Focus on Faith

A federal jury returned a verdict Jan. 30, finding Houck not guilty of the charges of violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

Diocesan bishops must have Vatican authorization to allow the celebration of the pre-Vatican II Mass in a parish church, to establish a new “personal parish” for devotees of the old Mass or to allow its celebration by a priest ordained after July 2021 when Pope Francis issued rules restricting the celebration, he said.

In documents issued his first 10 years in office, Pope Francis covered topics as diverse as strengthening one’s faith, evangelization, caring for creation, accompanying families and young people, and respecting indigenous peoples.

Blessed Stanley is the first U.S.-born martyr formally recognized by the church.

Page Zyromski remembered how God had challenged her to forgive Stephen Todd Booker, who brutally murdered her great-aunt in 1977.

Canon lawyers and those involved in marriage preparation and family ministry must cooperate for the good of the individuals involved, the pope said.

“Jesus is himself the way, and therefore, both in the liturgical journey (of Lent) and in the journey of the synod, the church does nothing other than enter ever more deeply and fully into the mystery of Christ the savior,” the pope said in his message for Lent, which begins Feb. 22 for Latin-rite Catholics.

The Lenten season, preparation for Easter, has been observed from the onset of the Church, although there have been inconsistencies with duration and practices.