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.

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. 

“The story of our early years is a great testimony to our sisters and the support they received from the communities they served throughout Virginia,” said Sister Joanna, who is coordinating communication efforts for the Benedictine order’s jubilee celebration. “Our theme is ‘150 Years and Building,’ and we want to welcome all to our monastery to learn more about the struggles, joys and triumphs of our community, and from our story find inspiration in their own lives.”

At the recommendation of a priest, Sister Marie Augustine visited the Visitation Sisters and found it a good fit, even though her personality and that of the Visitation Sisters might not have appeared to be in sync.

When other children were learning to ride bikes and going to school dances, Kathia spent months recovering in the hospital and at home. A final surgery when she was 18 years old cut her jaw bone practically from ear to lips. Doctors were confident that Kathia was cancer free. 

“Being present for my students motivates me the most on a daily basis,” said honored teacher Scott Schaefer. “It was the teacher I found accessible and real that truly made an impact on me. I strive to be that accessible teacher.”

“We have seen the Lord!” – These were the words of the disciples in the upper room to Saint Thomas. He refused to believe and it took the Lord confronting Thomas with his physical appearance and asking him to probe the wounds in his hands and side to overcome his un-belief.

Maya was born May 27, 2014, at seven months. It was so dark that the midwife had to use a flashlight while Ibraheem, wearing shackles, lay on the bare floor and delivered her daughter without any medications or disinfectants. A female guard kicked her during labor, complaining that because of her, Sudan was being criticized by world opinion.

They don’t seek the limelight, but the spotlight was on them at the ninth annual Servant Leadership Award Dinner at St. Patrick School, Norfolk, Saturday, April 21. The eighth-grade class honored people from the core parishes the school serves in Norfolk: Dan Doyle, Sacred Heart; Sheila Jenkins, Blessed Sacrament; and Judy Watford, Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception.

Ireland has become an increasingly secular nation in recent decades. There are many reasons for this, and some of them, sadly, are the responsibility of Church leaders who failed to give authentic and faithful witness to the Gospel. Nevertheless, one can hardly understand Ireland without understanding the way the Catholic faith has forged Irish culture and identity: and, especially, without understanding the way that the Catholic faith has long given the Irish people an acute and attentive sense of human dignity, human rights, and justice.

The school shooting, occurring just three months after the shooting in Parkland, Florida, took place when a male shooter opened fire at a Santa Fe High School the morning of May 18 killing 10 people, most of them students. A suspect taken into custody was identified as 17-year old Dimitrios Pagourtzis and another person of interest also was detained and questioned.

Cardinal Tobin, citing the 16th chapter of Acts in which Paul had planned to travel to Bithynia but was prevented from doing so by the Holy Spirit, said one must ask what he termed “the most difficult part”: “Where is God opening a door? Where is God beckoning us?”

Bishop Barry C. Knestout has announced the following seminarian assignments, effective Monday, June 4, 2018:

"We want to announce that all bishops present in Rome, in writing, have placed our positions in the Holy Father's hands so that he may freely decide regarding each one of us," Bishop Juan Ignacio Gonzalez Errazuriz of San Bernardo said May 18 in a statement on behalf of the country's bishops.

“We all need to grow in holiness daily throughout our lives. The universal call to holiness is something I want to embrace for myself, but I also want to help other people embrace it as well,”

In the Diocese of Richmond, the “Rosary for Racial Justice and Reconciliation” is said at 2 p.m. on the first Friday of each month in the Pastoral Center. People throughout the diocese can join in the recitation via teleconference: (844) 572-5683, ext. 4828689.

Participating in a ministry such as Landings is not at a requirement for returning to the Catholic Church, but some who have gone through the program say they have enjoyed the feeling of acceptance and belonging that meeting with such a group instills.

“What’s nice about this program,” said St. Gregory the Great parishioner Mary Wilson, “is that you know you are not alone.” “It’s such an intimate group,” agreed Kelly. “You really get to know people. And then when you go to Mass, it’s nice to see familiar faces.”

Bishop Barry C. Knestout will ordain five transitional deacons, Saturday, May 19, 10:30 a.m., at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond. The transitional diaconate is their final year of formation before ordination to the priesthood.

This amount puts the diocese less than $25,000 away from meeting the previous highest mark, which was reached in 2017. With additional activities slated to occur at the diocesan and parish levels, the Appeal is projected to move significantly past that amount.

Bruce Slough, executive director of Saint Francis Home, said, “The need for quality meals is heightened when one lives in a community where many have limited choices for their lives and are completely dependent upon others for even the most basic functions of living. So, food is one of the most important things we do.