How one young Ethiopian made 300 Christian converts

How one young Ethiopian made 300 Christian converts

A distant part of Ethiopia last week celebrated the baptisms of 300 adult catechumens, youth, and infants.

“Today when you receive this great Sacrament of Baptism you become sons and daughters of God, people of God and members of the Church; this brings great joy in heaven and great joy on earth for the entire Church,” Bishop Lesanu-Christos Matheos Semahun of the Bahir Dar-Dessie Ethiopian eparchy said in his Nov. 27 homily.

The newly baptized bore candles and lit them as a sign of Christ’s light, the Catholic News Agency for Africa reports.

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This cloistered nun got her doctorate in aerospace engineering

This cloistered nun got her doctorate in aerospace engineering

A cloistered nun in India came out of her convent for an extraordinary reason: to attend a graduation ceremony for her doctorate in Aerospace Engineering.

“I had joined the religious order after my final oral exam last year, and this was the first time I came out after that. The rules of our order forbid us from going out of the convent, but I was given special permission to attend the convocation,” Sister Benedicta of the Holy Face told Matters India over the summer.

The 32-year-old nun lives in a cloistered convent of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face. Continue Reading

Terrorist threats may suspend Masses in Philippines capital

Terrorist threats may suspend Masses in Philippines capital

An uptick in terrorist activity may cause Masses and other liturgical celebrations to be suspended in the capital city of Manila, Philippines, the country’s bishop’s conference has announced. 

“The church, for practical purposes, will be more than willing to suspend any liturgical activity if there are threats to the safety of churchgoers,” said Father Jerome Secillano of the bishop conference's public affairs committee, according to reports from UCANews. 

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Three ways to obtain an indulgence for the 100-year Fatima anniversary By Maria Ximena Rondon

Three ways to obtain an indulgence for the 100-year Fatima anniversary
By Maria Ximena Rondon

For the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, Pope Francis has decided to grant a plenary indulgence opportunity throughout the entire anniversary year, which began Nov. 27, 2016, and will end Nov. 26, 2017.

The rector of the Fatima Shrine in Portugal, André Pereira, explained to EWTN News that the plenary indulgence can be obtained during the entire Jubilee Year. There are three ways of obtaining the indulgence, detailed in a statement on the shrine's website.

To obtain the plenary indulgence, the faithful must also fulfill the ordinary conditions: go to Confession and Communion, be interiorly detached from sin, and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father. Continue Reading

Nigerian Catholics reflect on mercy: God never fails to forgive

Nigerian Catholics reflect on mercy: God never fails to forgive

As the Catholic Church’s Year of Mercy came to a close, a gathering of Nigerians took the time to reflect on God’s mercy and prayed to be more merciful towards others in their lives.

“All who are suffering and who feel that God is distant should have recourse to the mercy of God who forgives and who cannot abandon his children,” the Catholic Biblical Association of Nigeria said in a statement. “God does not give up on anyone; and we should not give up on God.”

The association issued the statement at the close of its four-day annual convention, which took inspiration from the Year of Mercy that concluded Nov. 20. Continue Reading

Doctors warn Australian state against legalizing euthanasia

Doctors warn Australian state against legalizing euthanasia

The government of the Australian state of Victoria is looking to legalize euthanasia in 2017, but physicians have warned of the risk of diminishing palliative care, already underutilized and underfunded.

A committee of Victorian Members of Parliament recommended in June legalizing voluntary euthansia under limited circumstances, after looking at similar laws elsewhere. A panel was then established to advise the government on an appropriate model, and the government's deadline to respond is Dec. 9. Continue Reading

South Africa says assisted suicide will remain illegal

South Africa says assisted suicide will remain illegal

While countries around the world such as Canada, Germany and Japan have passed legislation to legalize physician assisted suicide, one has ruled to reject it: South Africa. 

The country's Supreme Court of Appeals overturned a high court ruling on Tuesday that would have allowed Robin Stransham-Ford, a 65-year-old retiree who had prostate cancer, to kill himself with the help of a doctor. 

“A court addressing these issues needs to be aware of differing cultural values and attitudes within our diverse population,” the Supreme Court stated, according to the Daily Mail. Continue Reading

Immaculate Conception By Catholic Encyclopedia

Immaculate Conception

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The doctrine

In the Constitution Ineffabilis Deus of 8 December, 1854, Pius IX pronounced and defined that the Blessed Virgin Mary "in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin."

"The Blessed Virgin Mary..."

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What is the Immaculate Conception?

Question: "What is the Immaculate Conception?"

Answer: Many people mistakenly believe that the Immaculate Conception refers to the conception of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ conception was most assuredly immaculate—that is, without the stain of sin—but the Immaculate Conception does not refer to Jesus at all. The Immaculate Conception is a doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church in regards to Mary, Jesus’ mother. The official statement of the doctrine reads, “The blessed Virgin Mary to have been, from the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, in view of the merits of Christ Jesus the Savior of Mankind, preserved free from all stain of original sin” (Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, December 1854). Essentially, the Immaculate Conception is the belief that Mary was protected from original sin, that Mary did not have a sin nature and was, in fact, sinless.

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Mary's Immaculate Conception by Father William G. Most

Mary's Immaculate Conception

by Father William G. Most

In teaching that Mary was conceived immaculate, the Catholic Church teaches that from the very moment of her conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary was free from all stain of original sin. This simply means that from the beginning, she was in a state of grace, sharing in God's own life, and that she was free from the sinful inclinations which have beset human nature after the fall.

History of the Doctrine

There are two passages in Scripture which point us to this truth. We look first at Genesis 3.15, in which we see the parallel between Mary and Eve of which the early Church Fathers already spoke: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed: he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." The Jews saw this passage as referring to the struggle between Christ and Satan, and so the Church see in "the woman" a prophetic foreshadowing of the Virgin Mary (Vatican II, Lumen gentium, # 55). Continue Reading