After the war, Pope Benedict XV "was prompt in indicating how the missionary world must change paths, abandoning the colonial ideology in which it had been lulled and promoting autonomy, independence and ecclesial self-governance in all the areas outside Europe," said the Vatican secretary of state.

To get parishioners’ “love and the support” for the project, their input was sought, Father Rogelio Abadano, parish administrator, said. There was a common theme in the feedback: many didn’t want their church home to be destroyed because it fostered the sense of community and held too many memories. As a result, the reconstruction blends the old with the new.

Though many bishops come to know many immigrants in the dioceses where they serve, except for the bishops along the border, few prelates witness that initial phase of the immigration journey that a group of bishops was privy to in early July. 

A renovation about 40 years ago had placed the altar off to one side with the presider’s chair in the middle of the space. The tabernacle was in a side chapel, though it was moved to the sanctuary about five years ago. At Mass, the focus of the congregation seemed to be on the celebrant.

Now, the altar is centered, resting on a stone floor, directly in line with a rear altar that has a tabernacle and a new crucifix — all under a painting of the Risen Christ that the faithful have gazed at for decades.

The nominee must be confirmed by the Senate in order to have a seat on the Supreme Court. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold hearings questioning the nominee and if the committee approves, a vote for or against the nominee goes to the full Senate floor and must be approved with a simple majority or 51 votes.

From the time she was a young child in Vienna, she had an interest in medicine and after college, she entered medical school at the University of Louisville. After graduation and during her residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, she had a life-altering epiphany. Previously nonreligious, she came to realize there was more, something missing in her life. Through friends she discovered the Catholic Church.

“I received the gift of faith,” she said in an interview for Catholic News Service. “I came into the Church in 1952. Conversion is like being adopted.”

Two days of heavy June rain turned many of the yards of Wise County into muddy messes, providing a challenge for the youth work crews from the Diocese of Richmond to get very far on the building projects they had come to do for residents in need.

Diana Hall, 18, and her crewmates were spending the week with the youth work camp, building a ramp to the porch of a trailer belonging to Larry Mullins. Hall was standing in two feet of muddy water, trying to dig post holes — which felt impossible.

As life expectancy, the average amount of schooling, income equality, and gross domestic product increase, the study found that religious observance decreases, with very few exceptions. 

In the heavily Protestant community, there is hesitancy among some of the guests to eat at a Catholic church because of “concerns about the unknowns of being Catholic,” Haney said. However, Mac’s Kitchen helps allay those fears.

Bishop Knestout, who holds a degree in architecture, praised the bright “basilica style” sanctuary. He had visited the church during the renovation but had not yet seen it finished.

Deacon Paul Mahefky, director of real estate for the Diocese of Richmond, said the well-designed renovation is both beautiful and functional, as a church should be. “When you have a building and liturgy and people cooperating in this way, you can’t wait to go back,” he said. 

The weather was cooler at the apex, so without being asked, the children shared their own outer garments and those loaned and given by St. Joan of Arc parishioners with children who did not have adequate apparel. When one child warmed, he gave the coat to a child who was cold, who, once warmed, gave it to another child. 

In January 2018, Bishop Knestout assigned Fr. Boehling as priest secretary and master of ceremonies to the bishop.

Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori said he was "shocked and saddened by the terrible shootings at the Capital Gazette."

"We pray for the eternal rest of those who died," he said. "We also pray for their families, friends and colleagues in journalism who mourn their loss."

Following the death of Bishop DiLorenzo, the diocese’s College of Consultors elected Msgr. Lane diocesan administrator on Aug. 22, 2017, a position he held until Bishop Knestout was appointed on Dec. 5.

Even though President Donald Trump signed an executive order June 20 that essentially reversed that part of the administration’s “zero tolerance” policy that separated kids from their parents, it was silent on the fate of those 2,352 kids already torn from their folks, plus whatever additional children were separated from their parents after June 9.

Kennedy is one of five Catholic justices on the Supreme Court along with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor.

“Our bodies are ours to use, but we have to account one day to the Lord as to how we took care of them and what we did with them,” Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast said. “Is it a good idea to knowingly use a substance that produces harmful effects?”

Bishop Knestout voiced his support for the ministers and their work.

“You can be confident as you return to your parishes and communities, as you carry out your work, that you have my confidence and support, but also the confidence and support that comes from good preparation and good formation from the LEMI program,” he said.

The parish decided the best and most responsible move would be to tear down the church and start over. After demolition was completed, parishioners began attending eight weekend Masses in their fellowship hall.

