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Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.
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CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
New Catechesis: Putting Parents Back at the Center of Faith Formation to Keep Kids Catholic
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
As young Catholics leave the Church, a family-focused solution gains momentum
One of the most pressing challenges facing the Catholic Church in the United States today is the steady rise in young Catholics who abandon the faith before they reach adulthood.
A new approach — one that places the family at the center of faith formation — is beginning to gain momentum as a possible solution to this crisis.
By re-catechizing parents and fostering connections between families committed to living their faith more deeply, parishes are witnessing dramatic results.
St. Mark Catholic Church in Fallston, Maryland, has experienced just such a transformation, according to Barbara Austin, director of evangelization at the parish.
Continued below.
www.ncregister.com
One of the most pressing challenges facing the Catholic Church in the United States today is the steady rise in young Catholics who abandon the faith before they reach adulthood.
A new approach — one that places the family at the center of faith formation — is beginning to gain momentum as a possible solution to this crisis.
By re-catechizing parents and fostering connections between families committed to living their faith more deeply, parishes are witnessing dramatic results.
St. Mark Catholic Church in Fallston, Maryland, has experienced just such a transformation, according to Barbara Austin, director of evangelization at the parish.
Continued below.
New Catechesis: Putting Parents Back at the Center of Faith Formation to Keep Kids Catholic
As young Catholics leave the Church, a family-focused solution gains momentum
DHS official justifies immigration enforcement, cites St. Augustine’s ‘City of God’
- By Michie
- OBOB General Politics Forum
- 0 Replies
Trump administration officials are vigorously defending the U.S. government's immigration enforcement efforts, including citing St. Augustine’s “City of God” to justify enforcement actions.
The “blameless poor” are different from lawbreakers when considering how to interpret Scripture to show charity toward immigrants, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told CNA in response to concerns raised by U.S. Catholic bishops about immigration policy.
U.S. bishops said in the Nov. 12 special message: “We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people” and cited Matthew 25, where Jesus Christ told his disciples: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Nathaniel Madden, principal deputy assistant secretary for communications at DHS, told CNA that when considering that verse, one should recognize “a key distinction” in how to demonstrate charity “when you’re talking about people who have knowingly broken laws to get somewhere” as opposed to “a much different situation than dealing with the blameless poor who are citizens of the same country.”
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
The “blameless poor” are different from lawbreakers when considering how to interpret Scripture to show charity toward immigrants, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told CNA in response to concerns raised by U.S. Catholic bishops about immigration policy.
U.S. bishops said in the Nov. 12 special message: “We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people” and cited Matthew 25, where Jesus Christ told his disciples: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Nathaniel Madden, principal deputy assistant secretary for communications at DHS, told CNA that when considering that verse, one should recognize “a key distinction” in how to demonstrate charity “when you’re talking about people who have knowingly broken laws to get somewhere” as opposed to “a much different situation than dealing with the blameless poor who are citizens of the same country.”
Continued below.
DHS official justifies immigration enforcement, cites Augustine’s ‘City of God’
Trump administration officials are vigorously defending the U.S. government's immigration enforcement efforts, including citing St. Augustine’s “City of God” to justify enforcement actions.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
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Burials for little ones: How a New Orleans ministry helps families grieve
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
Sandy Schaetz still mourns the baby she never met.
“It was terrifying and traumatic,” she said of her miscarriage. “I was consoled after by the prayers of a deacon, but never named the baby or knew if it was a boy or girl.”
“It was not something I understood at the time and I only wish I had known more of what was happening,” she told CNA.
Now, Schaetz volunteers with Compassionate Burials for Indigent Babies (CBIB), an organization that buries babies who died, whether stillborn, miscarried, or aborted.
The group organizes everything for the funerals, which are held at a crypt at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in New Orleans.
A shoebox-sized casket lined with donated white fabric, usually from wedding dresses, is processed through the cemetery, with Knights of Columbus present as the honor guard. A volunteer musician plays at every funeral; a Catholic deacon presides at almost every burial.
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
“It was terrifying and traumatic,” she said of her miscarriage. “I was consoled after by the prayers of a deacon, but never named the baby or knew if it was a boy or girl.”
“It was not something I understood at the time and I only wish I had known more of what was happening,” she told CNA.
Now, Schaetz volunteers with Compassionate Burials for Indigent Babies (CBIB), an organization that buries babies who died, whether stillborn, miscarried, or aborted.
The group organizes everything for the funerals, which are held at a crypt at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in New Orleans.
A shoebox-sized casket lined with donated white fabric, usually from wedding dresses, is processed through the cemetery, with Knights of Columbus present as the honor guard. A volunteer musician plays at every funeral; a Catholic deacon presides at almost every burial.
Continued below.
Burials for little ones: How a New Orleans ministry helps families grieve
Compassionate Burials for Indigent Babies buries babies who have died and organizes the funerals, which are held at a crypt at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in New Orleans.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
Federal judges block Texas from using its new US House map in the 2026 midterms
- By MarcusGregor
- American Politics
- 0 Replies
Federal judges block Texas from using its new US House map in the 2026 midterms
A panel of three federal judges has blocked Texas from using a new congressional map that Republicans drew in hopes of picking up five U.S. House seats.
apnews.com
A federal court on Tuesday blocked Texas from using a redrawn U.S. House map that touched off a nationwide redistricting battle and is a major piece of President Donald Trump’s efforts to preserve a slim Republican majority ahead of the 2026 elections.
The ruling is a blow to Trump’s rush to create a more favorable political landscape for Republicans in next year’s midterms, at least for now. Texas filed an appeal Tuesday evening with the U.S. Supreme Court after Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republicans publicly defended the map, which was engineered to give Republicans five additional House seats.
In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of federal judges in El Paso sided with opponents who argued that Texas’ unusual summer redrawing of congressional districts would harm Black and Hispanic residents. The decision was authored by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, a Trump nominee from the president’s first term.
“To be sure, politics played a role in drawing the 2025 Map. But it was much more than just politics. Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map,” the ruling states.
Very unfortunate for Abbott and Texas Republicans. And I guess the GOP overall.Vatican says sainthood cause for American mom of 7 can move forward
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
To kids in the neighborhood east of Interstate 290 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Ruth Pakaluk was the mom who baked brownies and blondies for everyone after school and whose home was the starting point for games and fun.
“She was like the ‘block mom,’” her husband, Michael Pakaluk, an author and professor at the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America, told the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner.
To the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Ruth Pakaluk’s life merits further investigation to see whether someday the Church should declare her a saint.
The pro-life activist, Catholic convert, mother of seven, and Harvard graduate died of breast cancer in 1998 at 41. Now, the Diocese of Worcester, where she was living at the time of her death, has the approval of the Vatican’s saints’ dicastery to undertake a formal inquiry into her life, the next step along the path to a possible canonization.
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
“She was like the ‘block mom,’” her husband, Michael Pakaluk, an author and professor at the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America, told the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner.
To the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Ruth Pakaluk’s life merits further investigation to see whether someday the Church should declare her a saint.
The pro-life activist, Catholic convert, mother of seven, and Harvard graduate died of breast cancer in 1998 at 41. Now, the Diocese of Worcester, where she was living at the time of her death, has the approval of the Vatican’s saints’ dicastery to undertake a formal inquiry into her life, the next step along the path to a possible canonization.
Continued below.
Vatican says cause for American mom can move forward
Admirers of Ruth Pakaluk, a former atheist and Catholic convert, say that while many of her pursuits might have seemed ordinary, she lived them in an extraordinary way.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
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Peace plan inspired by Catholic EU founder proposed at European Parliament debate
- By Michie
- OBOB General Politics Forum
- 0 Replies
A Vatican-based foundation has proposed a new peace initiative inspired by Venerable Robert Schuman, one of the European Union’s founding fathers, during a debate at the European Parliament.
The Clementy Schuman Legacy Foundation presented what it calls “Schuman Plan 2.0” — a blueprint for peace through economic cooperation and shared resources — at a Nov. 11 debate hosted by the European People’s Party Group, the largest political group in the European Parliament.
The proposal draws on the French politician and Catholic’s historic declaration of May 9, 1950, which stated: “Europe will be made through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity.” That declaration laid the foundation for what would, many years later, become the European Union.
German member of the European Parliament Niels Geuking, a member of the European People’s Party and the Family Party, organized the debate. He told CNA that Europe has reached a point where it needs to “re-strengthen its political and social foundations, just as Robert Schuman did after the Second World War.”
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
The Clementy Schuman Legacy Foundation presented what it calls “Schuman Plan 2.0” — a blueprint for peace through economic cooperation and shared resources — at a Nov. 11 debate hosted by the European People’s Party Group, the largest political group in the European Parliament.
The proposal draws on the French politician and Catholic’s historic declaration of May 9, 1950, which stated: “Europe will be made through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity.” That declaration laid the foundation for what would, many years later, become the European Union.
German member of the European Parliament Niels Geuking, a member of the European People’s Party and the Family Party, organized the debate. He told CNA that Europe has reached a point where it needs to “re-strengthen its political and social foundations, just as Robert Schuman did after the Second World War.”
Continued below.
Peace plan inspired by Catholic EU founder proposed at European Parliament
A peace plan inspired by Venerable Robert Schuman was proposed at the European Parliament, envisioning cooperation across the Northern Hemisphere.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
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Abuse of consecrated women: ‘The first words should be: I believe you, you are not alone’
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
The challenge of addressing abuse within consecrated life — in all its dimensions: sexual, power, conscience, and also economic — was the focus of an international meeting organized by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors held at the Maffei Marescotti Palace in Rome.
Under the theme “Building Communities that Safeguard Dignity,” representatives of religious institutes from some 20 countries are gathering Nov. 17–19 to share experiences, examine structural shortcomings, and work on the preparation of the third annual report, which will involve 40 communities.
The commission’s president, Archbishop Thibault Verny, thanked the nearly 60 participants from various countries for their presence and emphasized that preventing abuse “is not a local task but a universal commitment of the Church.”
The third report on abuse, the archbishop clarified, “is not intended to add a burden” but rather to be “an opportunity” to promote “attention to the most vulnerable members” and strengthen “the quality of formation.” This journey “cannot be traveled alone,” Verny pointed out.
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
Under the theme “Building Communities that Safeguard Dignity,” representatives of religious institutes from some 20 countries are gathering Nov. 17–19 to share experiences, examine structural shortcomings, and work on the preparation of the third annual report, which will involve 40 communities.
The commission’s president, Archbishop Thibault Verny, thanked the nearly 60 participants from various countries for their presence and emphasized that preventing abuse “is not a local task but a universal commitment of the Church.”
The third report on abuse, the archbishop clarified, “is not intended to add a burden” but rather to be “an opportunity” to promote “attention to the most vulnerable members” and strengthen “the quality of formation.” This journey “cannot be traveled alone,” Verny pointed out.
Continued below.
Commission for the Protection of Minors addresses abuse of consecrated women
The challenge of addressing abuse within consecrated life was the focus of a meeting organized by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors held in Rome.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
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Fewer high school girls want marriage, kids despite steady desire among boys: study
- By Michie
The share of 12th graders who say they plan to get married has declined precipitously among girls, and fewer of them are interested in having children, too, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.
Data for the report was collected by the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future project, which is an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes and values of Americans from adolescence through adulthood. The study surveys more than 25,000 eighth, 10th, and 12th-grade students annually.
Pew researchers identified the massive shift in thinking among 12th-grade girls after comparing survey responses of 12th graders in 1993 to the responses of 12th graders in 2023.
The data show that overall, 67% of America’s 12th graders in 2023 say they will likely choose to get married someday, compared to 80% in 1993. Another 24% in 2023 weren’t sure whether they would choose to get married, an increase from the 16% who said the same in 1993. The share of students in the cohort who said they will not get married increased from 5% to 9% over the period.
Continued below.
www.christianpost.com
Data for the report was collected by the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future project, which is an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes and values of Americans from adolescence through adulthood. The study surveys more than 25,000 eighth, 10th, and 12th-grade students annually.
Pew researchers identified the massive shift in thinking among 12th-grade girls after comparing survey responses of 12th graders in 1993 to the responses of 12th graders in 2023.
The data show that overall, 67% of America’s 12th graders in 2023 say they will likely choose to get married someday, compared to 80% in 1993. Another 24% in 2023 weren’t sure whether they would choose to get married, an increase from the 16% who said the same in 1993. The share of students in the cohort who said they will not get married increased from 5% to 9% over the period.
Continued below.
Fewer high school girls want marriage, kids despite steady desire among boys: study
The share of 12th graders who say they plan to get married has declined precipitously among girls, and fewer of them are interested in having children, too, according to a new report from the Pew
www.christianpost.com
ICE: Illegal suspect in hammer attack on woman jogging in Texas park overstayed visa
- By Michie
Agency says Biden administration arrested, then released suspect
Federal authorities have placed an immigration detainer on a 17-year-old Mexican national accused of savagely attacking a woman with a hammer while she jogged in a Texas park.
The incident unfolded on Nov. 13 at approximately 5 p.m., when police in Plano, a suburb of Dallas, say they responded to reports of an assault in the 2300 block of Shiloh Road, according to a Plano Police Department news release. The female victim was jogging in Bob Woodruff Park when she was ambushed by a male assailant who struck her repeatedly with a hammer before fleeing the scene.
Police say the attacker tried to duct tape the woman, but she was able to fight him off.
Paramedics transported the victim to a nearby hospital, where she was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
In an initial update on Nov. 14, the Plano Police Department identified the suspect as Sergio Noe De Nova Duarte, who had been living in Plano, and charged him with aggravated kidnapping bodily injury, a first-degree felony. He was booked into the Collin County jail.
