DETROIT (CNS) Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron reflected on these words of St. Paul s Second Letter to the Corinthians, which are meant not just for a specific people at a specific time, but are intended for the faithful here and today. Ash Wednesday is a time of salvation, even amid a pandemic that has caused much suffering and economic strife, he told the congregation gathered at St. Aloysius Church Feb. 17,
After 11 months of giving up, what is there left to give up this Lent?
Friday, Feb. 19, 2021
WASHINGTON (CNS) Since childhood, the typical U.S. Catholic’s response to Lent is giving up, as in “What are you giving up for Lent?”
If you haven’t been keeping track, Catholics in the United States and worldwide – just about everyone, really – have been giving up a lot since the coronavirus pandemic struck 11 months ago, with no clearly defined end in sight. You would need the fingers on both hands to name some of the things that have been lost, not to mention nearly a half-million lives lost in the U.S. alone.
Cathedral High School graduate finds validation after Springfield diocese hears her sexual abuse claim against late Rev. Karl Huller
Updated Feb 12, 2021;
Posted Feb 12, 2021
The late Rev. Karl Huller s photograph is seen in a screen capture from the website for St. Michael s Cathedral in Springfield, where he once served as rector and a meeting room at the Bishop Marshall Center was once named in his honor. In 2004, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield settled claims by two men who alleged they were sexually abused by Huller as students at Cathedral High School. In December 2020, the diocese accepted as credible a third survivor s claim that she was also sexually assaulted by Huller as a student there in the 1960s.
After 11 months, what is there left to give up this Lent?
People in Cambridge, Md., pray in their cars on Easter April 12, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic. (CNS photo/Joshua Roberts, Reuters)
By Mark Pattison • Catholic News Service • Posted February 12, 2021
WASHINGTON (CNS) Since childhood, the typical U.S. Catholic’s response to Lent is giving up, as in “What are you giving up for Lent?”
If you haven’t been keeping track, Catholics in the United States and worldwide just about everyone, really have been giving up a lot since the coronavirus pandemic struck 11 months ago, with no clearly defined end in sight. You would need the fingers on both hands to name some of the things that have been lost, not to mention nearly a half-million lives lost in the U.S. alone.
Bishop William D. Byrne speaks during his installation on Dec. 14, 2020, as the bishop of Springfield, Mass., at St. Michael s Cathedral in Springfield. (CNS photo/Gillian Jones, The Catholic Mirror)
Bishop William D. Byrne was ordained and installed as the 10th bishop of the Diocese of Springfield, Mass., on Dec. 14. The youngest of eight children, he is a native of Washington, D.C., and has spent many years in ministry in that area, most recently as pastor of Our Lady of Mercy parish in Potomac, Md. His popular “Five Things” YouTube series recently was developed into a book called
I spoke with Bishop Byrne about his hopes for my home diocese of Springfield to which I recently returned after 12 years in the New York metropolitan area and the larger church. The interview took place over two phone calls, one on Dec. 23, the other on Jan. 21. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.