presidente Milei está luchando furiosamente para lograr que el Congreso apruebe un amplio proyecto de ley general que presentó a finales de diciembre. El objetivo inmediato del gobierno de Milei es frenar la inflación, que alcanzó el 211,4% el año pasado.
Según el Vaticano, el presidente y el Papa conversaron sobre “el programa del nuevo gobierno para contrarrestar la crisis económica”.
La reunión con Milei (los dos hablaron previamente por teléfono en diciembre) podría allanar el camino para que el Papa Francisco haga una peregrinación a Argentina. A diferencia de sus predecesores, San Juan Pablo II de Polonia y el Papa Benedicto XVI de Alemania, el Papa Francisco no ha visitado su tierra natal desde que se convirtió en Papa. Se plantea un viaje a finales de 2024, algo que Milei anima.
“Los argentinos recibirían al Papa con los brazos abiertos. Es uno de nosotros”, dijo Di Paola a OSV News.
(Lucien Chauvin escribe para OSV News desde Montevideo, Uruguay.)
