Canada MAID decision ‘blatant devaluing of persons with disabilities,’ says activist
The Catholic Spirit
by OSV News
18h ago
Then-Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould of Canada speaks about the government’s “medical assistance in dying” bill, or MAID, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, June 1, 2016. When she announced plans to legalize medically assisted dying nearly a decade ago for people with a terminal illness, she told reporters, “For some, medical assistance in dying will be troubling. For others, this legislation will not go far enough.” The law was expanded in 2021 to cover people with incurable, but not terminal, conditions, and in 2027 it may be expanded to those whose sole condition is mental illness ..read more
Visit website
Catholic couples struggle through an infertility care desert
The Catholic Spirit
by OSV News
18h ago
Serenity Quesnelle, pictured in the fall of 2023 with her husband, Andrew, their nephew Bentley, 7, and their son, Zachariah, says she saw six fertility doctors before conceiving her son. OSV News photo/courtesy Serenity QuesnelleSerenity Quesnelle saw six fertility doctors, went through multiple procedures and braved surgery in the hopes of conceiving a child. After four years, one of her doctors felt that nothing more could be done and asked Quesnelle to write down the number of a nearby in vitro fertilization clinic. But Quesnelle and her husband didn’t want to go through IVF, a process tha ..read more
Visit website
MCC circulates petition urging legislators to restore religious exemption protections in the MHRA
The Catholic Spirit
by The Catholic Spirit
21h ago
The Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC) is urging Catholics to sign a petition encouraging legislators to restore religious exemption protections in the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA). The St. Paul-based MCC, which represents the public policy interests of Minnesota’s bishops, issued an action alert on the topic March 27. The petition and list of signers will be shared with legislative leaders. The petition also will be filtered down by signers in each legislative district and shared with individual lawmakers so they can see constituents who have signed it, an MCC official said. The petiti ..read more
Visit website
Let’s celebrate Easter for a while
The Catholic Spirit
by OSV News
21h ago
Hand-decorated eggs are seen in an Easter basket. OSV News photo/Nancy WiechecThis year, I’m glad to see Lent come to an end, and not just because of Easter Alleluias and Cadbury dark chocolate eggs. It was a tough Lent. Part of it, of course, had nothing explicitly to do with Lent. The news has generally been dreadful, a reminder, I suppose of why we need saving. This broken, battered, cruel world needs a savior. I need a savior. Perhaps this was not true for you, but my Lent was especially difficult because I had trouble keeping my Lenten resolves. None of them were all that hard, by the way ..read more
Visit website
Ahead of Good Friday, Chicago parish unveils statue of Christ mourning gun victims
The Catholic Spirit
by OSV News
2d ago
Canadian-based artist Timothy P. Schmalz is pictured in an undated photo working on his life-sized clay sculpture titled “Thou Shalt Not Kill,” which depicts Jesus kneeling over a victim of gun violence. Some 60 people gathered March 25, 2024, outside of St. Sabina Catholic Church in Chicago for a first look at the sculpture, which the artist donated to the parish. OSV News photo/Timothy P. SchmalzAhead of Good Friday, a Chicago parish unveiled a statue of Jesus Christ commemorating that city’s victims of gun violence. Some 60 people gathered March 25 outside of St. Sabina Catholic Church for ..read more
Visit website
Gowns of grace, heaps of joy: Rediscovering Catholicism
The Catholic Spirit
by The Catholic Spirit
2d ago
COURTESY JENNA WRIGHTJenna Wright has come a long way from being an NFL cheerleader to a first Communion catechist. Now, rather than sporting a skimpy outfit at the Super Bowl, she’s selling white gowns to second-grade girls and their families — and making it a memorable part of their sacramental preparation. It’s the perfect fit for the mother of five who’s rediscovered her faith. Wright was raised Catholic in Michigan. Again and again, the green-eyed blonde performed in the spotlight. As a teen, she trained in ballet and won a beauty pageant. In college, she studied broadcast journalism and ..read more
Visit website
The formation program to be a deacon
The Catholic Spirit
by The Catholic Spirit
2d ago
In the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, once a man is admitted to the diaconate formation program, it is a long and spiritually rich five-year journey to ordination. During each of the five years there are two retreats, the Winter Retreat and the weeklong Summer Immersion Retreat. These retreats are an immersion in prayer, silence, study, learning, reflection, integration and fellowship. They are occasions to grow closer to God, deepen and interiorize one’s faith, better understand the vocation of a deacon, and further discern one’s own call. The first two years are called the period o ..read more
Visit website
The definitive guide to Holy Week
The Catholic Spirit
by OSV News
2d ago
Pope Francis inscribes a cross on the Paschal candle at the beginning of the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican April 8, 2023. CNS photo/Vatican MediaWhat are you doing for Holy Week? It’s OK if your Holy Week list includes coloring eggs, cleaning and baking for Easter, shopping for new outfits, traveling to a relative’s home or going on a spring vacation. There’s nothing wrong with secular Easter activities. But it’s important to keep in mind that there is also a profound spiritual basis for the holiday celebration. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday and ends at sundown o ..read more
Visit website
Supreme Court justices express skepticism over standing amid abortion pill arguments
The Catholic Spirit
by OSV News
2d ago
A woman religious gestures toward a counter-protester outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington March 26, 2024, as justices heard oral arguments in a case brought by pro-life groups challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s loosened restrictions on mifepristone, the first of two drugs used in a chemical abortion. OSV News photo/Evelyn Hockstein, ReutersThe Supreme Court heard oral arguments March 26 in a case concerning mifepristone, a pill commonly used for abortion. It is the first major case involving abortion on its docket since the high court overturned its previous abortion ..read more
Visit website
Archbishop Lori, officials call for prayers after Baltimore Key Bridge collapse
The Catholic Spirit
by OSV News
2d ago
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter hovers over the Dali cargo vessel March 26, 2024, after it crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing it to collapse in Baltimore. Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore and that city’s officials have called for prayers as rescue efforts continue, following the early morning collapse of the bridge. OSV News photo/Julia Nikhinson, ReutersArchbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore and that city’s officials have called for prayers as rescue efforts continue, following the early morning collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge March 26. The Singapore-flag ..read more
Visit website

Follow The Catholic Spirit on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR