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Nothing can diminish the value of any human being, pope says

No physical limitation or setback can diminish the value of any human being because each person is a unique and beloved child of God, Pope Francis said.

Health care is a universal right, not a luxury, Pope Francis says

Health care is not a luxury, it is a right that belongs to everyone, Pope Francis told health care workers.

Protecting God’s children

The approach of Catholic Schools Week gives us an opportunity to revisit the efforts the Archdiocese of Chicago has been taking to keep our children safe.

Don’t just sit there

We’ve reached the doldrums of the year. Christmas and New Year’s are over. Easter is so far away we haven’t even started Lent yet. While the days are slowly getting longer, it’s still dark when I wake up and again by the time I finish work, and long periods of damp, gray weather mean that there’s not all that much sunlight in between. Meanwhile, we’re besieged by what seems like endless streams of bad news, from climate change to political divisions so deep it can seem like people are living in entirely different worlds. Students in school have started the long slog from winter break to the end of the year, in what they assure me feels like an endless treadmill of history fair and science fair to diagnostic testing to math homework to how do I do a bibliography? My kids always get a little squirrelly this time of year, and it doesn’t surprise me. I do, too. So what to do? Just about anything, as long as you do something. Extra points if it involves helping someone else, which will brighten your mood as well as their day. The corporal works of mercy aren’t there simply to benefit the hungry and thirsty, the sick and the homeless and migrants. They are there for the benefit of those who perform them, to show them what it means to bring positive change into the world, to allow them to participate in the work of God. It’s not always easy, and often, our small efforts don’t seem to have much effect. I can offer someone panhandling on the street a piece of fruit from my bag, or maybe a dollar, and what good have I done? Plenty of people — maybe plenty of people reading this — would say that I’m contributing to the problem, encouraging people to beg and not doing anything that will materially alter their circumstances. That’s true, as far as it goes. But, for a few minutes at least, they will be less hungry. If I do it right — if I offer something, ask if they want it and listen for their answer — for a few seconds, they will know they are seen and heard, treated as a fellow human being, a fellow child of God. And there is so much more to be done, and so many ways to do it. There are organizations, from Catholic Charities to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, that are always looking for volunteers. If signing up and showing up at a set time isn’t your thing, you can still walk out your door and clean up your neighborhood. As I said, it doesn’t matter so much what you do. As long as you do something.

New state laws draw comment from Illinois bishops

In the second week of January, the Illinois legislature passed two major bills that were signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, both of which have implications for Catholic social teaching.

Pope announces ecumenical prayer before synod assembly in October

Encouraging Catholics to participate in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis also announced that before the assembly of the Synod of Bishops opens in early October, there will be an ecumenical prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Square.

Vicariates mark the passing of Pope Benedict with memorial Masses

Chicago-area Catholics joined the universal church in marking the passing of Pope Benedict XVI with memorial Masses on Jan. 4 and Jan. 5 in each of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s six vicariates.

Vacant rectory sees new life as an emergency shelter

The rectory at the St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy church site at 38 N. Austin Blvd. now has a new purpose. Since Jan. 4, it has served as a temporary emergency shelter for men, women and families who need a roof over their heads for a night.

Beloved Fenwick teacher still helping after retirement

You could say that once Roger Finnell walked through the doors of Fenwick High School as a freshman in 1955, he never really left. Sure, he spent four years in college at Loyola University Chicago (class of 1963), but then he was right back at his alma mater.
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