Vallerie Inocencio recently completed a busy junior year at Atlee High School. In addition to her studies, she was a member of the track team and held a part-time job. Add time with her friends and her parents, and her days were full.

But in the midst of that busyness, she made another commitment; she entered the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) at Our Lady of Lourdes, Richmond.

In many cases the gap between the frequencies with which students at Catholic schools and students at other schools either behaved well or avoided behaving poorly increased over time, hinting that the continued focus and value Catholic schools place on self-discipline continually reinforces its importance and helps foster it in students.

The bishop said that St. Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis have emphasized the threefold roles of the priest while promoting the New Evangelization, noting that the current pope has made a specific request of bishops and priests — asking them to go to the periphery, immerse themselves in people’s lives, encounter, accompany and “to send forth God’s people to transform the world according to the Gospel.”

Bishop Barry C. Knestout will commission as lay ecclesial ministers 12 men and women who have completed studies through the diocese’s Lay Ecclesial Ministry Institute (LEMI). The commissioning will take place during Mass, 10:30 a.m., Saturday, June 23, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

This is the sixth in a series of articles offering readers glimpses into the diocese’s history via entertaining and enlightening vignettes focusing on important, though little-known, events. The series is scheduled to resume later this year or early in 2019.

A Letter to the Diocese from His Excellency, Bishop Barry C. Knestout

“Since being installed as Bishop of Richmond on January 12, 2018, I have spent the first months in the Diocese visiting and getting to know the people, Catholic institutions and the rich history of the Diocese.”

The Most Reverend Barry C. Knestout, bishop of the Diocese of Richmond, has announced the following appointments, effective July 11, 2018, unless otherwise noted:

In an interview on “The 700 Club Interactive,” with Gordon Robertson, CEO of CBN, Bishop Knestout also spoke about the New Evangelization and what Christians are called to do to counter a “very secularized, very materialistic … very seductive culture” that draws people away from a life of faith.

Speaking during a homily at Mass for the ordination to the diaconate of four seminarians at the national seminary in Maynooth, County Kildare, Archbishop Martin insisted that the church is called to be pro-life “not just in words and statements and manifestoes, but to be pro-life in deeds, by being a church which reflects the loving care of Jesus for human life at any stage. 

The appeal wraps up within the next few months, the number of donors could reach 20,000, and the amount contributed could be $5 million.

The bishop reminded the five men to remain focused on that to which they have been called.

“Never allow yourselves to be turned away from the hope offered by the Gospel,” he said. “Now you are not only hearers of this Gospel but also its ministers.” 

The following students, as determined by the principals of their respective high schools, are receiving $1,500 Walter Gannon Diocesan Scholarships. The criteria are that the students must be deserving of this award because of their high level of scholarship, concern for others and economic need. The scholarships are made possible due to a gift to the diocese from Walter Gannon.

On April 16, 2007, the Monday after Easter, the university’s priest was away. That afternoon, Father Arsenault was at the St. Mary rectory when he was called to campus to join the notification team – local law enforcement and the Red Cross – to speak with families.

Brown, who begins each day at home reading and reflecting on a Bible passage, credited God for her PCRS position. In December 1979, her job as secretary at a start-up construction company was terminated. Worried that she and her husband wouldn’t be able to pay their bills, she applied for the PCRS position as soon as her mother-in-law pointed out the advertisement in the local paper. 

“I’ve always felt that God sent me to Portsmouth Catholic, and he had a special plan for my life,” Brown said.  “God blessed me. Now I pray God will show me what my next path is.”  

“The sacrifice of those who laid down their lives for us that we might know freedom and opportunity in this great nation images and makes present in a real way the greatest of all sacrifices, the sacrifice we know by faith,” Bishop Knestout said. “’For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him, may not perish but have eternal life’” (Jn 3:16).

Rose said it is important for family members and friends of people exposed to combat to stay attuned to their behavior and intervene immediately upon noticing “little odd things” or unusual mood changes. He believes that forcing a person to talk can help save their life, even if it causes an argument.

Top honors for the eight Catholic High Schools within the Diocese of Richmond

“Every single person that I know that went on that trip has come back much better than they were when they left for Lourdes,” said Rose, a Catholic. “Even me — I feel a lot better. My outlook is far better than it was a week or 10 days ago.”

The Diocese of Richmond’s Office for Black Catholics will host its post-Congress XII evangelization conference, “Our Faith in Action,” Saturday, July 21, at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Norfolk.