Continued below.
www.christianpost.com
Federal authorities have placed an immigration detainer on a 17-year-old Mexican national accused of savagely attacking a woman with a hammer while she jogged in a Texas park.
The incident unfolded on Nov. 13 at approximately 5 p.m., when police in Plano, a suburb of Dallas, say they responded to reports of an assault in the 2300 block of Shiloh Road, according to a Plano Police Department news release. The female victim was jogging in Bob Woodruff Park when she was ambushed by a male assailant who struck her repeatedly with a hammer before fleeing the scene.
Police say the attacker tried to duct tape the woman, but she was able to fight him off.
Paramedics transported the victim to a nearby hospital, where she was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
In an initial update on Nov. 14, the Plano Police Department identified the suspect as Sergio Noe De Nova Duarte, who had been living in Plano, and charged him with aggravated kidnapping bodily injury, a first-degree felony. He was booked into the Collin County jail.
Continued below.
ICE: Illegal suspect in hammer attack on woman jogging in Texas park overstayed visa
Federal authorities have placed an immigration detainer on a 17-year-old Mexican national accused of savagely attacking a woman with a hammer while she jogged in a Texas park
www.christianpost.com
Nicki Minaj says religious freedom advocacy is about 'uniting humanity' at UN event
- By Michie
Singer Nicki Minaj defended religious freedom advocacy as an effort aimed at “uniting humanity” in remarks at an event profiling the threats to Christians in Nigeria.
Minaj gave the keynote address Tuesday at an event hosted by the United States Mission to the United Nations in New York City, titled “Combating Religious Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria.”
“Music has taken me around the globe,” she said. “I have seen how people, no matter their language, culture or religion, come alive when they hear a song that touches their soul. Religious freedom means we all can sing our faith regardless of who we are, where we live and what we believe.”
“Today, faith is under attack in way too many places,” she lamented, detailing how, “In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes and killed.”
“Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart, and entire communities live in fear constantly, simply because of how they pray. Sadly, this problem is not only a growing problem in Nigeria but also in so many other countries across the world, and it demands urgent action,” she added.
Continued below.
www.christianpost.com
Minaj gave the keynote address Tuesday at an event hosted by the United States Mission to the United Nations in New York City, titled “Combating Religious Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria.”
“Music has taken me around the globe,” she said. “I have seen how people, no matter their language, culture or religion, come alive when they hear a song that touches their soul. Religious freedom means we all can sing our faith regardless of who we are, where we live and what we believe.”
“Today, faith is under attack in way too many places,” she lamented, detailing how, “In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes and killed.”
“Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart, and entire communities live in fear constantly, simply because of how they pray. Sadly, this problem is not only a growing problem in Nigeria but also in so many other countries across the world, and it demands urgent action,” she added.
Continued below.
Nicki Minaj says religious freedom advocacy is about 'uniting humanity' at UN event
Singer Nicki Minaj defended religious freedom advocacy as an effort aimed at uniting humanity as she delivered remarks at an event profiling the threats to Christians in Nigeria
www.christianpost.com
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman among investors in embryo gene-editing venture
- By Michie
San Francisco-based startup Preventive has raised nearly $30 million from investors, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, to develop embryo gene-editing technology aimed at preventing hereditary diseases.
The company, founded as a public benefit corporation, stated its goal is “to determine through rigorous preclinical work whether preventive gene editing can be developed safely to spare families from severe disease.”
Preventive co-founder and gene-editing scientist Lucas Harrington pledged to “not advance this technology to clinical human use if safety cannot be established through extensive research.”
“We will not compromise safety standards to accelerate timelines,” Harrington wrote.
Creating gene-edited babies is currently illegal in the United States, the United Kingdom, and most countries. Preventive is considering conducting clinical work in the United Arab Emirates, where embryo editing is not prohibited, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Continued below.
www.christianpost.com
The company, founded as a public benefit corporation, stated its goal is “to determine through rigorous preclinical work whether preventive gene editing can be developed safely to spare families from severe disease.”
Preventive co-founder and gene-editing scientist Lucas Harrington pledged to “not advance this technology to clinical human use if safety cannot be established through extensive research.”
“We will not compromise safety standards to accelerate timelines,” Harrington wrote.
Creating gene-edited babies is currently illegal in the United States, the United Kingdom, and most countries. Preventive is considering conducting clinical work in the United Arab Emirates, where embryo editing is not prohibited, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Continued below.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman among investors in embryo gene-editing venture
San Francisco-based startup Preventive has raised nearly 30 million from investors, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, to develop embryo gene-editing technology aimed
www.christianpost.com
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